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Introduction

Saddleback Leather Company recently added several products to their lineup, including a laptop sleeve.  I have previously reviewed one of Saddleback’s core products, the large briefcase, here.  Some of the observations that I made in that review also apply here, especially concerning the experience of working with the company.  I thought that the addition of a laptop sleeve to their product family was a very interesting choice.  I think that part of they mystique that Saddleback has going for it is that the products they make feel like something that might have been made 150 years ago.  You get the impression that when people use the phrase "They don’t make ‘em like they used to.", they’re talking about something like a Saddleback bag.  That feeling of an ageless high quality product is one of the distinct features of Saddleback’s leather goods.  So, making something like a laptop sleeve almost seems out of character for them.  Not because they couldn’t do a good job, but rather because it is an admission that they are actually making products in the 21st century.  I was very excited to get my hands on one of these bags and see if they could make a product for a modern computer user.  Read on to find out how they did…

In preparing for this review, I did a bit of googling.  I was trying to find something to compare this product to.  Saddleback calls it a "laptop sleeve".  That’s terribly  inaccurate.  To me, a laptop sleeve is one of those rubber deals you pick up at your local Big-Box-O-Rama for $20.  It fits snugly around your laptop and basically provides a little scuff protection when you shove it inside your backpack.  It might have a pocket on the outside, but, that’s about it.  It probably has a zipper or snap closure, or maybe no closure at all.  Saddleback’s laptop sleeve is NOT designed to compete with that product.  Truth be told, I really had a bit of a hard time finding something to compare it against.  Whenever I do a review, I like to see what other people are doing with a particular type of product, and I honestly can’t find anyone who’s making something with quite this feature set.  There are some that come close:  Renaissance Art offers a bag that is similar, and Vaja has a bag that is sort of like this… but is more briefcase-ish.  Really though, I just couldn’t find anyone that had something that was very comparable.  Perhaps someone in the comments will know of another similar product, but, I couldn’t find it.  As a result, this review is more challenging (and wordier) as Saddleback has created a product that is new to me.  All I have to go on are my ideas about what it could do and how it would function.  Nevertheless, my job here is to have an opinion.  Let’s get down to it, shall we?

What I liked:

Earlier I mentioned that most people, myself included, think of those little neoprene covers when they think of "laptop sleeve".  The manufacturers claim that it provides some shock protection, but, between you and me, the shock protection is very minimal.  I work as a mechanical engineer, and I actually do a little shock testing from time to time, so, I can speak somewhat intelligently on the subject.  If you want to avoid a little nerd babble, skip two paragraphs down, otherwise I’m going to try to teach you a little something about shock isolation because it is important to understand to appreciate Saddleback’s sleeve.

When trying to minimize shock loads, most people understand that you want to put something soft and cushy in between what you are trying to protect and what it is hitting.  That is true.  But, like many things in engineering, it is a balancing act between two competing ideas.  On the one hand, you want the material to be as soft as possible.  The softer it is, the more gently it slows the motion of what you are protecting, thereby lessening shock.  However, if it is very soft, then what you are protecting will completely compress the soft material and bang into whatever is on the other side, meaning you actually have NO shock protection.  Imagine banging your head against a wall with a layer of foam rubber between your head and the wall.  Now, replace the foam rubber with cotton candy.  The results would be not so pleasant.  So, the point being, to really provide good shock protection, you want to see two things: soft cushy materials and as much room for those materials to deflect as possible.

For those of you that skipped here.. and for those of you that didn’t…  what I’m trying to say is that Saddleback’s laptop sleeve offers significantly more shock protection than any of those thin sleeves.  It does this by including a layer of neoprene inside the cow leather and pigskin.  That provides a "two stage" shock absorber.  The big beefy corners and edges of the leather (shown left) work in concert with the neoprene to provide EXCELLENT shock resistance.  I haven’t actually run an experiment and collected data to verify that… it is mostly based on my intuition.  But, if we’re going to drop two laptops from table height, one in the thin neoprene sleeve and one in Saddleback’s sleeve, my money is on the laptop in the Saddleback sleeve surviving the fall.  By far, this is the best feature of this sleeve.  It offers very significant protection for your laptop from perhaps the biggest hazard: being dropped.

Saddleback’s trademark robust construction is still here.  Even though they’re making a 21st century product, the bag still feels like a piece of horse tack with all the heavy  duty leather and hardware.  I, personally, think that is awesome.  It is a fantastic sense of permanence that I really like having in a product.  The aesthetics of the bag are really great too…  of course, that is just an opinion.  What is not an opinion is that the bag is very unique looking and you WILL be asked by other people where you got it.  If you don’t like the idea of having to explain to strangers where you bought something, this bag isn’t for you.  

One thing that sort of surprised me was the closure mechanism.  Saddleback’s website talks non-stop about this silly closure mechanism.  They this same method on several products, and they constantly talk about how cool it is.  Honestly, I thought to myself:  "C’mon…  it’s just their version of a snap.  How interesting and cool can it really be?"  I am surprised to report that it can actually be very interesting and cool.  I can confidently say, this is the best closure mechanism for something like this I’ve ever used.  I always thought snaps were sort of the default closure for something being easy to use but working well.  Turns out, snaps are just used because they are cheap.  THIS is the way a closure should be done if you actually want a good closure that is easy to use.  It is simple to use one handed (although you do have to break it in a little as the leather is stiff when it first arrives).  Once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder why other people don’t use this method.  I know I do.  It can’t be used everywhere because it can’t bear as much weight as something like the buckle on Saddleback’s briefcases.  But in situations where the weight loads are low enough, this little method works great.  It is easier to use than a snap, quieter than a zipper or velcro, and will last longer than any other closure option.  Seriously.. I know it is crazy that I just typed that many words about a closure mechanism, but it really is surprisingly cool.

Now, lets get down to the features that elevate this product to something more than "laptop sleeve".  It has a very nice carrying handle and a huge shoulder strap.  I thought that the carrying handle on the briefcase was a little more comfortable, but, that is because it had a larger and rounder shape.  With this handle, it seems Saddleback was trying to be space conscious and make a handle that could lay flat(er) against the side of the case.  The shoulder strap uses the same swiveling clasps that are used on the briefcase that I really liked.  The range of adjustment in the shoulder strap is HUGE.

Those two features are what, to my mind, make this product different than what we think of when we think of "laptop sleeves".  Those other laptop sleeves were useful items, but, you were still dependent on something else to carry the laptop with you.  The sleeve had to be crammed inside a briefcase or backpack to be carried along with you.  Sure, you could hand tote it if you really wanted to, but that isn’t terribly convenient.  The saddleback sleeve, with a grab handle and shoulder strap is a self-sufficient laptop carrying solution.  If all you want to take with you is a laptop, all you need to grab is this laptop sleeve.  You can then carry it with you, hands free, and not have to worry about your laptop being damaged.  The ability to easily carry your laptop anywhere you like and not worry about it is what this bag offers that typical laptop sleeves do not.  Because it is smaller than a briefcase, it allows for more flexibility.  If you want to travel light with your laptop, you can.  If you don’t want to take all the extra size and weight of a backpack or briefcase, you don’t have to.  Of course, if you DO need the backpack and briefcase, this sleeve can still be slipped inside of them and carried along in the more traditional sleeve way.  Granted, this guy is bigger than those for carrying inside another bag… but as mentioned earlier, you get better shock resistance as a result. 

Saddleback seems to be going for sort of a modular approach in terms of the options they give you for carrying your stuff.  I think it is a pretty cool idea.  If you just want to  take your laptop, you can grab this sleeve.  If you need to carry your laptop and a few other small items, you can snap one of their pouches onto the grab handle.  My laptops power brick fit…. barely, as shown below.  (Note, the pouch is the light tobacco color and the laptop sleeve is the dark tobacco color).  If you need to carry your laptop and quite a few other things, you can slide this sleeve into your briefcase and head out with a highly rugged mobile office.  I should note: I own the Large Briefcase and this is a Large Laptop Sleeve.  The large sleeve DOES NOT fit inside the Large briefcase.  Keep that in mind if you plan on using this sleeve inside a saddleback bag.  I suspect, but cannot confirm, that the medium sleeve WOULD fit inside a large briefcase.

Speaking of size, I suppose I should mention that I reviewed the "large" size bag.  My laptop is 15.4" across the chassis and it EASILY fit inside.  Saddleback claims a 17" laptop will fit in this bag and I certainly believe it.  While it is inside the Saddleback sleeve, your laptop will be fantastically protected.  The leather does a great job of keeping out liquids (of course, immersion would be a problem,  but rain or spills would be no big deal).  As already mentioned, shock protection would be excellent.  Short of leaving it in your driveway and backing over it with your car, I’m not sure what everyday hazards this sleeve couldn’t protect against.   

What I didn’t like:

There were a few things about the design of this laptop sleeve that left me scratching my head.  First, the shoulder strap.  The pad on the shoulder strap seems narrow to me.  Consequently, it isn’t as comfortable to carry as it could be as it can sometimes "dig in".  As the leather loosened up, it did get better, but I still would have liked to see a wider pad on the strap.  I’m not sure if saddleback was trying to minimize size/weight here or what, but it seemed strange to me that they went through the trouble of making an entirely new pad design when the one from the briefcase would have worked better.  While we’re talking about carrying options, I wish the grab handle was a little more ergonomic.  My first choice would be to round it a little more, but, that would take up more space.  So, it might be nice to make the hardware a little larger so that my knuckles don’t brush against the top of the sleeve as I carry it.  Admittedly, I have pretty big hands, so maybe this is just me.

I was a little surprised to see some lapses in quality control.  A couple of the adjustment holes on my shoulder strap weren’t fully punched.  Most of them I finished myself  with the tongue of the buckle, but, one of them I couldn’t get.  In terms of functionality,  this really isn’t a huge deal as there are TONS of adjustment holes spaced about an inch apart on the strap…  but, given the price associated with this laptop sleeve, I found it a bit disconcerting.

In the realm of nit-picking, I was a bit sad to see that Saddleback had taken another step towards the 21st century and put a logo on the outside of the bag.  It’s very tasteful and not glaring at all… and it is even sometimes handy as you can point to it when you are trying to explain to people where you got your laptop sleeve.  However, I really liked how some of their other products don’t have any externally visible logos.  Adding the logo on the outside took away some of the vintage look.  Hey, I realize its kinda silly, but my job is to have an opinion.

Other Things to Be Aware Of:

Those few items up above are all I can come up with to directly critique about Saddleback’s execution of their design.  Having said that, I feel there are some other aspects of the bag that I owe it to you as a reviewer to discuss.  These aren’t things that I view as distinctly good or bad, they are just things that I think you need to be aware of.  Firstly, this laptop sleeve is large.  Shown left, you can see it inside of what I consider to be a medium sized backpack.  I was able to zip it, but just barely.  My review sleeve was a size large, so I’m looking at the biggest version.  The medium is about an inch shorter in the two long dimensions.  In either case, this "laptop sleeve" isn’t going to fit inside of other bags as easily as typical neoprene sleeves.  With the cool closure and grab handle, it also has the opportunity to snag on things as you take it in and out.  Now, that size is directly responsible for the fact that this bag is a much better shock absorber than most thin neoprene sleeves.  The grab handle and closure are important for making it a great stand alone laptop carrying solution.  But, those features are a bit of a handicap when functioning in the more typical laptop sleeve role.  Also, I should note that one thing this sleeve does share with a typical laptop sleeve is that it is designed to carry just a laptop and THAT’S IT.  Despite its look, this is not a briefcase.  You can slip a magazine or something in the outside pocket, but, you probably aren’t going to fit your power cord inside this sleeve along with your laptop.  All these issues are conscious design decisions that Saddleback has made.  It is up to you to decide if they will work for you. 

I would also refer you to the ‘Other Issues’ section of my Saddleback briefcase review for a few more things you should be aware of.  The one exception is the issue with the suede rubbing off on certain items in my briefcase.  In the comments section of that review, one commenter noted that he carried his white MacBook inside the briefcase and some of the color DID transfer to the laptop.  Those briefcases are lined in suede and this laptop sleeve is lined in pig skin.  I suspect, but cannot confirm, that pig skin was chosen to address this issue.  Because it is much smoother, I would think that it would be less likely to transfer pigment like the suede did.  However, I can’t explicitly test that, so, if you are concerned about it I suggest you email Saddleback’s customer service and ask.  They are excellent and I’m sure would be happy to answer your questions.

Conclusion

If you take away only one thing from this review, let it be this:  Calling this product a "laptop sleeve" is like calling an M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank an "off road vehicle".  Sure, it is technically correct, but it doesn’t fully capture the essence or capabilities of the subject under consideration.  If my only requirement was excellent protection for my laptop, this would be my choice.  However, there is also the consideration of cost.  At ~$250, this is not what I consider a trivial purchase.  So, is it worth it?  Well, that’s a tough call.  I think it depends on how you plan on using it.  If you only find yourself using a laptop sleeve once in a while and you typically just slip it inside your backpack, this probably isn’t for you.  The backpack will offer some extra protection and the size of this sleeve could be a nuisance.  In my opinion, this sleeve is geared more towards a mobile professional.  Someone who finds themselves often needing to carry just a laptop, either locally or on travel.  Someone like a sales rep would be an ideal candidate.  They need the laptop for presentations and the folder pocket for a few catalogs and that’s it.  This laptop sleeve lets them travel light and still look very professional.  It also provides great protection.  I would also think hard about this sleeve if I owned a really high end laptop.  If I reached a point where this sleeve was 10% of the purchase price of my laptop, I think it would start to be more attractive as this sleeve is certainly easier to use (and provides better protection) than that extended warranty plan for similar cost.  Ultimately, this one really comes down to how you use your laptop.  I hope that I’ve given you enough information here to assist you in making a well informed decision.  I’ll be happy to answer any questions in the comments.

Pros

• Excellent shock resistance to protect your laptop
• Grab Handles and Shoulder strap that allow for hands free carrying of just a laptop
• Very cool closure mechanism that works great
• Saddleback’s typical rugged construction and 100 year warranty.

Cons

• Larger than a typical laptop sleeve, making it harder to use inside of another bag
• Should strap pad should be wider to distribute weight more
• Grab handle could be a bit more ergonomic
• Expensive for something called a "laptop sleeve"

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