Just a quick follow up – I’ve been using the pouch, and the leather from the strap and back pocket shedding is no longer an issue. It was indeed just something that happens at the beginning, and totally not a big deal.

I’m tempted to get either the large satchel or the messenger, and I can’t decide which, to carry my 13″ Macbook Air and other gear.

Julie, I know you’ve reviewed the Saddleback Messenger Bag. Have you had a chance to handle their large satchel?

Thanks!

She also mentioned that the back pocket may not be lined because it may make it more stiff. If not pigskin, perhaps some other material may be appropriate for lining the back pocket?

Thanks again!

I’ve shifted my approach a little in how I use this pouch – now the back pocket of the pouch holds my iPhone, a thin pad and a pen.

The main compartment holds the ID wallet at the bottom, my earphones in a soft pouch above that, and my keys above the earphone pouch.

When I was paying for lunch today, I had to take out my keys, and then my earphone pouch in order to take out my wallet.

I like that the main compartment is lined! I would like to see them line the back pocket. Once today, when I took my iPhone out of the back pocket of the pouch, I could see the shedding from the leather.

Thanks!

I purchased the Saddleback Leather Pouch based on this review, along with their ID wallet. This is my first Saddleback purchase.

I like the pouch, but I would have liked it more if they had built it with a 0.5″ or 0.75″ strip of leather along either side, making the pouch a just little thicker. I am using it to carry the ID wallet, my iPhone in a protective case, a pen, and my keys. It holds all of this stuff, but these items end up getting stacked on top of each other inside the pouch, making it necessary to remove what’s on top to get at what’s on the bottom. If the pouch were a little thicker, this would not be an issue.

I’m not a big leather person, but the leather smells wonderful, and I can’t help but want to smell it. Actually, the area where the pouch is placed ends up smelling of the leather – at least right now.

The strap sheds – a bit annoying when I’m wearing a dark shirt – my pouch is tobacco in color. Hopefully, this is only temporary. My ID wallet is coffee in color. The tobacco color is beautiful, I wish I had ordered the pouch in coffee – I like the coffee more.

Thank you again!

A top flap, and a strap attached near the top in 2 places, ok, that describes most bags, not including backpacks or cinch type sack bags.

The toggle-pull closure was taken from a bag in South America if I remember correctly. I don’t see too many sporran with that type of closure. I see alot with a snap or a top that opens like a cigarette case.

Meh, to each their own I guess. Great bag, good design. I love mine. It attaches to my briefcase and looks good there too.

Have a great day!

For the rest of the world, it’s decidedly unisex. Utility EDC stuff really shouldn’t have a gender to it anyway. :p

I have a version of this bag with suede interior, and it ruins everything you put in the bag by bleeding all over it. I so wanted to love this bag, but my other bags don’t bleed all over everything.

I do have a small Saddleback wallet with the pigskin lining, so if they put that in the pouch, yeah, that solves a lot of problems.

I feel it could be a just a tad bigger and bit easier to stretch out, but maybe that’s been addressed now too. Just enough that my sunglasses, and iphone could fit inside without getting squished or bled-onto, and there would still be enough room in the back pocket for the Saddleback slim wallet so that it didn’t take 5 years to wrestle in and out of the pocket.

I think maybe it just needs a millimeter more depth, but that’s great to hear about the pigskin lining.