REVIEW – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love leather. I’m always on the lookout for useful leather products to carry my gear around in. Colonel Littleton recently came out with three new leather pouches: No. 1 Zip It – Small Leather Zipper Pouch, No. 2 Zip It – Medium Leather Zipper Pouch, and the No. 3 Zip It – Large Leather Zipper Pouch. When trying them out, I found that they are beautiful lightweight leather pouches and carry around all that I need to carry when I’m traveling. My only wish is that they were made with thicker leather and thread but that would add weight to the pouches and Colonel Littleton is going for a lightweight design.
What is it?
The Colonel Littleton Zip It Pouches are leather pouches that can be used to carry around your 15″ laptop (No. 3 Zip It – Large Leather Zipper Pouch), charging paraphernalia (No. 2 Zip It – Medium Leather Zipper Pouch), or small items (No. 1 Zip It – Small Leather Zipper Pouch) during the day.
What’s in the box?
- EACH OF THESE POUCHES IS SOLD SEPARATELY
- No. 1 Zip It – Small Leather Zipper Pouch + Info cards (How long will it last/Condominium Cows/Inspector tag)
- No. 2 Zip It – Medium Leather Zipper Pouch + Info cards (How long will it last/Condominium Cows/Inspector tag)
- No. 3 Zip It – Large Leather Zipper Pouch + Info cards (How long will it last/Condominium Cows/Inspector tag)
- Colonel Littleton’s One-room Schoolhouse postcard
- Information card – The Buck Stops Here! review the item card
- Information card – Moon Pies & Caviar
- Leather coaster
- Moon pie
- Not shown: cotton canvas dust bag for each pouch
Specifications
- No. 1 Zip It – Small Leather Zipper Pouch dimensions: 4 5/8” H x 6” W; zipper opening: 4″ W
- No. 2 Zip It – Medium Leather Zipper Pouch dimensions: 7” H x 9 1/2” W; zipper opening: 8″ W
- No. 3 Zip It – Large Leather Zipper Pouch dimensions: 11 1/2” H x 16” W; zipper opening: 14″ W
Design and features
Each of the Zip It leather pouches is made the same. They are made using full-grain, dry-milled, vintage-brown cowhide. The front of each pouch has a leather badge that features an antiqued solid brass plate where your initials can go if you wish to personalize the pouches. The brass plate is attached to each pouch using rivets. 
The back of each pouch has the Colonel Littleton logo embossed on the leather.
Each pouch also has YKK zippers. 
None of the pouches has any lining or pockets in them. 
Note that the rivets are exposed inside the pouches and can scratch the items that you put in them. 
I only wish that these pouches were made with thicker leather and thread but Col. Littleton is going for a lightweight design.
Performance
The No. 1 Zip It (the small leather zipper pouch) shown above measures 4 5/8” H x 6” W with a zipper opening of 4″ W and holds my Post-It tabs, Post-It notes, eraser, and small ruler. 
All of the items fit very nicely in the small pouch.
As you can see, the pouch has plenty of room for all of my small items.
The small Zip It pouch can also be used to carry flash drives, keys, earbuds, jewelry, etc.
The No. 2 Zip It (the medium leather zipper pouch) shown above measures 7” H x 9 1/2” W with a zipper opening of 8″ W and carries all of my charging materials (and an old Chromecast) when I travel. 
All of those items fit perfectly in the medium zipper pouch. I’m so pleased! I used to use a leather roll to carry my charging items, but that was too thick. This is perfect. 
Again, you can see that these items fit well in this pouch.
The medium pouch can also be used for medicines, tickets, phones, eyewear, grooming essentials, etc. 
The No. 3 Zip It (the large leather zipper pouch) measures 11 1/2” H x 16” W with a zipper opening of 14″ W and is large enough to carry a 15″ laptop or large tablet and other accessories. In my situation, it carried my 13″ Lenovo laptop in its protective Tomtoc carrying case which in turn carried my multiport adapter, mouse, and laptop charger. 
The Tomtoc case slid easily into the No. 3 Zip It. 
There’s plenty of room in this pouch for my laptop with its protective case. 
There was even a little room to spare.
The large leather pouch will also carry things like file folders, writing supplies, planning tools and presentations, toiletries and travel essentials.
Colonel Littleton makes fantastic leather products. They are well-made, use high-quality materials, and are attractive. In addition to that, I think what I really enjoy about Colonel Littleton is the whole package that is sent to the customers (the information cards, moon pies, etc.). If you take the time to read all of the information sent with the leather products, you get a sense of Colonel Littleton’s history and feel the nostalgia of a time long past.
Included with my pouches was a postcard of Colonel Littleton’s One-Room Schoolhouse on Foxfire Farm, in Lynnville, Tennessee. This was a time where life was quieter, towns and cities were smaller, and life seemed much less frantic. The Colonel’s memories about walking with his grandfather to a little country store every Saturday morning where he would buy a Moon Pie and eat it on the way home also gives you a sense of fond family memories and a close-knit community. I guess I really enjoy this type of thing. Hearing stories and seeing the historic sites and buildings makes the past come alive for me. It also makes me recall my days exploring out by the creek behind our small farmhouse where I would gaze in wonder and awe at the water striders skating across the water.
I also learned that Lynnville, Tennessee is a really small town with a population of only 327. I’m thinkin’ that Colonel Littleton and his team of leather crafters put Lynnville on the map with their fine leather goods!
What I like
- All of the pouches are beautiful.
- They are all lightweight.
- All carry my gear perfectly.
What I’d change
- I would prefer the leather and thread to be much thicker but this adds weight and Col. Littleton is trying to create lightweight pouches.
- The No. 3 Zip It – Large Leather Zipper Pouch has no padding for laptop or tablet protection.
- The rivets for the Col. Littleton brass tags on each pouch could scratch the items that you store inside the pouches.
Final thoughts
Colonel Littleton makes wonderful leather products. Each of the Colonel Littleton Zip It Pouches (No. 1 Zip It – Small Leather Zipper Pouch, No. 2 Zip It – Medium Leather Zipper Pouch, and the No. 3 Zip It – Large Leather Zipper Pouch) is very attractive. They are also beautiful in their simplicity; there are no pockets or lining inside the pouches. They are well-made, use high-quality materials, are lightweight to carry around, and accommodate all of my items perfectly.
I would have preferred to have them made using thicker leather and thread, but that adds weight. I guess I tend to like the robust feel of thicker leather products while others would rather have lightweight leather products, especially when traveling. Additionally, it is important to note that the large zipper pouch does not have any protection for your 15″ laptop or tablet and the rivets in each pouch are exposed such that they could potentially scratch the items that you place in them.
Price: $94.50 (Small Zip It), $118.50 (Medium Zip It), $167.00 (Large Zip It)
Where to buy: Colonel Littleton
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Colonel Littleton.
