Bashful Billionaire's Briefcase

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

This was a surprise gift to a new MBA graduate. Little did I know that his boss indicated it was time to get rid of the backpack. Stylish, handsome and the name prompts a lighthearted discussion.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

This is a great bag with a lot of style. It looks a little more on the rugged side, in contrast to a sleek and shiny briefcase many lawyers might be toting. Nonetheless, I've been given a few compliments on this bag and it goes well with the suit and tie I wear every day.

For most uses, it does well. It will hold a fair amount of stuff, but only to a point. All the internal dressing on this bag is of Duluth's firehose material, and the two larger, main compartments inside are divided with some sort of plastic(?) divider that's covered in the firehose material. This provides a lot of stability and structure to this bag. However, it also means that if you have some bulky or oddly shaped items to place in your briefcase, you might have a difficult time getting everything to fit. Prior to this bag I had a Calvin Klein bag made from some sort of cordura/nylon. It allowed me to shove items into smaller pockets into corners here and there and forget about them. (Trauma kit, flashlight, emergency snacks, umbrella, etc.) With this bag, there's no ability to do that very well, unless everything's lying loosely on the bottom of the briefcase and I just stick my folders or books over and around them. It basically means that I'm always adjusting the way my bag is loaded, which I don't like. Ultimately, however, it's not that big of a deal. (Note, if you have snoopy coworkers, who are attracted to the bag, they will also be able to see everything that's in there.)

Also, because of this divider, you're limited to the size of books you can place in the bag. I was trying to carry my laptop (which is entirely too snug inside the dedicated laptop sleeve that comes with this briefcase and which, as a result, is just sitting in my office) as well as a casebook for school. (Casebook=2" thick.) I could barely fit them in together and there was no hope of putting anything else in there with them. Thankfully, I'm done with casebooks and don't foresee the need to be toting them around, but if you have a laptop and one large, or a few books, they may not fit well into the internal space as it's laid out. (Perhaps carrying the laptop separately in the sleeve in one hand and your books in your briefcase in the other would work. But if so, it would be nice if they had some sort of closure system for the laptop sleeve rather than just some small tabs of velcro.)

I also like to carry my travel coffee mug in my bag. Of course, if it falls over, there's always a chance for some small leakage. It would be nice (although perhaps not necessary) if the bag had some small adjustable dividers like come in camera bags, so you could create a small space to hold your mug upright, or if there were an internal pocket on the side that were flexible enough to allow you to put a mug in there. Small issue, but one that I deal with every day.

Also, I wish that the shoulder "pad" on the shoulder strap were actually padded and a little bit bigger (both wider and longer). It's simply a piece of leather you can slide along the should strap, but there's no padding to it. The handle has a fantastically cushioned, plush underside, so your fingers don't get pinched the way they do with some lesser briefcases. I just wish they would take the time to improve the shoulder strap as well, since I use this as much, if not more, than the handle.

And as to the shoulder strap, if you shorten it to it's shortest available length, you have an extra eight inches or so of loose strap dangling and getting in the way, not to mention looking sloppy. So, if you're not 6'4" and don't want your briefcase attacking your hamstring as you walk, you'll have to find a way to jury rig the strap to keep it tucked away. A small leather band/ring like they have on most backpacks or military packs (which are usually stretchy nylon) would do nicely in this regard to hold this excessive length of strap.

All of these issues aside, this is a great bag. None of these complaints are too substantial for me to be unhappy with the bag. If I were in their shop, I might try redesigning a few features. But even with the bag as it stands, I would purchase it again. The craftsmanship and style are top notch. Again, this does not look like a typical Brooks Brothers style bag. But I prefer it the way it is. I carry it with a suit and tie to court every day. But I wouldn't feel awkward if I were carrying it around in khakis and a button-up. And although some of the lay out is a little less than what I would like, there's a fair amount of diversity and utility in the pockets and folders they do have. The clasps are nicer than many I've seen, and they're easy to clasp and unclasp even while holding the bag by the hand and walking. Best of all, the bag stands up on its own, loaded or unloaded. I'm certain that if I purchase another briefcase in the next ten years it will be either because I want something in black, or because I've found a good briefcase that actually has a coffee mug pocket in it. Otherwise, I think this thing will last until my kids (non-existent at this point) are done with college.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

I work in a professional office. The thing I am most impressed with about this case is the quality. Everything I have purchased thru Deluth is high quality and functional. A case of similar quality would cost much more elsewhere. I look forward to breaking it in and using it for many years to come.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

I use this for work. I wanted a bag which would stay propped up on its own, and be easy to see all the stuff on the inside. This bag does that. The leather is nice, and it's an okay looking bag. Not too flashy or anything. However, this bag was so close to being really great, it frustrates me. Has the bad designer ever used this bag? If he had, he would have noticed that: it's too freaking heavy! Really. Once you put your gear in this, it gets extra heavy. So beware. Also, the bag has "pen holders" but my basic pens won't fit in them. Ugh. So I need to use an interior pocket for pens. Stupid. Speaking of stupid, the outside pockets just have a little strap/snap to hold thing in their. My iPad Mini fits in the pocket, but the strap is too short to snap. So my iPad Mini is not real secure (not is anything you put in these outside pockets. The shoulder strap is lame, too. Gets twisted, and is not too comfortable. Need to "straighten it out" before putting the bag on. Would be nice just to be able to grab the strap, toss it on, and go. The belt hook things on the outside look nice, I guess, but the do have a snap like button thing underneath them, so you do not always have to unbuckle the belt-buckle things. I was planning on returning this once I got it, because of the weigh, unsecured outside pockets, and lame pen holders. However, it's hard to find a bag which won't flop over when you set it on a table or floor. This drive me nuts. So, I think I'm sticking with it. I wouldn't recommend this bag, unless I was able to explain the gripes I have with it first. Seems like someone could easily resign this bag, and make it much more useful for real, everyday use.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

Great price, features and quality!!!

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

This is a very nice rendition of a classic leather satchel-style briefcase.

This briefcase is a bit pricey, but it's better made and better looking IMO than others I've seen at more than twice the price.

My older "full-sized" laptop PC does not fit in this briefcase, but no worries, I travel with an iPad now which fits nicely with room to spare.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

These were bought as gifts! Very well made, and excellent product. They enjoyed them.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

I bought this bag for my wife she is a home health nurse so she carries all her paper work and laptop in the bag. The bag is very well made and looks good on top of that.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

After watching my husband carry those ugly black nylon backpack and laptop bags to work for years ,I just couldnt take it anymore. I bought him this briefcase and the postmaster tote. now he goes to work looking great! He really loves them. Thank you Duluth for having great quality products at decent prices.

Comments about Bashful Billionaire's Leather Briefcase:

I received this bag as a gift this past Christmas. I like the extra pockets it has, but it would be nice to have a zipped pocket or two on the inside to store small items like usb drives etc. The hardware is a bit cheap on the outside flap, and I don't expect that to last long. I feel that the shoulder strap is too light to carry the bag. A wider heavier strap would make more sense for comfort. All these concerns are important to me but I feel the overall durability of a leather bag like this will off-set the cons.