Samsonite Colombian Leather Flap-Over Messenger Bag, Brown, One Size

Received it within two days of ordering. Very good job Amazon. The bag is a dark leather. Which is what I like. Very roomy on the inside. Will travel with it this week and will update this review upon my return. However, at first sight, I like the construction. The handle at the top looks well made. All the compartments are padded. That's a plus. The leather feels nice and I think will age very nicely. There's an outside sleeve pocket in the back. You open the flap and there's the front pocket. There are two zipper slots. The front is large with laptop sleeve and three pockets in another compartment. Then the back compartment looks like you can keep a slim (my Macbook Air) laptop in that instead of the main compartment. I like the bag so far. And for $86, it is a good buy. Samsonite also being a company I trust. 8/22/13 Update: I took it on a business trip. It has a lot of room for what I need. I did use the back zippered compartment for my MacBook Air. Put folders and books in the main zippered compartment. The leather is very nice. Stitching is holding up very well. It's a great item and at a great price. Highly recommended. 12/16/13 Update: The messenger bag is aging nicely. Walked around Seoul in the rain with it and the leather held up well when it dried out. It still retained its soft and supple feeling. No issues with the zippers. No issues with the stitching or handle. 7/22/14 Update: The bag is holding up quite well. No damage to the leather after use. Zippers and straps are in good shape. I still recommend the item.

First off, the price alone probably led you here to start inquiring about reviews of quality. Fear not, you get a lot more bag than the price suggests. Right out of the box, soft leather without much of that leather smell. Medium brown color is classic and goes with plenty of styles. Overall, well made and provides a lot of space for storage on your travels. I've noticed that the leather scent starts to increase with wear, which is quite pleasant. The feel remains soft and durability seems to be quite good. Overall, great bag for the price considering you are getting a leather bag, from a known solid brand name, all for under $100.00. The single only negative I have found with this bag is the latches used to open and close the bag. They look nice and do their job, however they are a bit cheap and aren't exactly quick and easy to use. They click into place just fine, but opening them is a fumbling challenge as they do not have much give in the spring used to release the clip. I've gotten use to it, but don't expect to quickly grab a business card at a moments notice as you'll be standing there till tomorrow fumbling with the darn clip. A bit of an exaggeration that will change from user to user, but nonetheless something worth mentioning. Don't over think this purchase. If you have the budget for a $500.00 bag, then by all means keep searching as I do believe in getting what you pay for. However, the manufacture retail price is $300, so you won't be scraping the bottom of the barrel. Grab this one while you can!

Great shoulder bag. I use it for work every day. They used high quality leather, not that cheap stuff that always smells funny. The strap is adjustable and strong. Very high quality. I get compliments on it all the time.

Love this bag! Haven't seen too many reviews that provide much detail on the functionality of the bag (ie. internal design, etc.) so I thought it would be helpful for my review to focus on that aspect. But just to get this out of the way, the bag and the leather are really nice. The color is dark brown, with no shine or gloss. Of the pictures provided on the product description page, the first (showing the entire bag) and third (showing just the handle) seem to come closest to capturing the true color. The other pictures seem to suggest a purplish hue to the brown which is not true to the actual product (probably a lighting issue with the photography). On to the design and functionality. A distinguishing feature of this bag is its "flapover" design. I personally like this design as I feel it adds a certain professionalism to the look, but it will slow you down when getting things in and out of the bag. The buckles are for show; the actual clasp is underneath the buckle and is a metal tab that inserts into a metal slot. So if you intend to access the internal storage of the bag frequently throughout the day and/or if you think it might just annoy you, consider the "sister" bag to this, the Samsonite Colombian Leather TopLoader (the pictures for which, by the way, include a picture of the inside of the bag which is very similar to this flapover bag, just to give you an idea). I like the look of the flapover design and don't feel like the extra second or two that it takes to open up the bag is going to bother me. Once you open the flapover piece of the bag, you'll see that there is an unzippered, unvelcroed compartment on the front side of the bag (which is covered by the flap when the bag is closed). Inside that compartment are places to store business cards, pens, and a compartment big enough to hold an old style flip phone cell phone (about the size of a deck of cards). Also inside this compartment is a zippered compartment that measures 12" wide by 5" deep. So this front compartment is meant to hold your small stuff, keys, flash drives, etc. On to primary storage. There are 2 main zippered compartments that comprise the bulk of the bag's storage. The larger of the 2 zippered compartments is towards the "front" of the bag (the front being the side with the buckles), and the smaller one is towards the "rear" of the bag. The larger compartment is padded on all sides and has a middle divider so that you can place 2 15" laptops into the one compartment, separated by the divider (I tried, and they fit easily with no issues zipping everything up; my laptops are Lenovo Thinkpads and are of average size for a 15" laptop, more likely on the big side)(note: to be clear, this compartment is designed for one laptop, but is big enough for 2). There is a velcro strap in place to secure a laptop for one of the divided sections of this compartment. The floor of each divided section is flat, about 1" wide. Also in this larger compartment, on the "front" side of the compartment are 3 unzippered, unvelcroed pockets that are about 5" wide, 7.5" deep and 1" thick. They are big enough to store AC adapters, spare batteries, and items of that size. I have an oversized checkbook carrying case that fit in easily with room to spare. So you can see this one zippered compartment has a lot of storage space (more than most messenger bags for example, and with more padding). The 2nd zippered compartment is on the "back" side of the bag. It is big enough to fit a 14" Lenovo laptop. A 15" inch laptop would be a tight squeeze. Note that this 2nd compartment is not intended to be the compartment to carry your laptop in, I am just giving you a sense for size and dimension. The walls of the compartment have padding on both sides, but the larger compartment discussed above seems to be the primary storage space for "fragile" electronics (the larger compartment is also in the very middle of the bag, surrounded by other compartments which creates additional padding and security for the protection of the laptop). You could put a tablet or small laptop in this smaller compartment but I'd use a sleeve (not provided) to add protection. This compartment is primarily designed for paper items, folders, notebooks, etc. The floor of this divided section is v-shaped (not flat like the bigger compartment). Lastly, the "back" of the bag (the part that would normally sit next to your body) has an unzippered compartment that runs the length of the bag, with a velcro fastener inside in the middle of the compartment. This is where you might put items that you want quick access to, such as printed itineraries, newspapers, e-readers, etc. The shoulder strap is dark brown nylon with brass colored hooks. The pad itself is leather on the outward facing side and some sort of synthetic material on the shoulder contacting side. I've seen some reviewers lament the fact that its not a full leather strap, but at this price point, I think nylon is to be expected. The colors all match and it seems to fit the bag. Another reviewer mentioned you can buy a leather strap here on Amazon that may work (Winn Harness Leather Shoulder Strap w/Large Ergonomic Shoulder Pad). Overall I am impressed with the design of this bag. It's big enough to be functional for a mobile professional or student, without being too bulky (at least not to me; I have seen a few reviews by women on here that say the bag was too big for them). It's not a "slim" laptop bag, but it's not an oversized one either. Right in the middle of the spectrum. So, great looking and functional and at a great price point. Very happy so far. The only unknown right now is long term durability. I'll try and update this review a year from now.

Very poor quality...In terms of material, design and craftmanship

This bag is really great, fits my 15.6 laptop perfectly. The leather is soft and well stitched as well. The compartment is spacious enough for my power brick, mouse and tablet. This is really a good buy from amazon.

I was glad to see that the leather has a matte finish as opposed to the glossy one appearing in the photograph. Super nice bag and the stitch quality is also flawless. Good work, Samsonite..!!

Bag is great. Well made and looks the part. It is quite a large bag - relatively heavy - but has three very functional separate pockets with a fourth velcro section at the back (which I don’t use). Would only benefit from a strap to attach it to a carry on wheelie bag for easy of transport around the airport but that is a minor complaint. Overall it is a good bag that won’t disappoint.

This is an amazing bag for it's price. The first impression one would get from it is the quality and craftsmanship of the bag. From the get-go, the dark brown leather is very soft, without the hardness that usually accompanies new leather bags (and has to be broken in). Aesthetically, it looks very professional and well thought-out. Onto the functionality of the bag; the bag offers a flap-over cover - which adds to the aesthetic appeal and professionalism - but may be a bit cumbersome for people who are looking for quick access into the bag. However, on the back of the bag offers a unzipped compartment with a velcro to close it, allowing for quick access to items that you would regularly use. The inside of the bag is also commendable, and well padded. It has two main zipped compartments - one which allows for you to put your laptop and accessories, and the other for miscellaneous items. There is also a smaller front compartment for you to put your wallet, keys, cell-phone and pens. Overall, this bag was an amazing purchase. The only negative that I would consider is that you wouldn't be able to fit in 17" laptops, as it can only hold up to 15" laptops. Other than that, the quality and craftsmanship of the bag is well-done and well thought-out.