New briefcase - The Bridge? (Filson Field Satchel Review)

[Tidybeard]

Hi all,

I'm on the lookout for a new briefcase and have recently spotted The Bridge. I particularly like this model but haven't yet been able to find it in the flesh. http://www.leathershop.co.uk/detail.asp?ID=4119. They are not allowed to post pricing online but I think this one retails for about £450 (I'm in the UK). I also quite like these ones http://www.leathershop.co.uk/detail.asp?ID=5771 http://www.leathershop.co.uk/detail.asp?ID=5772. Anyone have experience of their quality/value? I can get around 30% off retail if I buy from Germany, I haven't tried the local stockist yet. There isn't much info on them around the web fora.

I'd also appreciate other suggestions (especially at good prices) please. I can buy the Filson Field Satchel for about £350 but it's a little small as I usually carry a 17in laptop and power cable as well as notebooks, pens, phone, etc.

I'm currently alternating between a Mulholland Bros Angler's bag in Lariat and a Tumi 26141 ballistic and I'd like to add a formal (ish) case to the rotation. I have considered a trip to the SAB outlet store in Cambridge (a 3-4 hour drive for me), does anyone have experience of their stock and the price level? The website doesn't tell me a great deal and I'm sure there will be more in the store.

In general, I'm looking for a really well made semi-formal case that will last a long time, look beautiful and be practical. I don't want to pay £500 of which £250 goes directly to the retailer, either.

Many thanks,

TB

[Pengranger]

I've always been impressed with the quality of "The Bridge" leather goods. They are sold in a lot of upmarket stores.

As a suggestion, due to your location, have you thought about a trip to Cheshire Oaks? There are a few interesting stores including Mulberry.

[Tidybeard]

Thanks Pengranger, I'll go and have a look.

Regards,

TB

[Tidybeard]

Well, for those waiting with baited breath....

In the end I have just come home with the Filson Field Satchel. Expensive, but lovely. I can get my laptop into it and the quality is fabulous. I had a good look at several models from The Bridge and others but although the design was good, the leather was quite shiny and not as good quality as the Filson. Plus, I looked at a few used ones on Ebay and they looked pretty beaten up after a few years whereas every Filson I have seen looks better with age.

The only other thing I briefly (no pun intended) considered was a trip to the SAB shop in Cambridge but on the phone they told me that they pretty much stock only what's on the website and prices start at around £600 for seconds. This was a bit too rich for me although their cases are beautiful.

My very stiff new case is sitting next to me on my desk smothered in RM Williams saddle dressing and packed with books and papers to loosen it up (thanks to whoever posted the tip about the overnight stuffing with legal files ).

Cheers,

TB

[coogie]

I like Tumi a lot.. very high quality. great service

[Mr. Knightly]

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I wonder if you could post some photos of the field satchel. I'm considering buying one myself, but I don't think the stock photo really shows the bag very well.

[AlanC]

The Field Satchel looks to be an great choice, and with current exchange rates ought to have been practically free for you!

I'm glad to hear your laptop went in. The knock(s) I've read on them is that they're a bit small.

I second the call for pics.

[Tidybeard]

OK, will take some pics later this evening and post them. I am a fairly poor photographer, I'll warn you in advance.

[Tidybeard]

OK, I apologise in advance that there are a lot of pictures but I must say I would have killed for these before I bought the case.

It wasn't quite free, but I thought the deal was pretty good. The quality of materials and strength is very high and construction is very solid, if a little rough-edged. Still about the best one can do for the price though.

Anyway, please bear with me......


Standard shot, front of the case. The leather looks almost black at times although in direct sunlight it is a very nice dark brown. The case is empty here.




Side shot (still empty).




Rear - there is a narrow open pocket here which would fit a newspaper.




A couple of internals.






An idea of how the handle/top is attached (sorry I appear to have focussed on the grass rather than the bag - I did say I was a poor photographer!)




This gives an idea of the thickness of the leather. It's almost ridiculously stiff at the moment, although the closing straps are starting to soften a little.




Some front and side shots for comparison with the Mulholland Brothers Angler's Bag and the Tumi 26141 expandable computer brief (non-expanded in this pic). You can see the Filson is quite narrow and it doesn't get much wider as we'll see later.










On to the nitty gritty. This is my laptop in a protective sleeve. It measures 15x11x2.5 in when in the sleeve.




Here's the laptop and sleeve in the bag (with my A5 size folio). I could also squeeze the laptop power supply in but that would be the bag full.




Here's the bag closed with these things in. Note at the moment (not broken in) it needs the lock on the last setting to close properly (the second pic shows the shape of the bag when the straps are cinched down so the lock can go to the second position).






Here it is from the side when full. Note that if both sections were full, the bag could not close (as we will see in a minute). This is important for the "how wide can it be streched" question that I have seen posed several times.




In an attempt to answer the stretching question, here the bag has a standard sheaf of A4 photocopier paper in each section (sheaf measures approx 12 x 8.5 x 2.25in). From the side you can see that the depth stretches to about 5in but you'd never close the case (at least not with the lock - it might just be possible to close using the straps but it wouldn't look very elegant).






To give an idea of the colour of the case, here's a pic with a Filson Packer wallet in bridle, bought on the same day. Obviously they can't make the wallets out of the same hides as the case as it is too thick, but it's interesting to note the difference in shades of brown. I would call the wallet "dark brown".




Finally, apropos of nothing, my neighbour came past in his hot air balloon while I was taking the pics. I swear I saw him laughing at me with my camera and tripod, taking pictures of a briefcase.






I did warn you it would be a long review, but I searched for a long time for real world info on the Field Satchel (especially as there are only a couple of places that sell it in the UK and I needed to see one in the flesh before buying).

I think it's great value at somewhere around $500-600. I will use it when I only need to take a few things or to a formal meeting as I have a few other options. It was not designed to carry a laptop but you can fit one in with some care. What it is is a very nice traditional well made briefcase using good materials that should stand the test of time. Not the last word in quality but more than good enough for most of us and it will certainly do for me.

I'll report back when she's got a few miles on her.

Cheers,

TB

Edit - when I looked at these pics it looks like the flap fitting for the lock might be a little "off" i.e. the lock and catch don't look quite square. I'll keep an eye on this as it breaks in but if it doesn't improve a little I might try my luck with Filson.

[AlanC]

^ Very nice. Thanks for all the pics. They will certainly be helpful to others. Congrats on the case! It's a beauty.

[Mr. Knightly]

Thanks so much. Those photos really give me a good sense of the bag. It may be a tad small for me, but I think I'm going to go for it anyway. I've noticed that, whether I'm using a medium sized brief or a large backpack, I always seem to fill all of the space. I suspect that I'll quickly learn to grab only the materials that I will actually be working on in the evening.

[fullgrain]

Great review. Thanks for the effort, particularly showing the empty/stuffed permutations.

[Tidybeard]

You're welcome. I'm keen to see how it will look as it breaks in and I have posted a separate thread to ask for pics (no responses yet).

Cheers,

TB

[maxnharry]

I am glad that you went this way. I went through a similar process about a year ago. I really wanted (still want) a Swaine case, but couldn't justify the price. I tried some bags from Florence, but was unimpressed with the leather. I finally settled on the Filson satchel and am delighted. I think it is absolutely the best value out there.

[Tidybeard]

Looks like the thread now has a more accurate title - thanks mods

[PeterEliot]

Topic creator:

About a month ago I placed an order for a Swaine Adeney Brigg document case that's almost exactly the same size as your Filson Satchel. (Filson is listed at 17x12.5", and the bag I ordered is one-half inch shorter, at 17x12".) It won't be delivered for another two months or so.

After reading your review, I'm worried now because you seem to say the bag, while beautiful, is a bit on the small side--and my new bag will be slightly smaller than yours. (Though it has one more compartment than the Filson Satchel, so presumably it'll stretch wider.)

On a typical day I must carry, in my bag, four or five folders that contain a total of 200~250 A4 sheets. In addition, I need to put in my daily planner, a couple of small books, and of course pens and pencils. I also have an odd habit of keeping my wallet in the briefcase. Do you think your Filson case can accomodate all this, and still have a bit of room left for the little odd things I may have to put in there from time to time?

[Tidybeard]

Hello,

It's not the width or height of the Filson case that leads many (including me) to suggest it's not that capacious, it's the depth. As you can see from my pictures even at its maximum capacity it is only 5in deep. You don't mention the depth of your SAB case and I think this will be the key factor in how much you can carry. You certainly won't struggle to get your A4 files in for width and height - it all depends how deep the case is.

You can see from my pictures that both my Mulholland and Tumi cases are about the same height and width (give or take) but both will hold a lot more because a) they are a lot deeper and b) they are much softer and more pliable.

If you bought your case from an SAB supplier I am sure they will let you return it for a larger one if yours is too small.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

TB

Edit - I just read your other thread where you mention your SAB is 6in deep. This is quite a lot more capacity and I'm sure you'll be fine. Even if not, I'm still sure you'll be able to exchange it. Post pics when it arrives!

[Mr. Knightly]

These photos convinced me to pull the trigger. I'll contribute my impressions when I take possession.

[PeterEliot]

Many thanks to Tidybeard.

[Atlanta Fop]

Thanks so much for this excellent, thorough review. I had been struggling with whether to buy a Filson briefcase in another thread; you posted a great deal of information here in which I was interested.

While the quality appears to be first-rate, and the bag is as beautiful as I suspected, it also confirmed for me that the bag is too small for my purposes. I ended up going with a Custom Hide custom bag, but would have bought a Filson if the Filson were a bit larger. That's not a knock against the Filson bag - it just didn't work for me.

Thanks again for the great review and your insights, and I look forward to seeing pictures of the "broken in" Filson!

All the best,

Chad

[Tidybeard]

You're welcome. It's a bit of a luxury for me - if I didn't have a couple of other more capacious bags I wouldn't have it as my only case due to the size. Enjoy your Custom Hide.

[Mr. Knightly]

Well, mine arrived today. Wouldn't you know that it was delivered to my office at school on the same day that I told my mentor that I was applying to law school. I'm sure he thought I was getting a bit ahead of myself.

It's really gorgeous in person. Until Tidybeard posted these pics, I didn't have a clear sense of it. The pics helped a lot, but it's even better in person. The brown color is quite rich, but dark enough to be very conservative.

Yes, it's small, but I think it will serve my needs. As soon as I decided to buy it, I practiced, by carrying as little as possible in my LL Bean shoulder-bag. I realized that most of the work I was taking home I was not getting to. There's really only so much that I can do in an evening, and if the Filson won't hold it all, then God help me. When I do need to haul large books, I can use the LL Bean or a canvas tote in addition to the satchel. I don't anticipate this happening much, if at all.

The only thing I wish it had is a better interior pocket. I think I'll have to pick up a pen case from Levenger to drop in, because there's no way that I can cram a couple of fountain pens into the little pocket.

Overall, I'm thrilled. This weekend I'm actually looking forward to grading papers so that I can pack up my bag and catch the train to the library.

[Tidybeard]

Great news Mr Knightly, I'm sure you'll be delighted with it. Do you have any pictures?

I forgot to mention the interior pocket, apologies. I carry my pens in a separate case so it isn't an issue for me, I just use it to carry a few business cards.

Enjoy the case!

[Mr. Knightly]

Sorry in advance about the blurry images. My camera doesn't do well at close range in artificial light.

Two notebooks, 3 pens, a pile of notecards, Invisible Man (if you know the book, it's ironic that I stuffed it in my shiny new briefcase), Wide Sargasso Sea, and an accordion file with about 60 student papers. I'll lose the accordion file soon. I mostly used it because there was no structure to my other bag. Manila file folders should work fine now, and be easier on space.

[Mr. Knightly]

Oh, no worries about the pocket. I think it will stretch nicely if I keep the cards in there for a while. Otherwise, there's always this: