Solid, protective, nice leather
I've been looking for a good leather bag for my laptop and was happy to find this Nordweg backpack to try. Ordered the black leather, which should be great for hiding smudges, stains, and coffee spills. What with the state of leather these days, you never know what variety of real leather you're going to get. I took it as a good sign that my dog immediately started digging at the box once she caught a whiff of eau du cow! It does have a nice leather scent - lightly, not overbearing. Almost smells as good as the boot store. Made very well with a "north-south" design. There's an inner sleeve to protect your laptop and lots of padding on the bottom for when you end your day with a near-collapse at the front door and may inadvertently plunk the clunk out of your laptop when it lands on the tile in the entryway. Outside pockets are great for hanging onto your phone or other small electronics or a water bottle. Strong handle at the top to carry as a "carry" bag if you don't want to backpack it. If you are into backpacking your electronics, you'll find the straps to be wide and nicely padded to be gentle on your shoulders. The closure is a two-fer - magnets on the flaps will keep it closed, and for added security, you can use the hooks. As someone who used to sell purses and accept returns on purses (often because of poor design) and as someone who has a lot of opinions on the physics of any bag meant to carry items that cost as much as a used car, I can safely endorse this distinguished backpack. The carry handle attaches in the seam behind the flap, so you're not burdening the flap with the weight of the entire bag. The backpack straps also attach securely at that juncture, so the weight burden goes into the body of the bag, not the "lid." That's where a lot of beautiful, but not quite right carry cases get negated for me. This one passes the test! The leather is a little bit lighter than leathers of bags past, but that's OK. I have a top grain backpack from the 1990s that's a very thick leather and it adds another good 3-4 pounds to the overall carry weight. This leather is a little bit lighter weight, but appears to be quite durable, so you get the benefit of leather without having to carry around the weight of half a cow. Unboxing was a delight - comes with a sleeper bag to protect it (maybe from your dog who wants to herd it?) when not in use. The overall box is wrapped in branded cover that lets you know your Nordweg experience is about to commence. When looking at the product page for Nordweg, I see other handy items in the same distinguished leather finish. Design is clean and not fussy - I appreciate that. The backpack straps aren't exceedingly floppy, either - I also like that. My one opposition to most backpack style carriers is that having achieved many trips around the sun, there are certain ways I'm amenable to reliving my youth. Sometimes I blast my stereo. Sometimes I have ice cream for breakfast. But arriving at work looking like a third-grader with a backpack isn't one of my youthful indulgences, and this distinguished leatherwork won't even suggest that visage. Looks quite professional, and will be ergonomically balanced for those who do go "full-backpack." Will also "one-shoulder" the experience just fine. Overall, a good investment. Well made. Good materials. This is not a "one season" kind of bag - it's a many-years kind of bag. Read more