The Best Men’s Leather Bags I’ve Reviewed | Messenger, Briefcase, Backpack, Travel Bag

I’ve been writing about and reviewing leather bags for so long that I ultimately (inescapably) wound up starting my own leather bag brand. So you can believe me when I say I’ve taken a really, really hard look at the market’s best leather bags for men. These are my favorites.

(No, I didn’t put any of my own leather bags on the list, that would be scammy. But they’re made from invasive feral swine and they save America!)

I have a lot of ‘favorite’ leather bags, but for this I picked, let’s say ideal options for a men’s leather satchel, messenger, duffel bag, camera bag, backpack, and briefcase. (And all the brands sell lots of great stuff if you want to just click around their stores.)

Bonus: most of these entries also have a video to go with them. It’s going to be a lot.

I’m going to just start the list. But at the end of this list, I also wrote out my criteria for judging the “bEsT” leather bags.

1) The Best Men’s Leather Messenger Bag: Cravar: F.C. 15

I am completely obsessed with my handcrafted F.C. 15 bag made by a small, workshop in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

I know a lot of guys stress about anything looking like a purse, but Cravar’s design is such a good balance of functional, classic, subtle, and creative.

Cravar’s Leather

Think of it as slow-cooked leather: it takes months to make, and it’s tanned only with all-natural tannins found in bark and leaves. With how slowly it’s made and how few seams it has, this would normally be more expensive — thanks, Indonesian exchange rate! (Shipping is free.)

Cravar’s Design

While I’d love a zippered pocket, Cravar went the route of “no breakable parts.” It’s incredibly durable but still looks smart thanks to the hidden seams.

Other cool design cues here include the water-resistant closure system that keeps rain from coming in the corners, the load-bearing body straps that encircle the bag, and the pass-through for attaching to rolling luggage.

Lastly, my favorite: the stud closure system. It’s easy to open and close but mine has never once come undone accidentally in the years I’ve been using it.   

This bag accounts for over a third of the company’s sales because it’s the best.

The price includes shipping from Indonesia and if this were made in the United States, it’d certainly cost well over $800 — there’s a ton of leather and complexity here. I showed it to the guy who makes my leather bags and he called it “overbuilt.”

The F.C. is the coolest bag.

What I liked:

• Custom made, vegetable tanned leather
• Good value for money
• Metal doesn’t touch metal; no jingle-jangly bits.
• Lots of pockets but no breakable parts
• Heaps of different colors and sizes to choose

Downsides, but not dealbreakers:

• No laptop sleeve (If it’s a dealbreaker, you can get their similar “Rana” bag or ask them to add one, they’ll do it for a surcharge)
• The Sunbrella lining is easier to clean than cotton, but it can pill with time (mine hasn’t, but my pal Troy’s did)

2) Best Leather Duffle Bag: Bleu de Chauffe’s Hobo

When you’re looking for longlasting leather bags, a lot of brands lean a little far in the direction of “19th century gold prospector.” This is why Bleu de Chauffe is such a breath of fresh air: the looks are classic and the leather fantastic, but the designs draw on French history rather than American.

The Hobo is their best leather travel bag and it showcases their ability to combine durability and versatility: it can dress up a lot more easily than other brands in the space.

Bleu de Chauffe’s Leather

Even though it’s full grain vegetable-tanned leather — two elements that make it harder to dye — their bags come in a more colors than you’ll usually find from brands like this.

After enjoying their bags for many years, I visited their workshop in Southern France while I was in the area. I learned their stuff isn’t just sustainable because it’s made to last and it’s made by skilled artisans in a developed country.

“Our leather is tanned with natural components like acacia, mimosa, and chestnut,” said the founder, Alexandre. “Vegetable tanned leather from Europe is more eco-friendly because there are many rules and regulations regarding water treatment, which ingredients can be used, and how it can be produced. While it does use water, it’s treated and then sent back into the environment — no water is wasted.”

Bleu de Chauffe’s Design

We’re talking about duffle bags, which tend to be nothing more than cotton sacks with carry handles. The Hobo keeps things simple (which contributes to the impressive value), but they have a few advantages over other duffles: slip pockets on both ends, one on the side, and a zippered pouch on the interior that you can detach to keep your valuables even closer to you if you prefer.

A cool bonus: instead of assembly lines, every bag is made start-to-finish by one person — who then signs that little pouch for you. It’s one of many ways Bleu de Chauffe feels more personal than man competitors.

What I liked:

• Full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather in a good range of colors
• Great design: not too dressy, not too casual
• Well-priced for being handmade in France
• Transparent and sustainable brand

Downsides, but not dealbreakers:

• Your leather panels might not “match”: Very high end brands will ensure every piece of leather has a similar appearance; as you can see above, the “graininess” isn’t identical on mine. Honestly, I don’t care — brands need to discard a lot of leather to ensure the panels match, so it’s more sustainable to not care about it. But some guys do.
• Not many features/pockets: you can’t complain much when it’s explicitly a duffle bag, but a secure external pocket would have been nice

3) Best Leather Briefcase for Work: Carl Friedrik Palissy

There are some leather briefcases that can evoke “high end” the way nice watches do. Carl Friedrik‘s Scandinavian design and vachetta leather are so “quiet luxury” that their bags were used by multiple character’s on HBO’s Succession.

I even cut one of these in half with a leatherworker friend in the video below. We concluded that it’s a good bag!

Carl Friedrik’s Leather

Vachetta leather is vegetable tanned like all my favorite bags, but it’s a category of “vegetable tanned” that’s less “rugged” and more “luxury.” Produced with a lot more fats than most veg tan leathers, vachetta is is smooth, buttery, and high-end in a way that veg tan almost never does.

I met up with someone with even more leather expertise than me — career leatherworker Weston Kay from Rose Anvil — to literally dissect a Palissy bag in our Carl Friedrik review. He likes it!

Carl Friedrik’s Design

The hardware is all silver nickel-finished, and the zippers are from Bergamo, Italy, and they say every tooth in the zip has been individually brushed and polished. It zips super smooth and, unlike some bags (like a lot of the ones from Filson), the zipper is soft and won’t scratch your computer, your documents, or your hand. (Seriously, I’ve lost flesh on Filson zippers.)

The prices changes a lot, but depending on the features you select, like a pass-through to attach it to a rolling suitcase and personalized monogramming, it’s under $750.

This briefcase really is made from the same stuff as many four-figure designer brands; the Palissy is a good deal.

What I liked:

• Italian vachetta leather really is the crème de la crème here
• Sharp lines, slim and macho
• Polished zippers are a pleasure to use
• Rigid structure, stands upright
• Many colors available

Downsides, but not dealbreakers:

• Not very roomy; it’s hard to bring a lunch with you
• Front pocket is very slim, like you don’t have functional external pockets
• Not everyone loves nylon for lining, even though it’s very nice Japanese stuff

4) Best Leather Backpack: Satchel and Page’s Leather Backpack

Satchel & Page’s backpack has a simple and modern style and just enough features to make it practical without being noisy. It matches with absolutely everything, I’ve owned it for 5 years. Check out these pictures

Satchel & Page’s Leather

Satchel & Page uses amazing vegetable tanned leather for this backpack. Softer than their messenger bag, it’s made in Tuscany by a tannery in its fourth generation of family ownership. It’s even certified by by Tuscany’s consortium of vegetable tanners — a lovely touch that’s emphasized with a sparkly label on your bag.

Satchel & Page’s Design

Super minimalist appearance but full of pockets and compartments, even a separate laptop sleeve to protect-your-tech. Both the back of the compartment and the back of the shoulder straps have comfortable padding that’s often missing from leather backpacks that get too fixated on the “old timey” vibes.

Also, check out that photo above of the “clam shell” opening. It’s super convenient for quickly organizing or reaching your gear.

What I liked:

• My favorite vegetable-tanned bag leather: Lots of luster, personality, and longevity
• Attaches to rolling luggage
• Durable build and great warranty (they fixed my broken zipper)
• Minimalist but functional: many pockets and a whole separate laptop compartment

Downsides, not dealbreakers

• Suede interior is not stainproof
• If your thing is rugged outdoorsman bags, you may find the 4-inch depth and separate laptop compartment more urban than mountain man.

How I Choose the “Best” Leather Bags

Maybe I should have “demonstrated my authority” earlier in this review, but I knew you were here for the bags. But here’s how I chose them.

There are a few important criteria that you should take into account when shopping for yourself. These include:

• Leather quality
• Bag construction
• Aesthetic
• Function
• Value

[Learn More: How to Buy a Leather Briefcase: The Ultimate Guide]

Aesthetic

We’ve emphasized single pieces of leather, minimal stitching, clean corners, timeless aesthetics, and just enough hardware to keep the bag looking, well, soft and dainty. You’re busy, but you don’t want your bag to be.

Function

ust enough pockets to be practical, not so many that it’s overloaded or draws the eye. A lot of people prefer bags with no “breakable parts,” which means no zippers. This means your bag will need no maintenance beyond some occasional leather conditioner (we like Lexol), but we appreciate the functionality of zippers and included bags with and without them on this list. 

The main goal is to be able to keep your gear organized and secure.

Leather

The general rule is to look for full-grain leather. Many brands shave the leather down to make it softer and easier to work with, but this sacrifices not only durability but aesthetics: full-grain leather ages more beautifully to get that great patina people associate with a well-loved leather bag. Full grain includes the outer layer of the hide, called the grain, which means the leather is thicker and longer lasting. 

When aging beautifully is your priority, you should also opt for vegetable-tanned leather. Vegetable-tanned leather is great for bags, though, because it looks better as it ages.

Construction

Not only does a bag need to be crafted from durable, high-quality leather, the bag also needs to have been carefully crafted. 

For one, that means as many single pieces of leather as possible. Many brands stitch together a lot of separate pieces that would otherwise be scrap, calling it a design element, but really it’s to save money — creating more places for the bag to rip while they’re at it.

You also need reinforcing in the right places in the right way: the main stress points are the handle and where the straps attach. They should be secured in place with rivets rather than stitching. When they do use them, most companies use rapid rivets, but double cap rivets are more heavy-duty and durable, and they look better than tubular rivets, another hardwearing option.

Value

Leather is mysterious. Most people don’t know how to tell the difference between vegetable tanning and chrome tanning, full grain and genuine, luxury and bargain basement. Because there’s so much to learn, companies can get away with charging astronomical prices for a bag that’s just as good as one you can find elsewhere for less. We’ve been covering leather goods here for the better part of a decade, and know what to look for to ensure that a bag has a reasonable price tag that reflects its quality. (We’re looking at you, Prada.)

Closing Thoughts On The Best Leather Bags For Men This Year

Those are our exhaustively researched picks for the best leather bags for men!  We should emphasize that most of these companies offer everything else on this list: Cravar also has briefcases, Carl Friedrik also has duffles, and so on. So we suggest you pick the brand that really nails your aesthetic and then buy the type of bag you need from that brand.

These bags are stunning in their own right. But to truly unlock the look you’re going for, you need to consider the rest of your outfit carefully. For further inspiration, take a look at our reviews of the best boots and the best waxed jackets to tie the whole look together!