Polare Thick Full Grain Leather 16'' Briefcase Shoulder Messenger Bag for Men Fit 15.6'' Laptop

REVIEW: I really like this bag, plain and simple. I purchased it about a month ago and have used the time since then to evaluate it before posting this review. It’s my daily use, to/from work bag and it performs the job fantastically with ample space for my necessities. It has a rugged, yet sophisticated appearance and I’ve received several complements on it. It’s well made and I feel it will last a long time. I didn’t receive it at a “discount in exchange for my honest review” that I see more and more of on Amazon. I paid full price (it’s actually $10 cheaper now) and have no idea how one goes about getting that sweet, sweet discount treatment. Does anyone know? I like paying less for stuff! Anyway, I’ve written a few reviews before but I generally stick to just rating things I purchase and moving on. With this bag, I really felt like posting a detailed review because of, and to share, my experience in case it would help someone make the decision to purchase this item or not.I’ve been looking for a men’s leather messenger style bag to upgrade from my backpack to a more professional look for quite some time now. To give you an idea of the length of my search, if you could look at my purchase history on Amazon, you’d see I bought the Oxford in Crazyvinkat color from Leabags on Amazon in July of 2015. That one didn’t meet my needs so I returned it; I believe my review for it was fair and true. Since then I’ve searched in stores and online, purchased and returned a few different bags and have been disappointed. I even scoured the internet looking desperately for the bag used by the character “Thomas Yates” in the show House of Cards because I liked the look. I didn’t have any luck finding it so I’ll never know if I would have liked it beyond its looks, or could have even afforded it. The best I could find was a Reddit post from someone looking for it as well. Since I was not having much luck overall, I even considered non-leather bags and bought a messenger from Timbuk2 after a friend’s recommendation. While I have nothing glaringly bad to say about that bag, I just didn’t like it and returned it. I could tell from its canvas build that I definitely preferred leather.In searching online, including Amazon, I looked for men’s leather messenger, men’s leather briefcase, men’s shoulder bag and all sorts of other iterations and sifted through page after page of results not really feeling drawn to any particular item. Even when first seeing this bag I wasn’t blown away and was a bit skeptical. Perhaps it was my disappointing experiences with other products. It also could have been the multiple bags of a similar style (which one is real and which is the knock off?). In the end, I liked the looks and the dimensions given and decided to make the purchase. I figured what was the worst that could happen, another bag I dislike and have to return if need be. I must say that I was especially swayed towards giving it a chance based on all the positive reviews.When the bag arrived, I was impressed by the packaging that went into protecting it. It was inside a plastic bag, wrapped in a foam wrap, with another layer of plastic wrap used to compress it all and hold it tight inside of the shipping box. It was well taken care of on its trip to my place. After opening it, I was immediately hit by that distinct leather smell (which I happen to enjoy a good deal) and the heft of the bag. It’s definitely not lightweight, the leather is thick and sturdy, all pieces measuring between 5/32” and 3/16” thickness. Most seams are double stitched, which I believe you can see pretty well in the pictures from the seller and verified purchasers. The hardware is all nickel-plated and gives a nice contrast to the organic brown tones of the leather and seems to be of decent quality with 3/16” thick round-stock material used to make the D-rings, three matching belt buckles and matching rivets. Overall, the bag is a good size. In taking a tape measure to it as it sits on my desk (it does stand on its own), I get 16.5” for the length, 8” width and 12” tall. The leather is not taught so these dimensions are in a “resting” state. On the outside of the bag are two pockets, one on each side, that are small but useful. I use one for car keys and the other for a small umbrella (pictured). The shoulder strap is adjustable with 25 holes and a forth belt buckle which matches the three on the bag. I’m 5’ 11” and weigh 195lbs and feel the bag fits me quite well.Overall, I’m extremely happy with this purchase and would recommend it.CONS: I would have liked it to have some more pockets/dividers inside. It has the two large pouches and the two small pockets attached to the pouch divider. Also, the two pockets are DEEP so small items end up at the bottom of those. I ended up buying a pouch to house the smaller items I carry with me.Also, something I can’t stand is every website I go to now I get an advertisement for this bag, I ALREADY BOUGHT IT, STOP TRYING TO SELL IT TO ME AMAZON!!!I can’t list the modifications as a con as I bought the bag expecting to make them, and I actually enjoyed the process.MODIFYING THE BAG: I’m not a huge fan of the three straps all being belt buckles without any of the quick connection/release style. I noted that other reviewers had pointed this out and modified the bag and I decided to do the same before purchasing. I copied one reviewer and purchased the swivel lever snaps from Buckle Guy as I found that hardware was a similar nickel-plate and the same 3/16” thickness. I didn’t want to have the belt buckles as my connectors to the swivel lever snaps so I also purchased D-rings to replace the two outer belt buckles. Also, my preference was to go a different direction than using a conch and instead went with Chicago screws. I found a 10 pack on Amazon by Tandy that has a similar appearance to the nickel-plated hardware and also resembles the existing rivets.For the mods I made to this bag, the tools used were regular pliers, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, a 1/8” punch and a screwdriver.For the upper straps, since there are pre-punched holes in the leather like a belt, it was simple to thread the swivel lever snaps, fold over the excess belt material and run it back through the same belt loop on the bag. I found that by pulling the excess belt to the point it almost tucks into the next belt loop on the back side of the bag that the swivel lever snap hit where I wanted it to in order to close the bag tight enough so the hardware wouldn’t clank together when closed and moving (walking with it on my shoulder). After finding the location I liked, I lined up two of the already existing belt holes and ran a Chicago screw through them, keeping the screw side facing in.For replacement of the belt buckles, the rivets needed to be removed. I saw another reviewer mentioned doing so and posted a question asking how they went about doing that. Before I got an answer, I decided to just go for it and grabbed my tools. I used the pliers to grab the backside head of the rivet and pulled, twisted and crushed the rivet head a little bit to give my wire cutters a way to get under the head. After that it was a matter of crimping and breaking off the head and cleaning up the remaining rivet stem and shrinking (crushing) its diameter small enough to pop out of the hole. The tools will mar and scuff the leather a little bit so this isn’t a brute force operation, and also why I chose the back of the rivets on the non-visible side of the straps. It was relatively easy and took a few minutes. Once the rivets are out, I followed the same process as the swivel lever snaps above, threading the D-rings and then using a Chicago screw in the existing rivet hole. I did find that these rivet holes were not as big as the belt holes so I used a 1/8” punch to slightly open them up (using the gradual taper of the punch to my advantage). Leather tools would probably be optimal but I imagine anything with a taper, like a pen, would work in a pinch.For my last modification, there is an extra belt loop on the shoulder strap which I believe is intended to corral the excess belt strap after making an adjustment. This doesn’t stay in place and usually slides off and down to where the shoulder strap connects to the bag. I didn’t like this and so I removed the rivet as I did above and replaced it with a Chicago screw, taking advantage of one of the existing belt holes on the shoulder strap. The holes on the loop needed a little more convincing to allow the Chicago screw to fit but once together it really looks good and is very functional. The loop still surrounds the entire shoulder strap, but is only connected by the Chicago screw to the adjustable portion and will move along with it if any adjustment is made.OTHER: I did treat this bag with Leather Honey Conditioner. I used disposable rubber gloves and made sure to get the conditioner all over the outer leather. I’m not sure if I used a thin or thick coat as I’m not experienced on leather treatment. I can say that I used about 1/3 of the bottle. I then let the bag sit for over 24 hours before again using disposable gloves and a micro-fiber cloth to wipe off any excess. At that point, the excess had mostly dried so it was more of a gentle rubbing of the treated leather. The cloth did pick up some brown color but not enough to make me feel I was harming the bag. I would say that the conditioner did darken the bag slightly, but not in a bad way. Also, the leather is now more malleable/flexible, and after using the bag for some weeks after the treatment, I’ve noticed that it really has developed a beautiful weathered look with a marble-like appearance displaying different shades of brown as opposed to one solid color. The pictures don’t do it justice.PURCHASED ITEMS: Other than this bag, I purchased these items to go along with it, or to modify it.• Honey Leather Conditioner (Amazon)• Tandy Leather ¼” Nickel Chicago Screws 10 pack (Amazon)• 1 ½” Nickel Plate Swivel Lever Snap Quantity 2 (Buckle Guy)• 1 ½” Nickel Plate D-Ring Quantity 2 (Buckle Guy)• RusticTown Retro Style Leather Pencil Pouch (Amazon)The leather pencil pouch from RusticTown on Amazon, is shaped and sized to where it appears to be made exactly for this bag (pictured). I was surprised and happy about that.That’s all for now. I hope that some will find this review useful. If anyone has any questions about the bag or about any of the modifications I made, feel free to ask and I’ll try an answer them. Thank you for your time.EDIT: 4/25/16 Added a picture of a 15" computer inside the bag to answer a question.

I needed a sturdy motorcycle bag that wouldn't clash with the 1940's styling of my new Royal Enfield. (A fringed leather Harley bag wouldn't do.) This bag looks great and at $179 a bargain for a motorcycle saddle bag. Some of the "faults" of this messenger bag mentioned in other reviews are perfect for this use. It is heavy. (The motorcycle carries it, not me.) The leather is stiff and holds its shape (keeps it out of the rear tire). The two extra outer straps make opening the bag a chore, but they go all the way around the bag firmly hold it to the motorcycle. The unused carry handle is a perfect place to park my gloves! The bag is larger than I expected, but since it is really two bags sewn together I'm only using half of the bag. I am happy that it will expand if I want to carry a jacket. In terms of craftsmanship, there are a few rows of rivets that could've been straighter but I expect they are durable. I was careful when mounting the bag to not use any of the "d-rings" support the weight of the bag. The outer belt straps hold the bag. If I load the bag heavily I will run extra straps to the rings intended for the shoulder strap. The way they are constructed I expect they could handle the weight of the motorcycle! The only downside is the bag will need frequent cleaning due to road grime and I want to treat the leather before I get caught in rain.

I have used this bag for almost 2 months, and it is awesome. Very well built, the leather is thick, every time I use it, i feel like Indinia Jones, or a westeren cowboy, this bag is the real deal. I have carried a ton of stuff in this bag. The largest load has been a 15" laptop, with charger, a Fortitnet Firewall box with charger, a Cisco CCNA Security book, and my personal notebooks, pens, and even a mason jar full of candy. It was a load, but this thing handled it well. There is a pocket on the outside that is perfect for a small personal size umbrella, that I keep on me at all times. I have had to use this bag in the very heavy rain. I was worried about my laptop, but when I got to work, I just wiped the outside off with a paper towel, and let it dry out. I have not treated the bag yet, so I was concered. But all was fine. The bag repelled water pretty good, It did turn dark brown, but lighted backup to the orginal color after a few hours of drying out. There was NO water in the bag. I would not use this bag for a full waterproof solution at all, but if you get caught out in rain like i did, it works fine.The only down side to this bag, that I have found is the buckling system. It works great, but when you are only carrying a laptop, and you sinch down the two outer straps, the center strap is almost to long. It almost goes all the way to the flap. I had to punch some more holes in the center strap closer to the top, to latch the center starp. It can become a big bag if you need it by letting out those outside straps, but when used as a smaller bag, you will have to add some holes to that center strap. I have though about adding some quick connects to the 2 outer straps, but I like the way the bag looks with those straps hanging down after you buckle it up.I do not carry my bag by the handle, so I can give a review on the handle, but I do use the should starp, and its very nice and feels very strong. The only complaint I have on it, is if you have a load in the bag, and it gets heavy, dont just throw the strap over the shoulder, it will slide off your should when you try to move much, even as little as using an elevator, it will slide off your shoulder, do the cross the body style.Overall, i am very pleased with this bag. I would recommend this bag over and over. People will say, hey I like your bag, and start to look at it, and then they are like wow, thats an awesome bag.

I use this bag for carrying around all my chef gear - knives, mandoline, jackets, ipad, etc, It is heavy as expected for good quality thick leather - I ordered the grey color and it is so beautiful! There were some scuffs and a few markings but nothing I wouldn't have expected for real leather - most wiped away but I am sure I will add my own scuffs as time goes on - I call it patina and represents a bag truly loved and functional. It is very well made with all the clasps and loops seeming durable and solidly made. The straps were easy to adjust and I love all the possible variations according to my needed use. My only tiny issue is the water bottle holders on the sides are very small - probably intended for plastic bottles and do not fit my glass or reusable versions, however it is easy to find other uses for them such as holding my keys or phone. The lining is dark brown, durable with 2 sections inside, perfect for many different things and there are 2 deep inner pockets on the front section which are handy for so many different things. The bottom can expand or be made smaller by adjusting the straps, depending on the amount of stuff I am carrying around. There is also a small strap with a clasp attached inside possibly for keys or the like. Overall I am extremely happy, and feel very professional arriving to clients homes with this bag on my shoulder.

This bag is fantastic, I have now been using it for the past 2 months and it is holding up well. It expands to a larger internal size than expected.It is quite heavy, especially once it is full, however the bag handles the weight well.The only issue that I have found is that the centre strap can't be tightened enough and can be loose if the bag isn't fully expanded.Aside from that I am extremely happy with the purchase.

Fast shipping. This Italian bag is very beautiful, much more beautiful than photos show. The bag turns on an elegant briefcase, with a thinner profile than shown in these photos. If you want, you will have a nice strong bag.

Very high quality, good deal

I wanted a case that was large, good quality for durability and long lasting. This has not let me down, I like its look but I was sceptical about the price. A designer bag branded using an excellent standard of leather of this size would be a lot more, time will tell but I am happy with the quality and the leather used on this bag for the price and like that it is not branded as well as its old look. It is large enough to carry multiple files as well as laptops. Works well for me..