It was Mr Owl's birthday in January and he decided he needed a new bag, mainly for work purposes. He liked the idea of a proper satchel, as they are robust and the ideal shape to hold papers/laptop etc but also a classic piece to invest in. After some online research he found The Leather Satchel Co who hand make all their custom satchels in the UK. Their website is very easy to use and not only gives you a large range of satchel sizes to choose from but also a huge array of customisations from the colour(s) to the straps to having your monogram embossed on your satchel. Once you have finally decided you just drop them an email with your request and they still start making it for you. It normally takes a couple of weeks depending on how customised your satchel is.
Mr Owl decided to keep his simple and classic as he was going for the largest size of a 15" Tallboy! He chose Racing Green as the colour and added on a shoulder strap pad, briefcase handle and a blind monogram. He is really pleased with the result, especially as it looks good when just used in the day casually as well as for work. I am now eyeing these up myself, can a girl have several birthdays in a year just to justify presents?
Mr Owl decided to keep his simple and classic as he was going for the largest size of a 15" Tallboy! He chose Racing Green as the colour and added on a shoulder strap pad, briefcase handle and a blind monogram. He is really pleased with the result, especially as it looks good when just used in the day casually as well as for work. I am now eyeing these up myself, can a girl have several birthdays in a year just to justify presents?
I am researching satchels myself and happened upon your blog. A year into it - how is Mr. Owl's satchel holding up? Is it weathering nicely or does it stay pristine like this? Does Mr. Owl ever use the briefcase handle? If so, does it hold well and easily? Are the buckles easy to fasten and unfasten? It looks like he got a 15" one? How deep (or wide) is it? 12 cm? I want mine to have a very flexible gusset - is it? Thanks.
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DeleteI am so sorry that I didn't see your comment, I have no idea how that happened. My sincere apologies. I am sure it is far too late now but I wanted to answer your questions in case anyone else finds them useful.
A year in and the satchel is holding up beautifully. Admittedly Mr Owl mainly uses it for work and commutes in a car, so it is not getting much opportunity to weather and is still fairly pristine. He uses the long handle to carry it most of the time but the briefcase handle still feels very securely attached. I personally find the buckles a little fiddly on the occasion I open it, however he assures me 'there is a knack to it' and he can open them one handed in seconds (maybe it is my fat fingers that are the issue) He also feels that this makes the buckles a slightly more secure option. The gusset is quite firm, but again I suspect this is due to it having light usage and that if more weight was being carried that it would have softened further. However it does mean the satchel has retained its shape nicely. I hope this helps a little and once again my apologies that I didn't respond on this sooner.
Little Owl.