Premium Leather Briefcase Backpack

 

What Problems Does This Briefcase Backpack Solve? 

• Provides a proven, quality way to protect / transport your laptop, tablet, and accessories
• Vertical design moves with you - No more bumping into people in crowded environments
  
• Feel good knowing you've chosen a product made from ethically sourced leather
• Provides peace of mind from 10+ years of continuous production
• Options allow for storage and functional expand-ability to meet your changing needs
• Our soft leather smells wonderful and will brighten any day!
• New for 2022  - The anchor points for the shoulder and backpack straps have been relocated to the rear panel to increase comfort and durability
• New for 2022 - An under-flap organizer for pens and cards has been added by customer request
• Increased security and peace of mind with integrated Air Tag pocket

The Best Value in a Leather Briefcase Backpack?

In an industry that sells mostly on discount, MacCase sells on value. Briefcases sold on discount have that discount baked into the price from the start. The original price is set intentionally high so it can be “marked down” to the “sale” price. This is supposed to make you feel good about buying it. It’s a game. You lose the game when the product falls apart long before you expect it to leaving you to have to buy a replacement. You've lost both your time and your money.

At MacCase, we have too much respect for your time and your intelligence to play those kinds of games. Our leather briefcase backpack is built to last years, not months or weeks. It's made from quality materials and assembled by people who care. 25 years of design and engineering knowledge goes into every piece.

One thing to ask another manufacturer is how long their warranty is. At MacCase, we offer a limited lifetime warranty on each of our briefcases with backpack straps. What do we mean by "limited? How can a warranty be "limited" and "lifetime" at the same time?

What we don't cover is wear. We use ethically sourced, quality hides. If maintained, they will last decades. What we cover are problems with the build quality. If a seam blows out, it's covered. Our warranty is another thing that sets our vertical briefcase apart.

It’s much harder to sell using a value model. We only ask that you give us a chance and experience our superior design, craftsmanship and durability for yourself.

A Backpack Briefcase Combo as Unique As You

The MacCase Premium Leather "Flight Case" is not for everyone, which is an odd thing to hear from a company hoping you'll buy their product. The world is full of perfectly acceptable laptop cases, in all their boring, dull, uninspired glory.

We created this design to stand apart from that, a handmade backpack briefcase combo that is as unique as the people who chose to purchase one. Whether you choose our classic, pebble-grain black or our vintage brown briefcase, each makes a statement as unique as you. 

Many of the traditional touches are present in our design. But look closer and you'll see that not only does the bold design set it apart, but the details do as well. The beefy, riveted leather handle and the stainless steel finished metal clasp for the flap are familiar. But notice how the clasp does not attach to the exterior surface of the front flap as on most cases.

It's attached to the underside surface allowing for a much cleaner and understated look. The chrome feet along the bottom edge will keep both the leather and the contents of the case safe from wear and tear, extending the life of the case. The front panel loop is the safety catch attachment point for the removable pouches.

In 2021, we've updated the design with features and improvements that came directly from customer input. When asked what additional features they wanted, customers answered overwhelming with "a place for cards and pens". We responded expanding the storage options for these smaller items in our backpack briefcase combo.

Briefcase with Backpack Straps

People sometimes ask why are the backpack straps options? Why doesn't the briefcase come with the backpack straps? The answer is simple. Not everyone wants or needs them.

About 70 % of customers who purchase our vertical case add the backpack straps. At MacCase, we feel it won't be right to make  3 out of every 10 customers pay for something they don't want or need so the backpack straps are optional.

One of the biggest wear issues on the case was the attachment point of the shoulder strap and backpack straps. This was the same area the handle is riveted to on the main flap. This was great from a production standpoint as you are building something once that serves two functions. 

Long-term customers reported back that over time, (in this case, a long time) the leather in this area would lose its structural integrity. This is the most highly stressed area of the design. This was exasperated by a lack of maintenance for the hides. (MacCase recommends adding back oil to the hides each year to preserve softness, pliability, and protect them from the weather).

By moving the mounting points to the rear panel, this long-term stress is relieved. This increases the longevity of the case and creates an even greater value for our customers. It also allows the backpack straps to be mounted in a more natural way which increases overall comfort as well.

The Vintage Leather Briefcase Re-imagined

Both our black and vintage leather briefcases have been in production for over 14 years. You receive a lot of feedback in that time. Customers put our designs through their paces in the real world. If you listen, you can learn a lot.

One update that was made based on customer feedback was the under flap organizer similar to the ones used on our other models. This gives every user a convenient place to store these items so often needed. We're happy to finally add this feature to this long-running and very popular model.

Another recent added feature is a dedicated slot pocket for an Apple Air Tag. Why do we hide this detail inside the case vs. dangling the Air Tag on some key chain on the outside like so many others? If someone walks off with your case and sees the Air Tag on the outside, what is the first thing they are going to do?

They're going to remove the tracker and get as far away from it as fast as they can. If the tracker is somewhat hidden on the inside, this gives you a chance to track your case (and your laptop or tablet) and get it back. Placing the tracker on the inside gives you a strong chance to retrieve your property. Knowing this provides an extra layer of security and peace of mind.

Whether it's the new features or ones that were part of the original design, all these details come together to create adesign that is radically new, yet somehow familiar.

The Hybrid Briefcase Backpack

Functionally, the Flight Case holds a wide variety of hardware including laptops up to 16" along with any tablet you need to carry with it. The padded, removable divider ensures that the two will not come in contact, keeping them both safe. Other things like a writing folio, a three-ring binder, or printed reports will also fit.

The hybrid nature of the main storage compartment is one of the things that makes the case so flexible.

The main compartment is complemented by three additional larger pockets as well as the removable front pouch. If more room is needed, an optional extra-large pouch is available with 50% more room than the standard pouch. So as laptop cases go, it's got the room to store, transport, and protect the things you need to carry.

One of the things that make this leather laptop case so unique is the ability to turn it into a full-fledged backpack. While the look is not one of a traditional leather backpack, the fit is comfortable thanks to the optional backpack strap set featuring the beefy 35mm wide leather straps.

As with any backpack, wearing the Flight Case this way allows for a hands -free user experience and also distributes the weight more evenly across the body preventingfatigue. This is why we sometimes describe this model as our hybrid briefcase backpack.

How is Our Leather Briefcase Different From Our Flight Jacket?

In a word, structure. The Flight Jackets are fully padded but unstructured. This full-grain leather briefcase backpack, while looking radically different from a traditional brief, is built in a traditional way. This is a signature of MacCase design. We've become very good at taking a tried and true method and doing something completely new with it. 

Basic structural panels are covered in foam, lining materials then exterior hides. This not only provides some of the highest levels of protection for your laptop and tablet inside but also allows the handmade backpack briefcase combo to be free-standing, like a typical brief.

While there are many sizes for the Jacket models, iPad, 13-inch, 15-inch and 16-inch, there is only one Flight Case. This leather hybrid briefcase backpack is for someone who likes the look of the Flight Jacket but needs a bit more room than these compact designs can provide.

The extra room comes from the 2.5" width of the vertical briefcase where the Jackets are much more narrow. Also, this handmade leather case is compatible with any size laptop from any brand up to 16-inch. The FJ's work best as a MacBook Pro case.

Colors and Options

Whether you choose the black or distressed, vintage brown, the design has a much more substantial handle than their compact brothers. The optional backpack straps are also much wider. The brief includes the padded shoulder pad as part of the package. This is an option on the Flight Jacket.

Lastly, the Flight Case has a Large Pouch option which adds storage capacity. Both the brief and Flight Jackets are convertible into fully functional leather backpacks. While we agree that each doesn't fit any definition of what a leather backpack traditionally looks like, over 70% of customers who order either model, order the backpack strap option.

Both the Flight Case and the Flight Jacket are extraordinary laptop cases. The handmade leather briefcase just happens to be an excellent case whether you are carrying a laptop or not. If you have any questions about which one is best for you, give us a call at 760 729 0620 between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm PST and we will be happy to help.

FAQ - 

Will this case fit my 16-inch MacBook Pro laptop?

Yes. This case will hold the Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro laptop with room to spare.

What is the best leather briefcase?

The best leather briefcase is determined by how well any given case meets your individual needs. An attorney's needs for a case will be different than that of an on-site contractor. Consider all the things you need your case to do. Find one that does them. That case will be the best, for you.

What is the best backpack for business?

The best backpack for business eschews the outdoor, camping, hiking aesthetic for a clean, smart, modern design that looks at home in the conference room or the corner office. Your business bag should not reflect where you are in your career, but where you want to go.

Are briefcases outdated?

The idea of a briefcase is not outdated. Outdated briefcase designs are outdated. Most briefcases look like they’re from the 1850s. Why? Do you drive a car that looks like a covered wagon? If you do not want to carry an outdated case, choose a modern 21st-century design.

Are attache cases out of style?

Many attaché cases look like they come from the mid-1800s. Their designs are hopelessly outdated. Because so many people don’t know that clean, modern designs are available, the perception is that the idea of an attaché is out of style. It’s not. 150 -ear-old designs are.

Why is a briefcase called a briefcase?

In the late 1800s and early 1900s people used very large, heavy cases when they traveled. Compared to these, a much smaller case designed to be carried back and forth to work each day, was in essence, a “brief” version of these large travel cases. This is why they are called briefcases.

Are Briefcases Still Used?

Briefcases are still used by many people in many professions. While backpacks and messenger bags have made inroads into many traditional case uses, briefcases still function the best for certain professionals. Case design has evolved to help them stay relevant.

Are Briefcases Still In Style?

Briefcases are still in style though they are experiencing heated competition from other styles. Many younger professionals have eschewed the traditional horizontal case for a backpack or messenger style bag. For many professionals though, a briefcase still serves them the best. 

Are Briefcases Obsolete?

Briefcases are not obsolete. They are used by many professionals in a variety of professions. They do function to transport documents almost better than any other form factor. Moreover, they represent the final accessory to how a professional person should appear to a client. 

Product Design and Architecture

Thinking about our vintage vertical briefcase, the aesthetic made me think of a similar situation where a creative work was associated with a group or movement that could have been taken out of context.

The time was 1935 and America's most famous or infamous architect, depending on your perspective, was Frank Lloyd Wright. He was once again being told he was washed up and that his career was over. He was being upstaged by a group of architects and designers from Europe, most notably from Germany's Bauhaus school.

Their claim to fame was a movement called Modernism. Architecture as the sleek machine. Machines for working in and living in devoid of any of the craft that was the hallmarks of home design up until that point.

During this time, Wright was asked by Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar Kaufman to design a summer home for his family. Was Wright's solution a "modernist" statement to show the Europeans how it's done or just the greatest, most daring piece of residential architecture of the 20th century?

For people who knew nothing about architecture and had spent their lives living in Victorian homes with pitched roofs and tiny, compartmentalized rooms, Wright's Fallingwater looked like a spaceship that had landed in a ravine in western Pennsylvania.

For people that knew Wright's work, it was just Wright being Wright. All the hallmarks of his earlier work were there, just taken to a new, higher level. A masterpiece and one of the high watermarks of his long and illustrious career. But was it modernist in the way the Modernists would define a modern home according to their aesthetic?

A Cool Modern Vintage Leather Briefcase

Whenever anyone sits down to create something new they have to work through what an old teacher of mine called "cultural baggage". Cultural baggage is the visual vocabulary we carry around in our heads that defines objects.

For example, a chair is visually defined as this or must have these elements, etc. When we set out to create something, there are images and ideas of whatever it is we are trying to create that are usually the first designs that we put to paper. They are very rarely our best work. True creativity comes from pushing past the cultural baggage into the unknown. That's where the fun begins.

Wright designed Fallingwater aware of the Modernists and their "machine for living" ideas. But he didn't let that stop him from imbuing Fallingwater with his values, his aesthetic, and his genius. Our vintage case was designed to be a statement against what a case like this had always been.

In essence, a rebellion against the cultural baggage that people carry around with them about what a briefcase is supped to be. There is that rebellious nature of "punk" in the design. And let's face it, our vintage hides are the essence of the romanticized American west aesthetic.

Our vintage leather briefcase is very clean with minimal detail. This is juxtaposed against this romantic vintage leather. It creates a unique dichotomy allowing the case to be modern and classic at the same time. 

This is one of the main differences between how MacCase approaches a product design or product development and what many other companies do. We're not interested in creating a design that will look good for a few months or be trendy. Our products are designed and built to last a long, long time. We are passionate about putting the best of a thing into the world. 

We don't use focus groups or marketing surveys when we develop or launch a new product. We use an in-house proprietary system that has severed us well for over 25 years. The company started out designing products for one of the hardest customer bases in the world to please: Apple owners and users. If you can make these folks happy, the rest of the world is easy. 

We've been doing it for 25+years and show no signs of slowing down. Please join us on this exciting journey into quality, design, and leadership.