Reddit mentions of Visconti Harvard X-Large Crossbody Messenger Bag A4 Plus/Distressed Leather, Black, One Size

I just commented in the should I buy thread directed towards someone looking at canvas messenger bags for a more casual job. I responded with a recommendation that he go leather. Instead of typing it all up again, I'll just quote it here:

---Hi I spent the last couple weeks doing some similar searching for a messenger bag. I'm not a huge fan of the one you've selected there. TBQH I would recommend a leather bag, and if not I'd recommend a different canvas bag. Imo, a leather messenger is never really out of place, and definitely can be used as a casual bag, whereas a canvas bag will seem out of place and "underdressed" in a more formal setting.
If you ever see yourself moving into a formal setting, the leather will come in handy.
There are a ton of places to check but here's what I've found:

http://www.storenvy.com/stores/36675-deep-rooted-tree (these are expensive, but the 13" isn't too bad)

http://copperriverbags.com (massdrop is doing a sale and I believe it's still going where you get something like 30% off)

http://www.navali.com/bags/ (they have a nice leather messenger plus a lot of canvas ones that I think are a step up towards professional rather than student)

http://www.amazon.com/Visconti-Crossbody-Messenger-Plus-Leather-16054/dp/B008OJEP82

http://saddlebackleather.com

You should also check the bag FAQ in the sidebar for more options, but it is slightly limited. Search /r/frugalmalefashion for "messenger bag" and you'll get a lot of results. These are the ones I was looking at personally.

I ended up choosing a fossil bag because my girlfriend could get it through macy's with a lot of discounts that brought the price (245) down to something like 140. I am immensely satisfied with it but I haven't had it for long and unfortunately I couldn't find any info on what quality of leather it's made from.
If you do decide to go for a leather item, be sure to check up on saddlebackleather's leather 101 to understand why it's important to search for full-grain over genuine leather.
Hope this helps.---

Since your price range is significantly higher than the guy I was responding to originally, I'll also throw in that Leyden and Sons make some pretty good bags at higher prices.


The bag you've selected here seems like a great option, but I'd be wary about materials used. See the saddleback leather guide or wikipedia it to learn more about different kinds of leather. When a website denotes it as "100% vegetable tanned leather" instead of giving you what grade of leather they are using, it raises flags in my mind. Before you buy, I would recommend getting in touch with the seller and asking about the grade of leather he is using.

It's also very large. 18" is no joke, that's a foot and a half that you are lugging around. IMO, that's huge. They must have a 6'6" tall guy or larger modeling it. I find that 15.5" on my bag seems almost too big for me at 5'6". Please keep that in mind before you buy.

Another thing is that for 265$, you have a lot of options and I would definitely explore those options before you buy. I highly recommend that if you spend that much on a bag, you buy from somewhere like LLBean or saddleback, who have lifetime guarantees for their products.

Finally, I think what makes this bag appear casual is the flap. It's got a single buckle and that really pushes it towards casual/student instead of more serious/business. Here is the bag I got and you can see, imo, that the double buckle and the double-stitching on the flap add a lot towards giving it a more professional appearance, closer to a briefcase than a satchel. The reason I went with fossil was because I liked the bag after seeing it in person, rooting around in it, and trying it on, and it was at a price I couldn't beat because it was at Macy's and my GF had coupons+macy's card for a lot of discounts.

I hope all this helps and feel free to ask me any questions. In response to the farhorizontraders bags, be sure to look at their blemished bags, as those come at a large discount and oftentimes have only superficial blemishes. Beware buying camel leather, as it will stink for awhile until you break it in. Rather pungently.

I have this one in tan: http://www.amazon.com/Visconti-Crossbody-Messenger-Plus-Leather-16054/dp/B008OJEP82

I like it. Have had it for almost two years now. Holding up well.