A Review

I am pretty passionate about bags. I suppose that can be said for most people out in the world. Humans have had a love affair with bags for thousands of years. We need to get our stuff from point A to point B after all. Much like our love of shoes, our bags speaks volumes about who we are and what we do. We have work bags, sports bags, bags for our cameras, bags for excess and bags to impress. The Bosca Leather Double Gusset Flapover briefcase is definitely for the latter. A brief that will dress up anyone, but is casual enough to use for any occasion without looking out of place. 

Bosca Leather was kind enough to let me borrow a a bag to test out and review. I specifically chose the Double Gusset Flapover Brief because I wanted to find a bag that had absolute class, but was usable  and casual enough to meet the needs of an artist. As an artist and designer myself, I have a lot of different things I carry around on a daily basis and I want to do it in style. From sketchbooks and pens, to cameras and a laptop, I need something that I can take to a cafe and show up to a client meeting with. To test out if this bag can hold up, I spent s day with fellow artist Dante Romano, a Columbus Ohio painter and graphic designer. For a start, I had him empty his other bag and refill it into the Bosca brief. Seems unscientific, but try taking everything out of your everyday bag and sit it all out on the floor and you’d be amazed.

Highlights of the bag

For those unfamiliar with Bosca Leather, the company has been around for a century, spanning multiple generations. They pride themselves on Italian leather craftsmanship and use techniques that allow the leather to age gracefully. If you’re going to buy a bag like this, it’s an investment and you want it to get better with age. These are handcrafted bags after all, made in the USA. What has sold me on this bag it’s versatility and modern updates. This bag actually has an RFID-protected pocket built into one of the compartments. This I’ll need to explain: It’s possible these days to have the RFID chips on your credit cards scanned by thieves while traveling. It might seem like something that wouldn’t happen to you, but just having a pocket in the bag as a “just in case” is really reassuring. Personally, I’ve had three run-in’s with identity theft, so I take it quite seriously. It happened to me in Mexico City last year which left me stranded in the city for days until I could get it all ironed out. Consider this feature a must-have in any bag you purchase going forward. One feature I don’t especially love is the strap that comes with it and the placement of the a attachments on the bag. For one. the attachments on on the top of the flap and placed on the sides of the briefcase handle. Because they are a few inches inset, it makes the strap a little tight when you carry it. Not a deal breaker by any means, but its something I noticed that I think would be cumbersome over time. I am certain this design was on purpose because its a casual briefcase, not a true messenger bag. I am not especially in love with the jute colored material of the strap either, but again, thats more of a preference than a criticism. This bag is traditional in nature, so I believe that a solid 90% of Bosca users will love it as-is.

Is this bag right for you?

What makes this bag and many in their collection stand out, is the ability to use it for highly professional and casual events alike.  You would fit right in taking out a laptop to present to a CEO with this brief. You’d also fit right in with more casual events without looking too stuffy. That versatility is hard to come by in a leather bag of this nature. If you’re interested in this bag and are reading this review, you too understand that this is a destination-like purchase. You know you have find a cheap leather bag that looks like this for one or two hundred dollars. However, you also know that you get what you pay for. Cheap leather bags are a dime a dozen. You would need to replace it every year because it will break down on looks and hardware. The Bosca bag is a purchase that you make for life. It will never break, never fray and will only get better looking with age. In fact, it’s a bag you would most likely pass down in your family. If you save your money until you have enough to get what you want (and know will last), instead of quickly buying garbage and regretting it, than this bag is for you. If you have a deep passion for craftsmanship and handmade leather goods, than this bag is definitely for you.

 Another great bag by Bosca you might want to check out is the new Man Bag. A silly name, but the bag is beautiful and perfect for urban outings that don’t require a full sized approach for a night out on the town.

I give the Double Gusset Flapover Brief a very solid 4.5 out of 5 stars based on style, ease of use, build, and  price. Other leather bags in this price point category start at over a thousand dollars, so this price is more than reasonable for a bag that lasts a lifetime and never goes out of style. Ever.

You can find their full collection of bags and leather goods over at Bosca Leather.

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Bosca Leather - Brandon Page - Dante Romano