Kobuk Leather Backpack

I use this bag every day in my cruiser. The leather holds up better than any canvas bag out there. The quality craftsmanship to second to none.
This is my fourth leather bag I purchased from Kodiak from the messenger to the duffel bag to this
backpack, highest quality

Backpack is made of the finest leather & quality. The attention to detail is amazing. I use it as a bag I put all my gear in my cruiser. Canvas cruiser bags do not compare.

Excellent pack for putting everything in a backpack. It is a pretty large and heavy pack, but the leather is high quality and it will age well. Probably best for hikes and travel, perhaps not for taking to work every day.

The short:

Pros:
- true built for life quality
- true mutlipurpose: work formal/school/travel/outdoorsy adventuring
- will age beautifully
- enough space to pack for 1 week ++ if you pack light and are a minimalist type traveler
- is accepted by major airlines

Cons:
- is maybe a taaaad too big for some.
- if you don't fold that top flap inwards the top roll is too wide for some slim doorways and in my view is too wide.
- solid quality leather means this bag ain't light! Beware for long trecks or even daytime traveling walking around a city if it's too full.
- straps can begin to get uncomfortable for longer trecks despite padding due to its solid leather. Cuts into arm a bit. But may improve over time. It's only been a few months.
- minor: bottle pocket is just a tad too tight
- unsure: it's wider than Ryanair's width limits so will need to test with them if they accept it as a personal bag. But their the strictest so maybe an issue for similar small airlines.

LONG review:

First things first: really surprised they didn't promote this in the images but that top flap can fold in on itself when rolled up to avoid its awkward longer top. This might not be it's suggested or recommended way of closing. Will see how the zipper lasts folded in on itself, but in my view it just isn't usable with that bigger roll at the top: it bumps into narrow doorways, visually seems off Ballance, and throws people off.

But once the leather gets softer and you can fold it in, this bag is near perfection. So again surprised this isn't how it's promoted as it would alleviate some of the more mixed reviews about that top.

I'm also surprised they turned the front pocket into a magnetic closure/mock strap. The older version which I have was a strap and for me feels much more secure/pickpocket proof. So I get folks might be too lazy to unbuckle every time but I'd take that over pickpocketing any time. Just FYI designers! But a non issue for me hopefully since this does seem like a built for life piece!

Ok now to the actual review:
This bag is mostly flawless for my needs!
The leather is nice and thick, rich leather smell, solid construction. For those wanting a comparison it feels exactly like my solid/durable motorcycle leather coat which lasts decades so very promising. And like that coat the buckles, zippers are all solid brass which means this bag is durable from a to z and will last (a) lifetime(s?) And age beautifully as long as you avoid water/snow when you can, dry it off when wet, and treat with some wax/oil and waterproof product maybe once a year or even less.

The simplicity of the pockets are really solid! The laptop/iPad flap on the inside should be big enough for any of your electronics big or small (just to reassure you!) and is nicely padded should you be skidding in an iPad. The bigger flap is also really solid for my needs such ask folding in 1 pair of fancy shoes, clothes for 1 week, a water bottle, some books. All of it fit!

Now the side pocket for a water bottle is too thin for my rather regular size water bottle BUT I'm willing to look for a thinner water bottle for this because maybe my "regular" one is too big? I dunno and it's not a big issue. They compensate this with a nice brass D ring you can use to latch on a bigger bottle but I can't see myself doing that and have it bon arround. But those D rings (also 4 underneath) are really neat and open it to some cool use cases I haven't tried yet like strapping on a roll up sleeping bag, thing on running shoes, maybe a mini tent or anything else. Genuinely think this would be cool to use for a canoe/treck/camping adventure.

FYI: this bag was aokay as personal bag for Air Transat, fits right under the seat. Was nervous about this but it worked fine so my guess is it will be the same for most major airlines. Will test it with Ryanair whose limits are very strict. Will likely use it with them soon, will pack it very light though to squeeze it tight and small. Stay tuned for that!

Only thing is this bag is still BIG compared to most backpacks and folks will comment on that. It's just a few inches too big to feel like a regular daily backpack but I still go with it because I like having the single bag for all. It's a tad heavy due to that thick leather but I guess that's the drawback for its solid durability.

Other than those points SUPER happy and will likely never have to buy a backpack, laptop bag, suitcase ever again. But that's because I travel quite light.

So in short: this single bagger, minimalist, frequent traveller, light adventurer, is quite happy!