Review on 👜 Colombian Leather 15.6” Laptop Briefcase Portfolio by Alpine Swiss - Messenger Bag by Robert Lewis

I have a general rule of not reviewing products until I have about 6 months to try them. I'm tired of reading reviews from people who have used something once and given it 5 stars. It's very important to me to try something for a while and see how the product works. I've been using it for about 18 months and have used it on probably 30 business trips across Europe. What I like most about this bag is that the quality of the leather makes it feel like a quality bag, making me feel comfortable in a suit for business meetings. It also stands up on its own, which is important to me because I always take it with me to meetings and put it on the floor next to my seat at conference tables and the like. I've used messenger bags before and they tend to tip over which is annoying. Another advantage of this bag over messenger bags is that the design of the handles (since there are two instead of one) distributes the weight evenly, even when the bag is open at the top. I have the kind of Messenger where the handle is on top and you can't effectively lift your back unless the top is locked - very annoying - and the weight doesn't feel distributed. This is important if you are carrying a laptop. The bag has four separate compartments, which I really like. The main internal compartment has 3 cleverly designed compartments that I use for my passport, phone and portable charger. I like that the compartments are in the middle because it makes it a little harder for an adventurous thief to gain access and they separate my stuff well. My only criticism of the bag is that one of the zippers can be a bit sticky, but that's a minor annoyance so I'll still give it 5 stars. Another nice feature is that the bag fits completely under the seat in front of me. all airlines, even if they are fully loaded, so I can just put them in. With this bag I almost never fight for space in my hand luggage. One thing I would have liked for the bag was a back strap that made it easy to attach the bag to the rotating carry handle. But since the handles are high enough at the top of the bag, I can usually just pop my Alpine Swiss bag on top of my wheeled carry-on if I need to travel with both and keep both carry-on telescoping handles. on a leather bag with one hand. Another recommendation. I've found that smooth leather like this holds up best if a leather conditioner is applied at least once. I've treated the bag with a neutral leather conditioner after about six months (only once since purchase) and the skin looks even better than when I bought it. This type of shiny leather is likely to crack over time if you don't condition it (like most other types of leather). I also think frequent travelers overuse this bag, edges are likely to fray. But overall I think it's great value for money. If you don't need a well known brand, this is what the business traveler needs.