The 13 Best Leather Briefcases Money Can Buy

Listen, you cannot get a new leather briefcase for this cheap. It won’t be real leather, and it’ll fall apart. You’re better off going with waxed canvas, or, better yet, go down the eBay rabbit hole. A search for vintage Coach will unearth countless treasures. It’s a little more legwork, but it’s worth it.

But maybe you’re casting an indie film on a budget and you just need to get something figured out for your English professor protagonist to wear slung casually over his rumpled tweed. In this case, any Amazon faux leather briefcase will fit the bill from afar.

Surprisingly, Quince doesn’t currently have a leather briefcase on offer (just a pretty solid weekender). Leatherology is here to fill in the affordability gap. The brand makes straightforward, affordable leather goods. With former designer employees running the operation, Leatherology knows what makes a great bag, and it drops all the excess (branding) that triples the price.

Slim and handsome, I’ve got this Knox briefcase in black. It’s simple and elegant. While it lacks the bells and whistles of some of these higher-priced options, it’s a solid case for someone looking to balance affordability and durability.

Nice enough to make you feel like you’re carrying top-secret international documents for a clandestine swap rather than just your work computer and a notebook you won’t use. This Buck Mason piece is made in partnership with Italian artisans, so you know it’s all business. It comes in a sleek black with one major pocket—no unnecessary complications, just good leather.

As a Michigander, I have a home-state fondness for the Detroit-based Shinola. It’s helped by the brand’s dedication to making products that just plain look good and do what they’re designed to do. That may sound easy, but that kind of elevated simplicity takes a lot of expertise to pull off.

I own (and highly recommend) the brand’s portfolio briefcase in a deep navy blue. But it runs small, so I’m contemplating upgrading to this computer briefcase that can handle some more chargers and maybe a sneaky flask or two.

I’ve been doing my damndest to beat up Tecovas’ Bartlett weekender for nearly a decade, and all it does is look better. This cowboy take on the briefcase is sure to do the same. Built from a rich cognac colored cowhide that will feel equally parts wonderful and terrible to scratch for the first time, it’s got appeal for guys who aren’t working in oil or the country music business. Pair with the Dean side-zip boot for a little more edge, or the Johnny cowboy boot for the full Landman oil baron look.

Kaai started off trying to make the perfect work bags for women, did that, and decided to try its hand at a briefcase. The result is nothing short of a masterclass.

This Belgian bag looks simple at first glance, but a closer inspection shows off asymmetrical pockets and small, intelligent design details that only come when a company and its designers are hyper-focused on one product category. The leather is a work of art in and of itself, but open it up to the blue suede lining, and suddenly you’re walking in your own secret Memphis. While you’re ordering it, you might as well pick up the Ikon clutch for your significant other and make everyone’s day.

This Octobre Éditions briefcase is for the writer looking to continue the expat tradition of penning the next American novel in a Parisian cafe. Pack this suede bag with your favorite notebooks and pens and sling it over an unstructured blazer to waste away the days composing dialogue and titrating espresso doses.

While it doesn’t look like it, it does fit a 13” laptop. If you’re not writing longhand or have an actual nine-to-five, it’ll work for that too.

The Indiana Jones of modern briefcases, the Observer Collection’s Bravo is for efficiency freaks looking to dial in their travel kits. The brand is the brainchild of Robert Spangle, who has reported from Ukraine for Esquire. It has the obsessive attention to detail and military inspiration you’d expect from a first-class conflict journalist.

Combining old world aesthetics with modern travel sensibilities, this thing is built from a single, contagious piece of veg tanned leather. A clever lattice system allows for both size expansion and accessory mounting. That only scratches the surface, this briefcase is packed to the gills with wildly optimized and thoroughly considered features. And if you need more convincing, the CTA button on the website says “acquire” instead of purchase.

I have several of Tom Beckbe’s bags, and each is a masterclass in material. The Alabama-founded heritage hunting brand has a talent for combining throwback design cues with modern functionality. Its waxed canvas is burly and handsome, and its leather goods are genuine heirlooms.

Despite its product name, this bag is more classic briefcase than messenger bag, though it does have that fold-over flap. It’s priced a little higher than mid-tier, but it’s worth the investment.

Loyal Stricklin is a small, Nashville-based leather goods brand dedicated to old-school leatherworking. I know them for their wallets, but the whole catalog is drool-worthy. This briefcase is made to order with Italian leather from Badalassi Carlo and antique brass hardware. It’s the kind of bag you’d hope to find in your grandfather’s closet, still bearing ticket stubs from when you could smoke on airplanes. Buy it and be that grandfather for your future grandkids.

Esquire can’t talk about briefcases without talking about Bennett Winch. The brand is now based on Savile Row—next to Ed Sexton and a few doors down from Ozwald Boateng, if you need bonafides—and continues the British tradition of hand making leather goods with top-notch materials and charging what they’re worth. In fairness, it’s a lot, but forgive me for saying it’s a bargain. A different logo would charge triple for these bags.

The brand has a large array of good options, but I’m particularly enamored with the new suede collection. The subtle storm grey (spelled the British way here on purpose) is just enough swerve off a classic black that it bears a second and third and fourth look.

We’re on record as Métier fans here at Esquire. The materials are unparalleled and the design details are made with longevity in mind. What does that look like? Small, big things. The bag’s handles, for example, aren’t just thick leather but instead rope wrapped with suede, keeping them from stretching over years of use. And while we don’t believe the perfect bag exists, this bag comes as close as we’ve seen.

eBay Search for “Vintage Coach Briefcase”

Chances are this messenger-style briefcase from user “formyfamof5” will be gone by the time you find this article. But this is the sort of treasure we’re talking about on an eBay dive.

To find something good on eBay, you have to know who was making an affordable thing 20+ years ago. For briefcases and men’s work bags in the U.S. that’s Coach. A simple search for vintage Coach briefcases will surely turn up some gold. Just be diligent about the checking the images for flaws, and don’t be afraid to ask for additional pictures. Chances are if it’s full leather and all the hardware is intact, it’ll be a better buy than the shit that’s on Amazon.

If you want something more upscale, repeat this search with Montblanc instead of Coach.