Leather Backpacks

A leather backpack carries the weight on both shoulders and keeps your hands free, which is why it has become the work bag for anyone who walks, cycles or takes the train. Vendrossi backpacks are cut from thick buffalo leather – full-grain, Crazy Horse or vintage-finished – with padded laptop sleeves, reinforced stitching and solid metal hardware, and they darken into a patina the more they are carried.

Six designs, from the compact, cotton-lined Bolzano to the Cortina travel backpack with a padded compartment for a 17-inch laptop. Every backpack ships free in the US with 30-day returns and a 2-year warranty.

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How to choose a leather backpack

Start with the laptop

Four of the six have a padded laptop sleeve, and the size of that sleeve is the first filter. The Cortina and the Aosta each take a laptop up to 17 inches. The Assisi takes a 16-inch laptop in a padded sleeve and has a second padded pocket for a tablet. The Trento has a padded sleeve for a laptop up to 15.6 inches plus a separate slot sized for an 11-inch tablet. The Bologna has a laptop sleeve inside its 17 × 12 × 5-inch body, and the Bolzano is the one to pick when the laptop stays at the desk – a classic day bag for work, school, travel or a day out.

Then the leather

Full-grain buffalo leather – the Cortina and Bolzano – is the top layer of the hide with the grain left intact: the strongest, thickest part, and the one that ages best. Crazy Horse buffalo leather – the Trento and Aosta – is the same full-grain hide finished with a wax, so it marks easily and wears into a two-tone patina that is unique to its owner. The vintage-finished Assisi is buffalo leather with a naturally aged surface and visible grain, and the Bologna is full-grain leather in a light brown finish. All of them are natural hides, so grain, shade and small marks vary from bag to bag; that variation is the signature of real leather, not a flaw.

Then the closure and the pockets

The Trento is the storage bag: four roomy pockets across the front, a fifth zippered pocket for valuables, a phone-and-wallet pocket, an interior zipper pocket and a side pocket for a bottle. The Aosta hides its security pockets – passport, wallet or keys stay out of sight – behind a classic buckle closure over a drawstring top, with a zip pocket on the front, another on the back panel and buckle pockets on both sides. The Cortina pairs a padded mesh back panel with a front zip pocket, a side bottle pocket and multiple interior pockets. The Bologna and Bolzano are the buckle-front designs: two buckle straps over a drawstring top, with magnetic snaps under the Bologna's straps for quick opening, a front magnetic pocket on the Bolzano, and a side pocket on each flank of both for a bottle or umbrella. The Assisi keeps it simple – padded laptop sleeve, padded tablet pocket, tear-resistant lining, a reinforced top handle – at about three pounds.

The six leather backpacks, in brief

Leather backpack care

A backpack lives on your back in all weathers, so give it a little attention. Wipe dust off with a soft, dry cloth; for marks, use a cloth lightly dampened with water and let the leather dry naturally away from heat. Avoid soaps, household cleaners and alcohol wipes, which strip the natural oils from full-grain leather. Leather is naturally water-resistant rather than waterproof: a little rain won't hurt it – wipe it dry and let it air-dry at room temperature, never next to a heater. An occasional light coat of a conditioner made for full-grain leather keeps the hide supple after dry heat or rain; test on a hidden spot first. On Crazy Horse leather, rubbing a scuff with your fingertips usually blends it back in. Empty heavy items out between uses so the straps can rest, and store the bag out of direct sunlight, lightly stuffed, never sealed in plastic.

Leather backpack questions

Will a 17-inch laptop fit?

Yes, in the Cortina and the Aosta – both list a padded compartment for laptops up to 17 inches. The Assisi fits 16 inches, the Trento 15.6 inches.

Are the backpacks lined?

The Bolzano has a cotton lining; the Assisi has a tear-resistant fabric lining. Each product page describes that bag's interior.

Which backpack is best for travel?

The Cortina: a 17-inch padded laptop compartment, room for a weekend's gear, a bottle pocket and a padded mesh back panel for long days on your feet.

Prefer to carry by hand? See our leather briefcases. Packing for a trip? See the leather duffel bags, or browse all leather bags. The Trento and Aosta also appear in our Crazy Horse leather bags.