REVIEW – Elegant gadget carriers are a weakness of mine. I love a good case/bag/storage system, and if they’re beautiful to look at, so much the better. Enter the Cravar R.F.15/Espresso messenger bag. It immediately jumped out at me as a beautiful, yet not ostentatious bag that should last a lifetime with care. I’ve had it now for a few weeks and have been putting it through its paces. Read on to see how it has held up!
︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $425.00
Where to buy: Cravar
What is it?
The Cravar R.F.15/Espresso messenger bag is made of full-grain leather with a solid fabric lining and brass hardware.
What’s included?
Tech specs
- Full grain veg-tanned leather
- Solid brass hardware
- Durable acrylic fabric lining
- (W* H * D) : 15.5″ * 12″ * 3.5″ / 39 * 30 * 9 cm
- 3.75 lbs. / 1,700 grams – with shoulder strap
Design and features
The Cravar R.F.15/Espresso messenger bag is a solid, full leather bag with some impressive qualities. I have to start with the quality of the leather they use. It’s gorgeous and very thick. Below is a picture of the front of the bag. I’ve never had a bag with a latch like this, but it holds things shut very well. Initially, it was difficult to get the pin to latch, but that has improved significantly with use and I can only see it getting better with time.
An example of the bag latched closed. It doesn’t rely on snaps or a zipper for anything, just solid latches like this.
The interior of the bag has one main compartment for laptop storage and in my case holds a couple of laptops snugly. There is room for documents and folders along with a few pockets for smaller things. I do wish that there were some smaller holders for pens, but overall this does well at holding things snugly and in place.
Filled with a few other items.
The acrylic fabric lining of the inside of the bag is nothing but solid. It should be able to handle some significant wear and use. In the picture below and to the upper right you can also see an extra overlap so that when the bag is closed everything is protected from the elements and you shouldn’t have anything leaking in through the sides.
The stitching and reinforcement on the bag is also very solid. The attachment points for the shoulder straps are seriously constructed.
The shoulder strap is very adjustable and has several points where you can adjust the buckles to optimally fit your needs.
The shoulder strap is also reinforced and the padding is solid, but comfortable. Another are that I imagine will only get more comfortable with time and use as the leather softens and wears.
The back of the bag has a luggage strap that fits snugly over handles and should be an easy addition.
There is an additional tight compartment for folders or documents as well, but it’s very tight and also exposed to the elements, so it’s there if you need it, but I haven’t used it much.
Final thoughts
I’ve been using this bag for a few weeks now and I’ve been nothing but impressed with the quality of the bag and how good it looks. I look forward to using this bag for the foreseeable future and think it’s going to last a very long time. I really like that there are no zippers or snaps that I have to worry about failing. It’s well built and the construction is well thought out. It may be a bit pricier than other bags, but it’s also a bag that should last you for a very long time and look good through it’s entire life. I definitely recommend.
What I like about the Cravar R.F.15/Espresso Messenger Bag
- Solid full-grain leather materials with excellent stitching and hardware
- Sized just right for my laptops and other materials
- It looks beautiful
What needs to be improved?
- I would prefer the top handle to be placed more forward on the top, but that’s a small nit
Price: $425.00
Where to buy: Cravar
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Cravar. Cravar did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
