Vermilyea Pelle hybrid briefcase (Wheat Twill/Milled Vachetta) - one month

It wasn't until I got my first full-time job last year after graduation that I was in the market for something like a briefcase. It came down to either a Filson which a local store carried or import a briefcase from Vermilyea Pelle with absolutely no way of knowing whether it was the better choice. Obviously, I went for the latter.

Vermilyea Pelle
Vermilyea Pelle is run by Dustin Spencer, who has had extensive training and experience in making bags. It's a small company that started in 2008 and it's obvious they have a lot of love for the craft. Handmade from Washington, US. They have some really cool videos on their website that showcases the handmade process.

Briefcase
My briefcase in particular is the Wheat Twill with Milled Vachetta leather accents. The handles are English Bridle, the same leather Filson uses for their briefcases. Unlike Filson, Vermilyea Pelle has a lot of different combinations of leathers and colors that a lot of times only come by once. They only make a few of each type of bag at a time depending on their raw sources and there's only a small chance the exact same color or leather combination will be back in stock. There's fun in it, but you also have to be quick to decide. Mine were sold out a week or two after my purchase.

The specifications for my bag according to their website:

-Premium Antiqued Solid Brass Hardware

-Hand hammered Solid Copper Rivets

-Hand Antiqued USA Made Snaps 

-18oz Canvas Pre-Finishing, 29oz after Waxing

-5/6oz leather on Bag, 9/11oz Leather strap work

-#10 Solid Brass YKK Zipper

First impressions
The briefcase is incredibly well-made. It has a great design where the handles are only ever attached at the bottom and loop through to the top. This way, the weight of the briefcase rests on the straps, instead of pulling on the seams if they were to be stitched down on the sides. It comes well packaged and there is a stronger leather smell at first. After airing it out that mostly went away after a week, but since my briefcase just has a lot of leather, you cannot escape it. The standard briefcases are made mostly of canvas, save for some leather accents like the handles etc. Mine is a hybrid, where the outer pockets are made with leather instead of canvas. It makes for a slightly heavier bag, but also gives it a nice contrast in my opinion.

There are some incredible details put in this briefcase. One is that the all exposed bits of leather are nicely burnished, from the handles to the hand grip to the pieces of leather on the sides. The exterior pockets are lined on the inside and the keyclip in the main compartment is put in a place where your keys can drop down into a pocket (instead of swinging around in the bag).

The Vachetta leather is incredibly soft and supple. It feels 'alive' to the touch, not dry at all. It has a bit of a pebbled texture that gives a great contrast to the rest of the briefcase. The pictures are very true to life. Both the Vachetta and English Bridle leather are best to describe as chocolate brown, while the canvas is very close to the Filson tan color. It leans towards a darker mustard color that brightens up when the sunlight hits it.

Just from the looks of it, you can tell it is a high quality product. Everything is flawlessly made and put together. At the time of writing, I have carried this briefcase to work daily for about a month now. It can house a surprising amount of stuff. I carry: two notebooks (A5 and A6), one laptop (14"), laptop charger, a 3-piece pencase, a 600ml waterbottle, keys and sometimes a pair of gloves. My only gripe is that it could perhaps use an extra smaller pocket on the side to carry a water bottle. With everything that I carry, it can get heavy, but I never got the idea it was too much. I use the strap a lot, which has softened a bit over time, but didn't need breaking in, in the first place. I use the exterior slots a lot less than I thought.

Incredibly well-made, great craftmanship and if it weren't for the high custom fees to Europe, I might've snatched an extra one. Excited to see how it'll hold up a few years from now.

Vermilyea Pelle: https://www.vermilyeapelle.com/
Briefcase: https://www.vermilyeapelle.com/products/hybrid-briefcase-in-wheat-twill-milled-vachetta

Note: this post was written in January when I had the briefcase for about a month. The post is published in March, making it currently about three months now since I've got it. The next posts regarding this briefcase will have a more accurate timeline.

Originally posted on March 29th 2022.