The Londinium Barnet Leather Messenger Bag looks like a great deal. Target is selling it at a great price but is a budget leather bag worth it? More after the break…
Composition
Lets start with what it is. The Londinium is a budget leather bag from Target made by The British Belt Company. Target bills it as a messenger bag but it’s form is much more briefcase than messenger bag. It does come with an adjustable shoulder strap.
It’s made of an unspecified leather with a cloth liner (maybe cotton/poly). If you handle the leather for a bit you get the impression that it is of reasonable quality. The panels that make up the construction of the bag are primarily small panels cobbled together. This is usually done to reduce the amount of wasted leather but it makes for more failure points.
The straps are backed by webbing to prevent stretching and the handle seems reasonably robust. The closure system is a metal gate and spring loaded catch. While this is far superior to snaps and magnets it certainly isn’t as robust as a real buckle.
The liner is where this bag really falls down. It doesn’t feel very well put together. The various divisions and pockets are adequate but the liner pulls away from the walls and the padding. While not terrible I found a loose thread that makes me think this will be the first component to fail.
Leather Messenger Bag Alternatives
Copper River Newtown Journeyman
You might consider the Copper River Newtown Laptop bag. It costs slightly more than the Londinium but it’s made in the USA from a more robust leather with better construction. It does use a snap closure system which is not my favorite but it does provide quick access.
Topman Leather Satchel
The Topman Leather Satchel is also a great alternative leather messenger bag. It is slightly cheaper than the Londinium and has a buckle closure system.
Summary
The Londinium Barnet leather messenger bag is good for the price. It’s not great and it won’t last forever but its a sharp looking bag and compared with a lot of other junk out there pretty well made.
If you are looking for a “buy it for life” type of bag, look elsewhere.