When I first told you about the Cambridge Satchel Company’s olde school satchels, I was already smitten. I was going to get one, but I didn’t place an order immediately as I was wont to, because I couldn’t decide on the size. Lame excuse huh?
And then, Kahani got hers in 14″ Black and bag partner in crime LeGeeque got hers in 13″ brown and BOTH of them swore theirs was the perfect size. Alamak! What do I do?! So, I waited a bit more and at the earliest opportunity, met up with Kahani to paw at hers – also ostensibly to check it out. I was very happy with what I saw and as a personal reward for going 4 days with little sleep and no weekends, I placed an order for my very own satchel a little over 2 months ago.
Communication with the people at Cambridge Satchel Company is wonderful. I had my emails sent in the evening (Malaysian time) answered within an hour of sending (I even got a reply within 5 minutes once!). I wrote in to enquire about shipping and their availability of colour and size. That’s because I was impatient. If I was patient and picky about colour, I’d order the colour and size I wanted and wait – it can take up to a month before your order is shipped though since they have to make it first.
In my case, I was told that the 13″ Red Satchel was in stock so that was perfect for me! My order shipped within a week by FedEx and I tracked my package every step of its way to me. It took 2 days. Just 2 freaking days from London to Malaysia! How cool is that?! In the process, my bag visited Paris and Guangzhou before landing in my hands.
Now before I go into detail, let me show how it looks when it arrives.
Just like in the Sound of Music, “brown paper packages tied up with string” are one of my favourite things. The satchel comes wrapped in white tissue paper and then wrapped again with brown parcel paper and tied with parcel string. It fits just nicely into the FedEx box it comes in! If you want, you can personalize the message on the tag for free. Otherwise you get the regulation issue of “Best Wishes” which suited me fine.
Next thing – strong smell of leather. Takes some getting used to so do be warned. Air it for a spell and it’ll all be lovely. But the colour! Its a beautiful deep red full leather satchel that is impressively light. The leather is thick yet smooth on the outside and the bag is structured but not hard. Its not as stiff as I expected which is great and by now, 2 months later, it has softened a little, but still retains its shape well. I got caught in the rain not long after I got my bag, but the rain just rolled off the exterior of the bag.
Now the buckles. This was part of the reason I fell in love with this satchel. These are old school buckles that actually buckle on. Not a faux buckle with a magnet attached. I do not mind any hassle because I’d been wanting a bag with buckles that actually worked! Now I have it 😀 If you don’t like the hassle, don’t get this.
The bag is unlined – that’s not to say the inside is raw leather. Its finished so it feels smooth but there is no extra cloth lining. One less thing to wear out so you can be assured this satchel will stand the test of time. However, the red can stain a little. The edges of my white wallet have taken on a slight reddish tint. The strap sometimes rubs off some red bits (not quite stains) so I have to be a little careful with light coloured clothing. So far, no stains.
As for storage, all you get is one large main compartment and one large pocket. My Roo-Carriage fits in there actually if I want organization. But I don’t use it because my wallet can’t fit otherwise. If you use a small wallet, it’ll fit perfectly. In my case, I cut down the amount of rubbish I carry daily, and its all good!
I’ve been using it for well over 2 months now. I prefer carrying it on my shoulder instead of slinging it cross body (although I sometimes do) and I have it on the shortest length which is still pretty long – hits against my hip.
I love how edgy and different it looks and how it adds that splotch of colour to dull corporate outfits. Yes, I don’t mind being different – had enough of hand totes and hobos that every other woman is carrying for a while. On weekends, pair it with jeans or a shirt or shorts and go. Love it! Did I say that already? Oops. Here it is again.
I love it! 😀
My satchel is 13″ and according to the website, dimensions are 13″ x 10.5″ x 3″. It comes in lots of colours (might I suggest red? 😉 ) and it cost £70. Shipping to Malaysia cost me £20 so total is £90. No difference if you ship more. Each bag will ship for £20. If you have anyone visiting the UK, see if they can pick one up for you and save you shipping costs. According to Kahani, it might cost more in store though.
I might get one for a friend’s birthday – apparently, the 15″ one fits a laptop which would be perfect to replace their tatty old laptop bag 🙂
One more thing: While searching online for reviews on the CSC Satchels (there are very few) I came across another company called Tom Brown’s Traditional Satchels from Oxford. The bags on the site looked amazingly similar to that sold by CSC but were about £20 cheaper (a lot after conversion to RM). This company appears to be new and there aren’t any reviews on them. Still, I thought I might try them, so I contacted them, and they responded to my initial questions about shipping. However after 3 email queries which satisfied me, and when I eventually wanted to place an order, I failed to receive any further response from them to my last inquiry about how best to place an international order. I did give them a chance. I wrote to them over the course of 3 weeks, in case they missed my emails but I never heard back, even up till today. Hate to slag off a company, but poor email communication is not on and does not inspire trust in a new online outfit.
Personally, I’d stick to Cambridge Satchel Company even if they do cost more, because I’ve dealt with them before. A satchel isn’t a bag for everyone. Get it if you dream of sleeping on springy heather, drinking ginger beer from bottles and buying farm fresh eggs… as they do in Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. I was told by someone that satchels are also gaining popularity in Korean dramas so we might see more satchels popping up.
As for myself, I’m now itching to get another, maybe in Navy blue. I’m horrible! 😛 Might this be your cuppa tea? 😉
Update: As of August 2011 a friend is having a lot of problems with their orders from Cambridge Satchel Company perhaps due to an upsurge in orders and their inability to cope. She has not received her bag after a month and has had no replies to her emails asking about the delay. My friend has since cancelled her order and obtained a refund. There have been many complaints about the poor customer service on the company’s Facebook page. Its a pity their customer service isn’t consistent especially with their rising name, so do take note.
Paris B
Cambridge Satchel Company Satchels come in various sizes and colours and can be found at www.cambridgesatchel.co.uk. Payment can be made by Paypal.
Mei says
Hi Paris,
I’m thinking of getting the 13″ satchel as well.
My question is, can I fit an A4 notepad into the 13″ despite the CSC saying the 14″ only fits A4?
ParisB says
If its a few sheets of paper, its no problem. But a notebad, it’ll be very snug
oneanna says
Hi Paris, CSC has changed since last year. when i ordered mine, it arrived like yours (brown paper tied in string). this summer i ordered 2 more as presents. though ordered at the same time, 1 arrived a little after 2 months, and the 2nd nearing 3 months (apparently it got routed to another country). i received both covered with wrapping tissue and sealed with duck tape, then bubble wrapped.
btw, whats the difference between CSC and Tom Brown’s satchels?
ParisB says
Hi Oneanna, thank you so much for updating me. It would seem that CSC is now growing too quickly and faster than they can handle. Its such a pity because the brown packages what was I liked about their service. I don’t know the difference between CSC and Tom Brown’s satchels as I only have the CSC one. There are a few other satchel companies online now actually and I’m glad of that because some companies apparently need competition before they stagnate!
Liz says
Hey apparently CSC is suing another company for stealing thier original idea of creating the cambridge satchel. Thats why thier orders are so delayed nowadays. I have a feeling it might be the Tom Brown Satchel Company? Better to stay with the original and its official retailers!
Btw, i have the classic yellow 13inch and also the classic red 11inch. Both are great and work with ANY outfit!
Im fairly short and i gotta say to everyone else out there contemplating size, i honestly do NOT think i could get away with a bag bigger than 13inches… it already looks huge on me!
I can fit inside my 13inch: ipad, thin notebook, thin purse, small bottle of moisturizer, and in front pocket, phone, car keys, chapstick, earphones. I could probably squeeze more in, but thats a comfortable fit. I hope itll soften more in time!
In my 11inch i can fit: A5 notebook, purse, little tube of moisturizer, and front pocket: phone, chapstick, car keys. Same again, i could probably squeeze more in.
I think the main in difference in size is NOT the width… my two bags seem exactly the same width, but the length is different. Which means i can squeeze more sideways… if that makes sense.
As for colours… the yellow and red, are a deep classic colour. Canary yellow, and classic red (not bright, maybe a bit on the darker side).
If you want to be conservative but want some colour, go for the red. If you wanna stand out, go for the yellow!
nnaf says
Hi! Just wondering if I’m not that tall, standing at 153cm, will the shortest adjusted length of the Cambridge satchel be abit too long for me? 🙂 Thanks! You’re looking good in your satchel!
Paris B says
I think it will be a bit long but you can always punch an extra hole.
Vanessa E. says
Oh no. I’ve just discovered these Cambridge satchels. Oh dear, I want one now. Paris, how’s your bag doing in terms of the leather quality and overall holding up of the bag?
Paris B says
Its doing well. I don’t use it often but it is still a little stiff due to the thick leather. The raw leather inside does rub off a bit on light coloured items so do be warned. I don’t know how they are in terms of shipping now. There were a lot of problems a while ago. You can try looking at Zatchels too.
lee says
Hi Paris,
At Cambridge FAQ. Will I need to pay customs duty on my bag order?
Every country has different rules, so we would advise that you contact your local postal service to find out more about the duty costs in your country.
Do you pay extra for the custom instead of the 20pounds ? Thank you.
Paris B says
I’m not sure I understand, Lee. As far as I recall, GBP20 is the shipping costs that you’ll have to pay regardless. I didn’t pay taxes on mine but I don’t know if it’ll get caught in customs. If it does, local customs taxes 10% of the purchase price.
caria says
Im going to order one for school but i dont really know what size i should get. does the 14 inch satchel fit a 13′ inch macbook pro? i really cant dicide between 13 and 14 inch, i think the 15 inch is way too big for me tho
Lisa says
Have you heard a websites call uk cambridge satchel sale outlet? It sells the bag so much cheaper and free shipping so more. Please let me know has anyone has placed order with them before. They claim their bags are genuine.
Gretchen says
I have to say I have both a Cambridge Satchel and a Leather Satchel Co. bag gotten from leathersatchel.com None of which have stained any of my clothes, one is deep purple (CSC) and the other green (LSC) THe Cambridge Satchel people are obviously undermanned due to their quick rise, they did not answer emails as much as one would want but you want a custom bag you have to wait for it. The difference with the LSC is that they have all bags ready to ship. Since they ship from within the US and I lived in Paris at the time of my purchase shipping came to be around 15Euros at the time.
My roommate flew for a vacation to the US so she had hers shipped to her hotel for free! She ordered it 3 days before leaving at the bag was already in her hotel when she got there. Thats awesome! THey do add color combinations every couple of months so I always take a look around. Im into the blues and brown briefcases for my beau;) I mean, straight guys use them too right?
Joy Chuah says
I’ve been searching for one but am hesitant about ordering from CSC and Tom Brown’s after reading your update about your friend having problems. I’m so envious of your red satchel.
Do you have any advice or latest reviews from friends about CSC or Tom Brown’s?
Thanks!
XOXO
Paris B says
Hi Joy, I’m afraid I don’t know of anyone else so far who has bought from CSC. I think if you’re prepared to wait, they will ship out eventually. Another site that has more prompt service is Zatchels.com Friends have bought from there before and they say the quality is pretty good too. Maybe try that one? 🙂
Rainy Days & Lattes says
Hi Paris! I know this review was made many years ago but I just ordered this satchel! LOL I’m very late to the game but I absolutely love the style of it. I ordered one in black just to be safe but I’d love to get a red one like yours :p Do you still use it?
Paris B says
Hiya, I don’t use it very often these days because I carry far too much on a daily basis and it doesn’t all fit. But its still holding up very well! I hope you’ll like yours 😀
Hammy Havoc says
Your thoughts on the satchel were what actually convinced us to order a Batchel from them and review it: http://www.previousmagazine.com/the-cambridge-satchel-company-15-sapphire-batchel-review
How is yours holding up after a few years? How is the strap?
Paris B says
Hi Hammy, it has held up very well for me, but I don’t use it very much because of the limited space so it is now more of a casual weekend bag than an everyday workhorse. Hope this helps.