Grad School Tribe

Rated 5 out of 5 by Dan B. from Leather briefcase Beautiful soft leather excellent workmanship. I love it.

Date published: 2021-04-10

Rated 5 out of 5 by VA1DER from This is a forever gift I just received this as a birthday gift yesterday, and I am so amazingly happy with it. Like (I suspect) many guys, this is not something I would have spent the money on for myself. But it is clearly made with a quality and workmanship that will last and the style is timeless. This, as I said in the caption, is a forever gift, and if you are looking for a gift for him that send that message, I can assure you being on the receiving end of this one was heartwarming. The bag colour I received was "natural". Unfortunately the photos here do NOT do this bag's leather colour or texture any justice at all. To me the photos here make it look a nondescript fake-leather brown. I would not buy or give this bag away based on the photos here. Luckily the reality is much, much better. The leather has the look and texture of oiled leather, and is that kind that as it wears will take on that "WWII bomber jacket" kind of age beauty. I have attached some photos under different light. Also the site says it will fit only a 15" laptop. Some 17" laptops fit very well. All the photos below picture the bag holding my Alienware M17R2 17" laptop and it is a beautiful fit. All in all, I couldn't be happier with this. The fact it was made in Canada makes it all the better. What a fantastic gift this is.

Date published: 2021-01-08

Rated 5 out of 5 by Dee A. from Grad School This bag is the perfect size to fit all my work essentials. Laptop, a couple file folders, my book, wallet.... tons of space. Definitely happy with this purchase and plan on using this for the rest of my career.

Date published: 2020-12-26

Rated 5 out of 5 by Kimmit from Grad Bag Gave this Grad School bag to our son for his EMBA graduation. He loves it.

Date published: 2020-05-07

Rated 5 out of 5 by Anonymous from Solid bag, weaker hardware I've had the Grad School messenger now for about 6 years, and it's hard to find an equal out there. It's my daily bag for lugging back and forth on my commute. Nothing lasts forever, and so I will tell you the weaker points of this gorgeous messenger: 1) I've had the clips on the arm strap replaced twice now. What happens is that the brass loop the strap attaches to on the bag wears the metal on the spring-locking clip down, until the clip wears so thin that it bends. I do tend to load up my bag (laptop and lunch) and my bag end up being heavy. Replacing the strap hardware hasn't been very expensive - Roots has kindly taken care of this for a nominal fee that was well worth it. However, it would be nice if the strap clip were made of a more resilient metal less prone to wearing down. Hardened steel instead of brass would be nice. This problem is not unique to the Grad School bag. I also have the Banff-series bags, and had the modern satchel, which suffered the same fate - eventually, those metal clips just give out due to constant rubbing. 2) The lining has come loose at the flap. The lining on the Grad School messenger is quite good actually, and it keeps the pilling underside of the leather from rubbing off and getting all over my stuff. Roots has also been very good about restitching the lining for a nominal price. 3) The leather trim around the edges has also worn out at the corners. Again, Roots has been amazing about fixing this for a small fee along with the other repairs. I can't really emphasize the attachment I have to this bag. In my view, it really is a one-time purchase. The bag has ample space, it looks better as it ages, and despite wear and tear, it has served me very well. Before sending my bag off to Roots for a third time (keep in mind, these service send-outs are one to two years apart), I decided to buy a cheap leather messenger from a popular online store. Although nice looking, the hardware fell apart after about 3 months, and I mean fell apart in a big way. The leather became cracked at high friction points, the stitching came undone where the strap attached to the bag, and the lining ripped. There was no comparison to Roots quality, and why should there be? WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?! I love you, Roots. Platonically, but I love you.

Date published: 2020-04-14

Rated 5 out of 5 by Grad Student from More than meets the eye Was not 100% sold on this item but it has more than met my expectations. Roomy with lots of separators so your things don't get mixed up all wrapped up in a sleek design. Very happy.

Date published: 2019-09-22

Rated 5 out of 5 by SoHeL from Solid leather. I was looking for a full grain leather bag. After long search I got best mach this bag. Leather quality is Excellent. Good size. This price range is ok.

Date published: 2019-09-03

Rated 5 out of 5 by blackwatch from Had it for years now and still looks great I was lucky enough to receive this bag (the original brown leather) as a gift and I have used it every single work day and more for almost 4 years now. It has travelled with me across the country and across the ocean to so many places. It has survived being under plane seats and held up well. I have hauled two laptops back and forth to New Zealand in this bag, along with everything else it holds. I have had to have this repaired three times now, different parts each time, but this is the price to be paid for using it so thoroughly all the time. The leather itself has held up beautifully. It's past time for some conditioning, however, and I recommend to do it more regularly than me. The good news is you can take your Roots bag to any Roots store and they'll take in a work order and have it sent to be fixed at their factory in Ontario. All you have to do is pay the cost of the repair itself, and this ensures you can get the same clips and metal pieces installed on the bag again if they break. All in all this bag is a workhorse and I expect to be using it for many years to come. Looks great and even professional with so many outfits. I'm a woman and I consider this bag to be great for anyone.

Date published: 2019-06-15

Rated 5 out of 5 by James C from Solid briefcase I really found it to be quite durable and so far has really held up to some heavy usage.

Date published: 2019-06-14

Rated 5 out of 5 by Dubya from Happy Birthday to Me!! TBH this model was my second choice; was hoping to get my hands on a Roots Global but you guys stopped making them. Bought this as a Birthday present for myself last year. The natural/african tan colour is really nice. Did not know what to think about the shoulder strap but I can say that the leather slung on the shoulder seems to hold the bag in place much better than backpack straps or the nylon/tech type straps on other messenger or laptop case bags - no sliding. I think it is the little bit of give that this leather has that makes it that comfortable and less apt to shift the bag to another undesired sung position. Did have to readjust my packing style since with my other laptop bags, I just crammed whatever I needed when was heading off to the airport. I guess this has helped me with being better organized and less cluttered. I do have one concern and that is with the closure hardware; I had thought the springs in the mechanism would be a little stiffer that what is. I have had instances where people have brushed the hardware in airport line ups and released the hardware leaving the case flap covering the case but open. All in all I am quite happy with this bag and expect it to serve me well!!!!

Date published: 2019-05-14

Rated 5 out of 5 by BDaleE from ADDITIONAL Feature & Benefit....!!!! While this Item has many ADVERTISED Features and Benefits, ( all true < ! > ), there is an extra Fact that ROOTS should really add when describing it: This, "Grad School Tribe", Case will easily accommodate a HP, "Envy", 17.3 Inch Laptop....!!!! It is extremely difficult to source just such a [Quality] Bag anywhere, AND for this size of a PC, that also possesses inner padding to protect all sides of the Computer, and is very well-made, in CANADA....!!!!

Date published: 2019-05-13

Rated 5 out of 5 by JohnE from Stunning Bought this for my son's Graduation. So well laid out, perfect size and amazing leather.

Date published: 2019-03-26

Rated 5 out of 5 by Dan M from Durable, long-lasting, and appealing! I bought this bag in 2015, and despite the cost, I have never had a regret. I wanted a more professional looking bag, while at the same time having enough space to carry two laptops, books, and other supplies. Despite being 5-years old now, the more it ages, the softer the leather gets and the better it looks. The leather is also fairly waterproof, therefore protecting my laptops while out in the rain. Just recently I broke the strap buckle, but given that this bag has been stuffed to the seams and excessively used, I can't really complain! Just buying a new strap so that I can continue to use this bag for years to come!

Date published: 2018-09-07

Rated 5 out of 5 by Galactickim from Beautiful Bag My husband bought me this bag for my 40th birthday. It is GORGEOUS, and I get complements on it all of the time. The leather and stitching are of high quality, as are the zippers and buckles. The colour of the leather goes with anything, and the look can be both professional or casual. I love that the leather matches my tribal leather boots that I got from Roots as well. The bag is quite large - I don't need something quite so long for my 13" Macbook. However, the longer dimension allows me to carry legal size folders and papers to meetings, which is great. I love all of the pockets and dividers in this bag. The main compartment is divided into three compartments. I use one for my computer, one for papers, and the last for my computer accessories and my slim water bottle. In the front non-zipped pockets (under the buckled flap) I keep my phone in one and pen in one, and my wallet in the other. in the zipped front pockets I keep women's essentials and makeup/nail clipper in one, and thumb drives and other small items in the other. The back zipped pocket is where I keep my keys for easy access. So overall, well organized with lots of storage space. The price is definitely steep, but this bag will last forever and looks pretty timeless to me. I highly recommend to anyone - young, old, male, female, professional, student, whatever. The quality and beauty of this bag will continue to impress you, and is a great investment.

Date published: 2013-12-26

Rated 5 out of 5 by JohnF from Stylish and Functional If you're looking for a new men's bag, this one is a must have. It is the perfect combination of casual and professional, I wear it with my business wear and it looks amazing by adding some interest to what would otherwise be all black or dark colours. It also goes great with any casual wear for day to day errands or light travelling. The buckles and other hardware on the bag are great and very durable. I especially like the rustic look of the buckles, as it gives it a great old school feel. I've had my bag for a several months now and I can attest to the durability and quality of the leather. The feel of tribe leather is also something to die for, that's why I also have tribe leather chukka boots.

Date published: 2013-10-07

Rated 4 out of 5 by Grad from Nice bag lacks features I bought this bag as a laptop and work bag. It looks so nice that you can use it for any occasion. It lacks a laptop pocket but still fits in on of the three sections decently. It works very well for papers and small binders but because of the three sections you cannot put anything in the bag that is wider then one of the sections. This presents problems for putting water bottles or lunches and leaves the bag misshapen. Overall works well for papers and laptop but not well for odd shaped items. Though it is a beautiful bag!

Date published: 2013-05-31

Features

Exclusive Offers

We can Help

About Roots

Contact Us