Handmade Full Grain Leather Weekender – The Franklin – Veg-Tan – Made in USA

The Franklin is a handmade leather briefcase and weekender bag built to order at Happy Hollow Farm in East Tennessee — full-grain Wickett & Craig vegetable-tanned leather, six pockets, and a 54-inch detachable crossbody strap with shoulder pad. Professional enough for the boardroom, roomy enough for an overnight trip.

Handmade one at a time at Happy Hollow Farm in East Tennessee from premium full-grain vegetable-tanned leather sourced from Wickett & Craig in Pennsylvania. Each piece develops its own rich, natural patina over time.

Please also consider these other Happy Hollow Farm Bags:

Medium Backpack

Large Backpack

Lincoln Briefcase

Duffle

Messenger Bag

Key Features:

• Spacious 18 × 12 × 5 inches (three inches wider than the Lincoln)
• 6 smart pockets with the same intuitive layout as the Lincoln
• 54-inch detachable crossbody strap + dual rope handles
• Two large side pockets + full-length front pocket
• Matching leather luggage tag with Loxx closure included
• Solid brass hardware and polished exposed edges
• Built to order with a 3–4 week lead time

Handcrafted in Tennessee.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Dimensions & Size

Q: What are the dimensions? A: 18 × 12 × 5 inches — three inches wider than the Lincoln, with enough capacity for professional daily carry and overnight or weekend trips.

Q: How does the Franklin compare to the Lincoln? A: The Franklin is 18 × 12 × 5 inches, and the Lincoln is 15 × 12 × 5 inches — same pocket layout, same carrying options, same leather. The Franklin adds three inches of width, weekender capacity, and a matching leather luggage tag with Loxx closure.

Q: Can it be used as a weekender bag? A: Yes — at 18 × 12 × 5 inches it handles overnight and weekend trips comfortably alongside its daily briefcase function.

What’s Included

Q: Does it come with a luggage tag? A: Yes — a matching leather luggage tag with Loxx snap closure is included with every Franklin.

Q: Does it have a shoulder strap? A: Yes — 54-inch detachable and adjustable crossbody strap, fully adjustable, removes easily via metal hardware. Plus, dual leather-wrapped rope handles for short carry.

Pockets & Organization

Q: How many pockets does it have? A: Six total. Exterior: two large side pockets and a full-length front pocket. Interior: technology pocket, card pocket, pen pocket, and a medium general pocket.

Q: Will a laptop fit? A: The full-length front pocket fits slim laptops and files. At 18 inches wide it accommodates most standard laptops — contact us to confirm your specific size.

Materials & Colors

Q: What leather is used? A: Full-grain Wickett & Craig vegetable-tanned leather from Pennsylvania — traditional tree bark tanning, no synthetic coatings, develops a rich patina with use.

Q: How many colors are available? A: Over 20 — from classic black, chestnut, and tan to bold chili, emerald, cobalt, and midnight blue.

Q: Will it develop a patina? A: Yes — gets richer and more personal the more you use it. Some colors will darken over time; this is due to the organic vegetable tanned process.

Made in USA & Shipping

Q: Where is this made? A: Hand-built one at a time at Happy Hollow Farm in Tennessee since 2019.

Q: How long until it ships? A: Made to order — current lead time 3 to 4 weeks. Free shipping to all 50 states on orders over $25.

Q: Is this a good gift? A: An exceptional gift — includes a matching luggage tag, available in 20+ colors, built to last decades and improve with age.

Length: 18 inches, Height: 12 inches, Depth: 5 Inches. Exterior front AND back pockets: Height: 9.5 inches, Length: 18 inches. Interior pocket: Length 15 inches, height: 10 inches.

We build each item to the order. This allows us to include more options without increasing cost and provides the customer with several customization options. Current lead time from order placement is 3 to 4 weeks.

Over $25, Free Shipping To All 50 USA States.

High quality leather may require periodic maintenance. As the leather may become dry or dirty in normal use. We recommend a high-quality leather balm to clean and condition. There are many available to choose from. We use and recommend Smith's Leather Balm which you can find in the accessories collection on our site. Smith's Leather Balm is natural and only made from organic cocoa butter, organic beeswax and 100% Pure Sweet Almond Oil. We do not stock but do use Feibing's saddle soap for cleaning.

Watch the video above to hear how Happy Hollow Farm got its start in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee — a family leather shop built on a simple belief: the things you carry every day should be made to last a lifetime.

How It Started

Happy Hollow Farm began the way most good things do — with a love of craft and a frustration with the alternative. We were tired of leather goods that looked great in the store and fell apart within a year. So we learned to make our own, starting with the basics and working our way up to the full line of bags, wallets, and accessories we offer today.

Why We Make What We Make

Every product we make starts with full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather from Wickett & Craig — one of America's last traditional tanneries, operating in Pennsylvania since 1867. We use only #1 grade hides, vegetable-tanned over 14 days in a process that produces leather with genuine character. It scratches, it patinas, it gets better with age. That's the point.

Our hardware is solid brass or stainless steel. Our zippers are Excella YKK. We don't cut corners because the people who carry our work notice the difference — and so do we.

Made in Tennessee

Everything is handmade at our farm in East Tennessee. We're not a factory. We're a small team that takes pride in every stitch, every edge, every piece that leaves our shop. When you buy from Happy Hollow Farm, you're buying something made by hand, by people who care, in a place we love.

We offer free monogramming on most products and free shipping on orders over $25. If you ever have a question about your order or our leather, we're easy to reach — just people, no bots.

There's a version of this product that costs less. You've seen it. It looks similar in the photo, ships fast, and feels fine in your hand — for about six months. Then the stitching pulls, the finish cracks, the zipper sticks. You replace it. And the cycle starts again.

At Happy Hollow Farm, we make things differently. Not because it's trendy, but because we believe the things you carry every day deserve to be built to last.

What Quality Actually Means

Quality isn't a price point. It's a series of decisions made at every step of the process — decisions that are easy to skip when no one's watching and you're trying to hit a margin.

Here's what those decisions look like for us:

• We start with the right leather. Full-grain, vegetable-tanned hides from Wickett & Craig — one of America's last traditional tanneries. #1 grade only. No splits, no corrected grain, no shortcuts.
• We let the leather develop naturally. Vegetable tanning takes 14 days. It produces leather that breathes, ages, and develops a patina unique to the person carrying it. It costs more and takes longer than chrome tanning. We do it anyway.
• We use hardware that holds. Solid brass and stainless steel. Excella YKK zippers. The kind of hardware that outlasts the leather if you let it.
• We stitch by hand or with precision machines. Every seam is meant to hold under daily use for years, not months.
• We finish the edges. Burnished, not raw. It's a detail most people don't notice until they see a product that skipped it.

Why It Matters

A well-made leather good doesn't just last longer — it gets better. The leather softens and conforms to how you use it. The patina deepens. It becomes yours in a way that a mass-produced product never does.

We make things in East Tennessee, by hand, with materials we'd stake our name on. That's the value of quality. Not just what it costs — what it's worth.