Levenger Shirt Pocket Briefcase

[AndyHayes]

Wearing cargo trousers as I do I tend to fill the pockets up with all sorts of things, wallet, cards, coins, DVR, moleskine, tissues and pen are usually the minimum. As age > 45 my body is taking on a less slimline appearance despite the fact that I tend to walk everywhere. The hitching up of the trousers gets tedious and looks unsightly so I decided to trade in the moleskine reporters pad for a Levenger briefcase and reduce some of the weight.

 

Ironically two people came up with a Levenger Pocket Briefcase almost simultaneously on the FPN forum. I have tended to find through life that people are not as reliable as I am so I accepted the offer of a free well used one and another almost new one.

 

Well I shouldn't have doubted either of these people because they both came up with the goods. The first to arrive was the nearly new one. It looked spiffing in its original packaging and even included the magnifier. The burgundy colour looks absolutely superb. The stitching is without fault and the whole thing reaks of quality, which probably explains the price!

 

The wallet has a slot at the back, which I have put three index cards in, one pocket in the middle, another three cards in here and finally the card holder at the front, which I have put two cards in. The whole ensemble is somewhat lighter and a lot thinner than the moleskine and there is plenty of card area to write on, currently 240 square inches. I paid almost as much as a new one for this including the postage, but that is still far cheaper than buying it from Levenger due to their postage pricing policy.

 

Today the second one arrived. This one was a well loved one in black, which has obviously had a good deal of use, but has stood up well to it. The layout is exactly the same as the burgundy one. I was really pleased with it so I rewarded the sender with a PayPal donation.

 

I have to report that the new system is working well except that there is nowhere to put the pen. As I haven't been able to get hold of a beater VP I have had to revert to using a retractable gel pen, in this case a Pilot G2 Pixie. I hate G2s as they usually blob all over the place, but this one has proved me wrong thusfar. I have a mug full of them that I am determined to use!

 

The problem is that I am now yearning for an international pocket briefcase so that I can dispose of my wallet. It never ends does it!?

[KCat]

Good for you. I have the international and love it. I've had it for several years and it is, to use your words, "well loved" for sure. yet it has held up to all the abuse I've put it through. No tears, no scars, just soft, smooth leather and sturdy stitching.

 

IF it ever fails me, I hope I'll be able to find a bomber jacket version for a decent price. But I will probably be willing to spend full price on the thing simply because this one has done so well. Sometimes I think about buying a new wallet of a completely different sort (boredom) but look at my IPB and realize that there's no reason to replace something that's only gotten better with time. For all their hype and price, their leather goods are superb. My briefcase (their now-discontinued expandable model from several years ago) will last my lifetime, I have no doubt of that.

[Doug C]

I have one of these as well, and they are everything you say they are. Made better than most out there, and I think, well worth their price. I have been a Levenger junkie for years, and last year when I was in Boston, I went to one of their B and M stores and felt like I was in Disneyland.

 

I have several of their new Bomber pieces, including the double eyeglass case, and cell phone case. Really nice stuff.

[CraigR]

I have been using my Bomber Jacket pocket briefcase for several weeks now. I got rid of the billfold that I used to carry with all the credit cards and junk in it. In the new Levenger case I have a drivers license an atm/debit card and one credit card. Add a few 3X5 cards and I am good to go. I love being able to jot a note when the mood moves me and I like having the reduction of stuff. My iPhone has the address book taken care of. There is a place for a "small" pen. I put a thin Cross BP there as I carry a FP in shirt pocket. This is probably a work in progress, as it has been for 30 years, but so far it works great. The product is first class with great quality. I did wait until there was a great sale and I used a 15% off coupon that I had available besides. /Craig

[MicheleB]

The problem is that I am now yearning for an international pocket briefcase so that I can dispose of my wallet. It never ends does it!?

 

I made a pen slot in my pocket briefcase....works very well and I have had a decimo in it perfectly for many months now. The decimo and pocket brief are the perfect combo for fast, on the fly note taking - grocery list especially good combo!

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...ocket+briefcase

[AndyHayes]

MicheleB - How could you I am not sure that I could do that to mine. It's practically vandalism! Sorry, it's the perfectionist in me. It looks fine!

 

All - Thanks a lot for the comments/information. I have recently bought a GTD app for the Mac called Omnifocus. This allows you to print out lists onto 5x3 cards via my Canon Pixma printer. The Levenger makes this a great combination. I need to add a pen to the mix though and a VP is the most obvious, after all I just looked in my pocket to find that somehow the Pilot G2 had managed to dismantle itself. Imagine if that had been my Mikado full of Noodlers Eternal Black

 

So it looks like as I have been unable to get old of a beater VP I will just have to buy a fine nib unit for one of the two VPs that I have at home already.

[Conan the Grammarian]

 

They now have one with a pen pocket built in.

 

Link

 

[dobro]

I carry a Koyono front pocket wallet, as I was killing my back with a seemingly 4" thick conventional back-pocket wallet. Would the LPB work for a front pocket wallet, or is it too bulky? I normally wear blue jeans or shorts and, temperature permitting, a tee-shirt to work.

Edited February 14, 2008 by dobro

[Deirdre]

An LPB works for a front pocket if it's deep enough. I have a pair of jeans I wear one in all the time.

[Conan the Grammarian]

 

IF the 3x5 one is too big, use the smaller version.

 

 

[MicheleB]

They now have one with a pen pocket built in.

 

Link

 

 

The pen is very thin. I tried getting a real FP in there in the D.C. store and was unable - my std is the Decimo and it wouldn't work. Yep leather stretches, but it's a real stretch.

[dobro]

IF the 3x5 one is too big, use the smaller version.

Hmmm...that makes the LPB look huge! Maybe I should just get some of those blank cards for my Koyono.

[Conan the Grammarian]

 

That's what I did. I use a Victorianox card case (with pen slot) as a wallet and carry it in my front pocket. I got a box of blank cards and carry some in my "wallet." Works real well.

[CharlieB]

I don't see how you can stick a normal sized fountain pen into a 5" pocket briefcase. The pen would have to be as slim as a Cross Century and as short as an Aurora Optima. Why not just carry the pen in your shirt pocket and use your wallet for cash, ID, and credit cards?

[dapv]

Actually, Bosca makes their version of the Lenvenger's pen pocket briefcase that acommodates a large pen. Personally, I prefer the Levenger's version and for which I use the Caran d'Ache Ecridor Chevron BP and sometimes MP.

[AndyHayes]

I noticed recently that renaissance art also sell something that looks amazingly similar to the Levenger Briefcase and considerably cheaper to buy.

[KCat]

I noticed recently that renaissance art also sell something that looks amazingly similar to the Levenger Briefcase and considerably cheaper to buy.

 

They need to make one like the International, with places for ID and credit cards. IOW, a wallet 3x5. I'd be seriously interested in that.