March 1909. I’d had enough of Washington. Taft would be fine — probably better off without me hanging around. So Kermit and I set off for the opposite of Washington, a place unworn of man, where we could wake beneath the splendor of new stars: Mombasa, Kenya.

The morning after making camp, we came upon four water buffalo, the largest standing just outside the others. It was clear he was tough of hide and tough of heart. That toughness was what we encountered in that vast silence — a silence that was the opposite of Washington, a silence I needed.

You couldn’t bag a charging water buffalo with our Roosevelt Vintage Leather Briefcase. But you can definitely bag a looming deadline or that presentation to your investors. Handcrafted from full grain water buffalo leather hide in a rich Dark Oak finish, this men’s leather briefcase carries itself the way Roosevelt did: rugged but refined, purposeful, and built for the long haul.

The interior of this leather bag is lined with sturdy canvas for everyday durability, and secured with genuine brass and iron hardware, along with dependable YKK zippers — chosen for the same reason Roosevelt chose his companions: reliable under pressure.

The Roosevelt Vintage Briefcase in Dark Oak is the epitome of the rugged gentleman’s work bag: tough, no question, but also clearly composed — and at ease with whatever’s headed your way. Everything, that is, except a charging water buffalo.