a completely frivolous post

[glass_icarus]

Since I am having bag trauma at the moment, you guys can perhaps benefit from my headaching?

The trouble with me and bags is that I am well-indoctrinated by my mother, who believes that having many pockets is THE BEST THING EVER, and I happen to concur. While you may have noticed that I'm not the most organized person (I mean, just look at the contents of this journal!), I am a sucker for good organization systems when it comes to things what I carry around all the time. The 30+ year old leather bag my mom handed down to me is still my favorite and it has set my standard for "reasonable/practical design" pretty high. The thing has DIVIDED SECTIONS in addition to various useful pockets, okay? I can put books and my laptop and umbrella and wallet in there and still have room for all kinds of random stuff! And I can find everything I need in it in 10 seconds or less!

The only downside to it is that it's heavy (I don't so much mind the beaten-up), and I've become accustomed to the more lightweight cloth bag I've been toting around. Which... I'd keep using, but NOT ENOUGH POCKETS. I already hate digging around in the un-pocketed clutter for everything I'm looking for, and school will definitely exacerbate that problem. Also, I am lazy when it comes to switching bags love multipurpose things and would prefer to have a fairly durable (& if non-waterproof, washable) bag that will serve equally well for school, dance practice, grocery runs, various goings-out in the city, and random short-period travel adventures/overnight stays. *g* I am demanding, I know! And this isn't even getting into my aesthetic preferences!

Anyway, I am still trying to decide on something that meets my criteria, but here is a brief rundown of several makers of (what I consider) nice bags on etsy:

» sineminugur: really nice & practical designs, cute fabric choices; okay budget-wise & shipping-wise
» ikabags: ecofriendly, practically designed, cute fabric choices; not low-budget & awful shipping costs
» namu: I like the shinkansen designs, but not so practically-pocketed; pretty good budget-wise & shipping-wise
» CrazyBoy: nice practical bags; less okay budget-wise & shipping-wise
» tippythai: stylish and practical (some designs more so than others), water resistant fabrics available; okay budget-wise & shipping-wise

Alternate suggestions/thoughts would be more than welcome!

eta; I has achieved a satisfyingly-pocketed solution! \o/ (I still think the etsy ones win on style, though.)

Comments

[littlebutfierce]

I heard of Tom Bihn on a fashion blog a while ago -- their bags look amazingly useful & durable (I actually want some of their luggage) but HOLY MOLY EXPENSIVE. Every time a fashion blog does a giveaway of something I am so there but never win.

[glass_icarus]

Ooh! Yeah, I think someone in my circle mentioned Timbuk2 a while back, but... SAME PROBLEM. :x

(&, ahahaha, I actually stopped by the Marimekko booth in the airport before I came home on my cousin's suggestion, but was completely foiled by sizing vs. pockets!)

[littlebutfierce]

Ha, Marimekko is SOOOOO expensive too. (There's a Marimekko store in NYC, tho' -- at least there was a few years ago? -- in case you have regrets!) I have a gigantic tote bag in the poppy design that I use for groceries (& yeah, only one tiny pocket that barely fits my wallet).

If any of the outdoorsy sorts of stores (augh, what's that one right off the top of Union Square called, I always forget) are having end-of-season sales you might be able to get something vaguely like Tom Bihn for cheapish (iirc I remember seeing Timbuk2 stuff there several years ago when I was looking for a day bag, tho' I got a small Patagonia bag instead). I mean, they'll probably have more backpack-type stuff but I've seen messenger-type bags at those kinds of places (well: at least the Union Square one) too.

[glass_icarus]

Hee! I love the practicality of the outdoorsy bags but being in certain magpie-instinct dance circles means that running off to go clubbing/etc. is also a not-so-minor consideration. :\ My degree of don't-give-a-shit when it comes to other people's judgment is pretty high, but not quite high enough in that direction, if you know what I mean...

[surpassingly]

Some of those tippythai bags are so gorgeous!

/n-not a very helpful comment, sorry ;A;!

[glass_icarus]

IKR?? The colorsssssss. :3 (Also the fact that they called a design "pumpkin bag," ahahahah! &hearts)

& no worries! I am THE MOST USELESS when it comes to this stuff, forreals.

[kate_nepveu]

Le Sportsac makes very lightweight, durable, water-resistant bags that I love, but they may not have enough pockets for you and may be too expensive. (You can browse them at Macy's.)

[musesfool]

Ooh, I really liked the bags at the first and last links. I am a sucker for a good bag, but I end up using the same one (olive canvas messenger bag from the Strand) all the time.

[glass_icarus]

Ha, I'd forgotten about Le Sportsac, thanks for mentioning it! (Though iirc you're right about the pockets/price thing. ;;)

[glass_icarus]

Happy to share! Though the more I look at these storefronts, the less I am liking the pockets on most of the bags. :x (I am perhaps too well-indoctrinated by my mom.)

[ursamajor]

YOU UNDERSTAND WHY BAGS NEED LOTS OF POCKETS. <3

My daily bag is an older version of Haiku's To-Go Bag, and it *understands me*. The main compartment has a half-size zip pocket where I stash keys, pens, and lip balm, and a velcro front pouch where I stash additional toiletries as necessary. The actual main compartment is quite roomy for an average-size purse, but most of the space gets taken up by my headphones (full-size). I do stash a foldable reusable bag in there, though. Two side pockets fit water bottles (I use one pocket for my water bottle, and the other for a compact umbrella or sunglasses depending on the weather), two front pockets under the flap (one for my wallet and transit pass, the other for my tiny notebook and phone). And the back zip pocket is for whatever book I'm reading at the moment.

(Haiku also sells last season's bags at half-price, which seems to put it into your "okay budgetwise" price area.)

I freely admit I may have a bit of a bag addiction, though - I've had dreams about this camera tote and this gym bag (which I almost missed a flight over, pawing over it in the airport luggage shop). And I also like Baggallini; I used their Bon Voyage bag as an oversize travel wallet for awhile. Hi, my name is ursamajor, and I'm a bagaholic?

[glass_icarus]

Ooh, thanks for the links, I will def check them out. And BAGGALLINI, ahahahaha! My mom gave me a little bag from them & I totally just used it as a travel purse. xD Alas that it is too small for pretty much anything else!

I admit that, unlike my mom, I can be particular enough about style preferences to forgo ALL THE POCKETS at times, but still- &hearts POCKETS &hearts

(&, since you are a fellow pocket-fiend, eta for current etsy waffling: 1, 2, 3. /o\)

[avendya]

I suspect that was me re. Timbuk2 -- they have infrequent sales, which make their bags only expensive instead of HOLY HELL, and their stuff lasts. I'm really, really hard on bags, and have a tendency of putting thirty pounds of books in a messenger bag, and Timbuk2 bags actually last for me. Which is not to say that other people have the "must be built to withstand the apocalypse" reaction to bag shopping!

(They had a one-day backpack sale where I got a backpack for $55 including shipping; considering a JanSport backpack (which break, with my usage -- I know from experience) is $30ish, I was pretty OK with the price.)

[starlurker]

A friend of mine has a Lockheart Woody bag that I wish came in a black, messenger style men's version because I would buy it in a second. I love that it has 5 interior pockets, which is so awesome! However, they're horrifically expensive and she would never have bought it without a huge discount, so it's not really a practical option, but should there be a sale on them in your area, it might be worth it. Sort of? Anyway, the (luxury) brand is built for pocket fiends.

Have you tried Overstock.com yet? They have some good deals on bags there too.

I know you have your candidates already, but from a pure aesthetic POV, I'm loving this one.

[glass_icarus]

Aha, yes, I think it was! *g* I was ogling their stuff earlier today and then I checked the price tags and my eyes bugged out, sigh.

[glass_icarus]

Oooh, those are v. shiny! & no, I haven't tried Overstock because... well! It is kind of like etsy to me in that I am afraid of getting lost in there forever; I have already spent hours getting lost in etsy today. >.>

OMG, that bag, and some of the beaded-strap ones, are fast becoming deathly to my pocket-seeking resolve.

[avendya]

See, it is a thing that works if you have only one or two bags, and keep them for years! I have a laptop messenger. Which I have been using since freshman year of high school. Daily. Which I also got on sale -- and laptop bags are always expensive, so I feel justified in its original $100 price tag. If a bag can still be intact after five years of me, it's pretty much going to withstand anything under the sun.

[crossedwires]

Ooh, bags! And pockets, yes. I have no helpful suggestions, but I have been bookmarking some of your suggestions. I like the pumpkin bags in the first link, possibly because they're named pumpkin bags. :D

*needs icon of Sokka with his new bag b/c it matches his belt!*

[azuire]

tippythai looks the best from here! Alas I am not a bag person - my coat has alternate dimensions in its pockets, so ;)

[glass_icarus]

I found a Baggallini bag that suits my needs pretty much perfectly! (& for a comparable total price on Amazon, & no headaching re: paypal account/quicker shipping/etc.) The etsy ones totally win on style/quirky cuteness, but in the end function/construction-wise I had to go for ALL THE POCKETS after all. xD

&hearts SOKKA! &hearts Sokka would totally understand this dilemma!

[glass_icarus]

Heee, coats! One of my favorite things about cold weather is the ability to run around (sometimes) with less actual baggage thanks to coat pocket capacity. &hearts

[woldy]

Aha, so it's you that's been clamouring for all these pockets in bags! I'm one of those people who is basically anti-pocket - I just want one pocket to contain my keys, tissues, transit pass and gum, and then everything else goes in the main compartment.

Nearly all my bags are either vinyl (excellent if you want something light, waterproof and colourful) or secondhand / recycled leather ones. Some types of leather can be waterproof, especially if you spray them, & I find it smarter, but the funky colours of vinyl bags are hard to resist.

Like half of Vancouver, I'm a huge fan of Astrosatchel, because the bags are amazingly cute and extremely hard wearing - I've had my wallet and phone in their D-ring wallet for like 7 years, and it's not even damaged - but that might be more than you're looking to spend. I guess something like this wouldn't have enough pockets for you? :-/

[woldy]

Also, bayanhippo on etsy seems to have some inexpensive and super-cute canvas bags with pockets, like this and this. They also offer to add additional pockets :-)

[glass_icarus]

Hee! I've gotten by without/with very few pockets before, but I like bags that are designed to minimize my groping/rummaging about in them. I have good enough spatial memory that it saves me considerable time and energy to just recall which pocket I put something in and grab it (as opposed to digging around or dumping everything out on a table somewhere).

[aoftheis]

Oh man, that looks like SUCH an amazing bag. It's classy and practical at the same time! And OH MY GOD POCKETS GALORE, I am practically drooling. (I, too, am a pockets person. None of my current bags satisfy my needs. *sigh*)

I was going to ask how you could possibly use that as a schoolbag, but then I pulled out a ruler and mapped out the dimensions, and it's actually pretty sizable. Possibly you have found the perfect bag.

The etsy ones totally win on style/quirky cuteness, but in the end function/construction-wise I had to go for ALL THE POCKETS after all. xD

Good pick. :D This is my attitude towards bags generally, esp. backpacks. I've always wanted cute cloth backpacks and leather satchels and things but I end up going with something from MEC with a waist strap, usually. *g*

[aoftheis]

Jumping in to say that I originally read this comment as "my cat" and was pleasantly surprised by images of a fantastical dimension-hopping cat. ;)

[azuire]

Cats already do this.

[crossedwires]

Nice! I like all the compartments!

[glass_icarus]

I am excited for it to arrive! and HIGH FIVE for pocket-fiends! ;D

Yeah, I was also gleefacing over the fact that it has a WATER BOTTLE POCKET because hi, that is perfect for a bag I plan to use for dance practice (as well as, oh, everything else)!

I was also really tempted by the cuter things, but alas, the necessity of proper pockets is not gospel for all bag-makers, hee.

[oyceter]

Just saw this, but wanted to say OMG POCKETS!!!! I hate those fashionable bags that are just one giant bag-space and obviously not made for people who haul around more than two things in their purse, because otherwise how would they find anything?!

[staraflur]

oh man bags are the worst cause they're such a personal choice

I LIKE THESE THOUGH

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72233808/morris-shoulder-bag-everyday-bag-mustard (seems kind of enormous though)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62772450/dynamic-gray-canvas-with-yellow-lining

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72689794/brick-color-sackcloth-handbag

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70156887/messenger-brick-color-sackcloth

i am far too lazy to go through all the color options

[fly_to_dawn]

I'm really loving this bagsplosion of comments. BOOKMARKING FOR LATER mwahahaha.

[glass_icarus]

Ahahaha, EXACTLY!!! I know a few people who have made it work and I am always PERPLEXED because... what do they do, dump everything out on a table five times a day?

[glass_icarus]

BAGS ARE HARD, BB. ;;;;;;

I love your picks though! ;D

[glass_icarus]

Heeee, I'm glad somebody can benefit from all this! ;D