So, when it went on sale just before Christmas (at 40% off), I ordered it as a gift for myself. When it arrived in the mail, I was squee'ing with joy! But I wanted to really test drive this bag thoroughly before I could give my opinion of it in any sort of review. I need a bag to not only look stylish but be functional as well. I was hoping that this would be the perfect bag that would carry everything I needed on a daily basis.
Here it is right out of the box.
I loved the red, the dragonscale patterning, and the D20 embossing. This bag is really beautiful. I'm usually not a fan of polyurethane fabric (i.e. vegan leather), but I liked how this looked. Also, I didn't notice any off-gassing from the fabric, which can happen with polyurethane.
The other thing you notice is that this bag has a TON of pockets. There are so many pockets that you might lose your stuff because you can't remember which pocket something was placed, which might have happened to me a couple of times....
The front has two pockets with magnetic closures. These are good for those things you might need immediately (phone, small notebook, pens, keys, small dice bag, energy bar, etc).
There are front and back "slide" pockets with inner handy zippers. So, if you just need to put things like papers, receipts, or random crap, you can do that here.
The inside of the bag has even MORE pockets. It's divided into three sections by a middle zippered pocket.
One side has separated pockets -- for wallet, small field notebooks, pens, sunglasses, etc.
The other divider has another zippered pocket and key chain holder so you don't lose your keys. (I particularly like this feature, especially since I always find myself digging around the bottom of my bag for keys.)
The bag has these "side" pockets, which are supposed to be for water bottles or something. However, these pockets are too small for a water bottle or travel mug. I tried putting in a sunglass case, but had to really shove it in there to make it work well. These side pockets are only useful for putting in your phone or something small and flat.
The first few times I carried this bag around, I got a ton of compliments on it from friends and co-workers (especially the geeky ones), but a bag is more than just a sum of its compliments or its components. It needs to be functional and carry around everything that I need.
Here's what I tend to carry around on a daily basis:
- Crafty projects (1-2 knitting projects, ranging from socks to a sweater or shawl).
- Small container of crafting accessories (darning needles, stitch markers, pair of small scissors, etc.)
- Tea mug or a water bottle.
- Work laptop (during the week) or iPad mini (during the weekends),
- Small stuff -- wallet, sunglasses, keys, eye drops, lip balm
- Snacks -- Usually an energy bar or small bag of nuts.
- Shawl / fingerless gloves
- Assorted paperwork (for work) or books (during non-working days).
Top to bottom / Left to right: Medium knitting project, small knitting project, Color Affection Shawl, Contigo Tea Mug, sunglass case, wallet, eye drops, lip balm, pen/pencils, notebook, laptop paper, keys, small crafting accessories. (Cat not included)
Pros:
- Beautiful color. Lovely patterning. It's eye catching and you will get compliments on this bag.
- Lots of pocketesses, especially if you have a lot of little things you want to carry.
- The grey of the inside pockets lets you see everything quite clearly.
- Covertly geeky.
So-So (not good, not bad):
- Bag doesn't stand up on its own. It tends to fall over unless it's completely full.
- Heavy when empty at 2.2lbs
Cons:
- VERY heavy when full of stuff.
- Can't fit a medium to large knitting project into the bag. (Explained below)
- Mostly useless side pockets.
- Straps (both shoulder and handles) aren't grippy and will slip off your shoulders.
The fully closed bag looks like a a small pregnant dragon. I really can't fit anymore into this bag without being able to close it or being too heavy. The 13" laptop fits into this bag beautifully. However, I'm not sure if I could fit a bigger laptop into it.
When fully loaded, the bag is big and bulky. I have to use the handles because the shoulder strap slips off my shoulder if I don't carry it messenger style. As it is, even the handles slip off my shoulders regardless of the weight.
Also, the shoulder strap is not very comfortable wearing across your body (ala messenger bag) if the bag was full. The straps dug into my shoulder and back. Other reviewers complained that the strap broke easily, but I hadn't had that problem. I thought about replacing the shoulder strap with something more ergonomically correct, but it wouldn't match the bag (and yes, that is a consideration!)
If I only carried a smaller knitting project (i.e. socks), the bag no longer looked like a small pregnant dragon and the lines of the bag are restored. Less bulk means that it's easier to carry.
Photos of bag minus the medium knitting project
COMPARISON PHOTOS:
What you carry in this bag really does make a difference in how heavy and bulky it can get, which is true of any bag, but especially THIS bag.
Left photo: Fully loaded with all the items.
Right photo: Removed one medium sized knitting project.
The bulkier the bag, the harder it is to carry.
Left photo: Fully loaded with all the items.
Right photo: Removed one medium sized knitting project.
If I wanted to carry a bigger knitting project, I would have to forgo any laptop, books, etc.. With my current carry, the lines of the bag are already distorted. Stuffing a half-finished sweater into this bag made it look like a large pregnant dragon. As a crafter, the ability to carry only one small knitting project is a big disadvantage in any bag.
Conclusion:
Overall, this handbag of holding is only a "quasi" handbag of holding. It does hold a lot, but be prepared to carry around a heavy boulder on your shoulder because of it. For me, it's uses are limited.
- As a crafter's bag? This bag is a poor choice if you want something geeky, stylish, and will carry your crafty projects with you.
- For a convention-bag? This bag is also a poor choice. Due to the weight issue, it was obvious that this bag would be much too heavy to carry around a convention filled with all the con-necessities (extra water, snacks, etc) AND any purchases.
- As a work / laptop bag or even a gamer bag? This bag is an okay choice. I began using it more as a work bag where I could carry my work laptop, papers, etc., that I needed for work. For that purpose, the bag worked just fine. If you have a bigger laptop than mine, you might find it hard to squeeze it into this bag. Any gaming books, character sheets, dice, etc., can fit into this bag without issue. However, I ended up also carrying another bag for more personal items, including my knitting projects.
However, if you plan on carrying a lot of stuff around for hours on end (like a convention) or just as your day-to-day bag, then I would find a much better bag to suit your needs than this one because of the weight & bulk issues and how the straps slide off your shoulders.
For myself, as much as I love the look of this bag, it is not utilitarian enough for me to use it on an every day basis as my "go-to" bag.
I found another bag for that, and will probably either sell or gift this to a friend who might find it more useful than me. (More on that other bag later...)
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