Wouldn't it be great if we could have one general purpose bag that we could use for different assignments. I'm not talking about hand bags here. Yes I know they have to match your outfits etc etc.
But if you are thinking about say a travel bag or a bag you use for work, wouldn't it be great if we could find a bag that was big enough for small enough to use for various loads. I hate having a bag that's way too big for what I'm carrying, or way too small when I need to carry a few more things. Does such a thing exist?
Looking around on the net I came across a few bags that might suit. I particularly like this one called the 'One Bag'
It's available here: http://www.undfind.com/
I also discovered Unit Portables. This one is even more modular allowing you to add different 'units' to the bag to build up the configuration you need. You could also remove units when you aren't using them.
You will find the details here: http://en.unitportables.com/ I particularly like the bright colours in this range. Nice definite colours, bold and cheerful.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Guest Post - Filofax Sketch Bag - Review
Thank you to Frédérique for sending in this review of the Filofax Sketch bag.
I live in France, and had already purchased a few accessories for my Filofax through the French website. So, when they launched a - 70% sale on a large selections of bags a few weeks ago, I realized that I really needed a new laptop bag. After all, the one I had and used from time to time was an old leather purse which I couldn't close completely due to the bulkiness of my laptop, which barely fit in it, that I really wanted to try out a new Filofax product and, well, did I mention there was a big sale ? Couldn't hurt to browse, right ?
I hesitated a long time between the Sketch Zipped Briefcase and the Sketch Modern Briefcase, but even after intensive research, I couldn't find any real pictures, videos or anything from real users! I could only look at the different pictures on the Filofax website, and their ridiculous videos : instead of inserting paper-replicas of laptops, apples, or cellphones, they could have used real props, this would have looked much more professional, wouldn't it ? Therefore, I held back for almost two weeks...
Of course, there are only a few shops around where I live (Mulhouse, in France) with Filofaxes; most of the time, they only some binders, a few folders sometimes, but never the bags; so apart from driving insane distances, there aren't many possibilities to actually touch and look at the items before you buy.
I finally decided in favour of the Sketch Zipped Briefcase, partly because it looked more like a purse/week-end bag than strictly a business/laptop-carrying case, but mostly because the two clasps for the detachable shoulder strap of the Sketch Modern Briefcase were attached only on one side of the bag. I feared the tensions from the weight of the bag would eventually rip the fabric. I might be wrong, but I didn't want to take the chance. So, Sketch Zipped Briefcase it is ! Grey looked cool, but I really like red, most of my bags and accessories (wallet, filofax...) are red. So not much hesitation there.
And this is what came through the mail less than a week after my order : this huge package, filled with air-filled bags for protection !
To my surprise, the bag was wrapped in a black Filofax-branded protection bag ! I really like that, that gives the feel of a luxury item, like my Longchamp bag which also was wrapped neatly in its protective fabric bag, or like the leather Filofax binders that come in their sturdy black boxes, whereas my Slimline Metropol is sold with a simple and thin cardboard box/wrap.
And here is the "briefcase" itself, directly out of its bag : the French website mentioned the colour "Bordeaux Foncé", and the UK site "Maroon", but it's more like a rich "darker" red, which I really like and is a really great surprise for me, as you never know exactly what the real colour is. The "front" of the bag has a little rubber Filofax logo on the right bottom, elegant and discreet (discreet being key here, I really dislike huge prominent branding).
The fabric is "waterproof ribbed nylon" and seems to be very thick and water-resistant, but it hasn't rained so far, so I wasn't able to test it outside. Just like a "good" Filofax is supposed to remain flat once open, I like my bags to be able to stand erect, whether they are full or empty, and this one does !
The additional detail that told me I would really like this bag are the rubber feet : as it's not leather on the bottom, there's no fear in damaging it and it can be quickly and easily cleaned. The zip-handles are also rubber-covered metal, so you get a good grip when you open and close your briefcase.
Let's sum up so far : the outside is looking pretty, it seems very sturdy, but let's look at its entrails !
There's one big compartment, a laptop pocket on the back-side of the bag, and a full-length flat zipped pocket (that's quite deep too), along with functional pockets, on the front-side : two mesh pockets (one large, one small), three elasticized pen loops, five card-slots, and an ID-slot : as I said, really practical !
The laptop-pocket is separated from the main compartment by a thin padded cushion, so the laptop is protected from the content you have in the main compartment. There are two Velcro sewn on both the sides, in order to keep this pocket thin when not in use, and even when "closed", you can still add lots of documents (A4/letter size will fit perfectly). Please notice the fabric pieces on the sides of the bag : once open, the briefcase is not supposed to lay flat, there are triangular pieces of nylon that keep the content from falling out of the bag, which can be open really wide nonetheless.
Now, let's try it in real conditions. I put my laptop, battery, camera and camera-cable inside, and see how it fits : perfectly ! And there's still lots of room for documents, other computer-accessories, or anything you want/need to carry !
I tried it first for a couple of nights at the Boyfriend's, and I was able to add some clothes to the aforementioned content (granted, not two full sets of clothes, but at least an additional pants, a thin sweater and other little things) : here's the bag when full, isn't it nice ? I really like it !
99€ originally, and I purchased it for ~30€ on sale (+5€ shipping). I'm really happy for my purchase, have already tried it in real conditions; the proportions and the way it's organized is just what I needed. A great surprise, really, I didn't expect to be this enthusiast ! I doubt I would have bought it on a whim like this if it was full-price, or even 40% off. But at 70% off, that was a great bargain !
The only caveat I found is that the handles are a little bit too short for me, they don't allow me to carry this bag on my shoulder; this could be done in spring/summer/autumn with a light/very thin jacket, but with a thicker winter jacket, it's not really practical nor possible, I would say. That doesn't bother me much, as it's quite heavy once it's filled (did I mention that my laptop was more like a huge heavy brick than a state-of-the-art-super-lightweight-laptop ?). When they are full or heavy, I mostly hang my bags from the crook of my arm anyway.
Both the Zipped and the Modern Briefcases are back to their original prices on filofax.fr, but the UK website is currently having a -40% sale on these models, among others... (Enabler ? Who, me ?) !!
I live in France, and had already purchased a few accessories for my Filofax through the French website. So, when they launched a - 70% sale on a large selections of bags a few weeks ago, I realized that I really needed a new laptop bag. After all, the one I had and used from time to time was an old leather purse which I couldn't close completely due to the bulkiness of my laptop, which barely fit in it, that I really wanted to try out a new Filofax product and, well, did I mention there was a big sale ? Couldn't hurt to browse, right ?
I hesitated a long time between the Sketch Zipped Briefcase and the Sketch Modern Briefcase, but even after intensive research, I couldn't find any real pictures, videos or anything from real users! I could only look at the different pictures on the Filofax website, and their ridiculous videos : instead of inserting paper-replicas of laptops, apples, or cellphones, they could have used real props, this would have looked much more professional, wouldn't it ? Therefore, I held back for almost two weeks...
Of course, there are only a few shops around where I live (Mulhouse, in France) with Filofaxes; most of the time, they only some binders, a few folders sometimes, but never the bags; so apart from driving insane distances, there aren't many possibilities to actually touch and look at the items before you buy.
I finally decided in favour of the Sketch Zipped Briefcase, partly because it looked more like a purse/week-end bag than strictly a business/laptop-carrying case, but mostly because the two clasps for the detachable shoulder strap of the Sketch Modern Briefcase were attached only on one side of the bag. I feared the tensions from the weight of the bag would eventually rip the fabric. I might be wrong, but I didn't want to take the chance. So, Sketch Zipped Briefcase it is ! Grey looked cool, but I really like red, most of my bags and accessories (wallet, filofax...) are red. So not much hesitation there.
And this is what came through the mail less than a week after my order : this huge package, filled with air-filled bags for protection !
To my surprise, the bag was wrapped in a black Filofax-branded protection bag ! I really like that, that gives the feel of a luxury item, like my Longchamp bag which also was wrapped neatly in its protective fabric bag, or like the leather Filofax binders that come in their sturdy black boxes, whereas my Slimline Metropol is sold with a simple and thin cardboard box/wrap.
And here is the "briefcase" itself, directly out of its bag : the French website mentioned the colour "Bordeaux Foncé", and the UK site "Maroon", but it's more like a rich "darker" red, which I really like and is a really great surprise for me, as you never know exactly what the real colour is. The "front" of the bag has a little rubber Filofax logo on the right bottom, elegant and discreet (discreet being key here, I really dislike huge prominent branding).
The fabric is "waterproof ribbed nylon" and seems to be very thick and water-resistant, but it hasn't rained so far, so I wasn't able to test it outside. Just like a "good" Filofax is supposed to remain flat once open, I like my bags to be able to stand erect, whether they are full or empty, and this one does !
The additional detail that told me I would really like this bag are the rubber feet : as it's not leather on the bottom, there's no fear in damaging it and it can be quickly and easily cleaned. The zip-handles are also rubber-covered metal, so you get a good grip when you open and close your briefcase.
Let's sum up so far : the outside is looking pretty, it seems very sturdy, but let's look at its entrails !
There's one big compartment, a laptop pocket on the back-side of the bag, and a full-length flat zipped pocket (that's quite deep too), along with functional pockets, on the front-side : two mesh pockets (one large, one small), three elasticized pen loops, five card-slots, and an ID-slot : as I said, really practical !
The laptop-pocket is separated from the main compartment by a thin padded cushion, so the laptop is protected from the content you have in the main compartment. There are two Velcro sewn on both the sides, in order to keep this pocket thin when not in use, and even when "closed", you can still add lots of documents (A4/letter size will fit perfectly). Please notice the fabric pieces on the sides of the bag : once open, the briefcase is not supposed to lay flat, there are triangular pieces of nylon that keep the content from falling out of the bag, which can be open really wide nonetheless.
Now, let's try it in real conditions. I put my laptop, battery, camera and camera-cable inside, and see how it fits : perfectly ! And there's still lots of room for documents, other computer-accessories, or anything you want/need to carry !
I tried it first for a couple of nights at the Boyfriend's, and I was able to add some clothes to the aforementioned content (granted, not two full sets of clothes, but at least an additional pants, a thin sweater and other little things) : here's the bag when full, isn't it nice ? I really like it !
99€ originally, and I purchased it for ~30€ on sale (+5€ shipping). I'm really happy for my purchase, have already tried it in real conditions; the proportions and the way it's organized is just what I needed. A great surprise, really, I didn't expect to be this enthusiast ! I doubt I would have bought it on a whim like this if it was full-price, or even 40% off. But at 70% off, that was a great bargain !
The only caveat I found is that the handles are a little bit too short for me, they don't allow me to carry this bag on my shoulder; this could be done in spring/summer/autumn with a light/very thin jacket, but with a thicker winter jacket, it's not really practical nor possible, I would say. That doesn't bother me much, as it's quite heavy once it's filled (did I mention that my laptop was more like a huge heavy brick than a state-of-the-art-super-lightweight-laptop ?). When they are full or heavy, I mostly hang my bags from the crook of my arm anyway.
Both the Zipped and the Modern Briefcases are back to their original prices on filofax.fr, but the UK website is currently having a -40% sale on these models, among others... (Enabler ? Who, me ?) !!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
A Filofax that isn't an organiser....
I love receiving parcels in the post... especially when they come in a Filofax box
But this one is quite small and slim...
I've been looking around for that 'perfect wallet' for a while now. They are either too big (I had several in my chest of drawers) or too small. As some of you will know I've used Filofax organisers successfully as a wallet/note book for some time. But occasionally when I'm not lugging everything around in my man bag then a slim but functional wallet comes in handy. Given my love for everything Filofax... especially when it has the name Malden involved in it... I had to have a look the different ones on offer during a visit to Neal Street in November.
I saw it... liked it, but didn't buy it. The full price was £40 and I'd already spent about that already that day on a Malden Mini and other Filofax related things! So I left it and slept on it etc.
Then in the run up to Christmas I was looking around for present ideas and stumbled across this Malden wallet on the City Organiser site, at a much reduced price compared to the Filofax website. So after Christmas I looked again and also discovered they had a 15% off discount code... That was the decider, at £24.65 it was mine....
It arrived in a nice big padded envelope in about 4 days from ordering which considering it had to come to France was quite good. I got the usual 'What have your brought now' look!!! But some approving words when Mrs M saw it wasn't another organiser!
So here is the Malden Portrait Wallet, this is the front.
On the bank there is a slip pocket, useful for slipping in a travel card or shopping note.
Open it up there is 6 card slots on the left (more than enough for me) and on the right there is a large pocket for change, this is essential and the failing of other wallets I've used, many of them don't have any facility for coins.
The left hand side folds out again to reveal two mesh pockets, handy for documents. Where are the rings!!! A Filofax product without rings!
From above there is a full width pocket which is divided over it's length to form two slots for bank notes and receipts.
So here it is with my cards in place.
And my health documents and drivers licence.
Malden Wallet and Cuban Zip..
Malden wallet and Malden personal Filofax. I should have taken a picture of it with a Malden pocket, the Pocket is taller, and obviously quite a bit thicker.
The only down side of this wallet is it's not quite tall enough to also carry my passport, which will fit in to a Filofax Pocket comfortably. So I now put that in my car document wallet that I also have to carry all the time anyway.
However, like Filofax organisers I'm quite comfortable swapping the contents from the wallet to a pocket or mini Filofax... Maldens in each case!
So for that guy in your life that wants a practical wallet I can recommend the Filofax Malden Portrait Wallet.
But this one is quite small and slim...
I've been looking around for that 'perfect wallet' for a while now. They are either too big (I had several in my chest of drawers) or too small. As some of you will know I've used Filofax organisers successfully as a wallet/note book for some time. But occasionally when I'm not lugging everything around in my man bag then a slim but functional wallet comes in handy. Given my love for everything Filofax... especially when it has the name Malden involved in it... I had to have a look the different ones on offer during a visit to Neal Street in November.
I saw it... liked it, but didn't buy it. The full price was £40 and I'd already spent about that already that day on a Malden Mini and other Filofax related things! So I left it and slept on it etc.
Then in the run up to Christmas I was looking around for present ideas and stumbled across this Malden wallet on the City Organiser site, at a much reduced price compared to the Filofax website. So after Christmas I looked again and also discovered they had a 15% off discount code... That was the decider, at £24.65 it was mine....
It arrived in a nice big padded envelope in about 4 days from ordering which considering it had to come to France was quite good. I got the usual 'What have your brought now' look!!! But some approving words when Mrs M saw it wasn't another organiser!
So here is the Malden Portrait Wallet, this is the front.
On the bank there is a slip pocket, useful for slipping in a travel card or shopping note.
Open it up there is 6 card slots on the left (more than enough for me) and on the right there is a large pocket for change, this is essential and the failing of other wallets I've used, many of them don't have any facility for coins.
The left hand side folds out again to reveal two mesh pockets, handy for documents. Where are the rings!!! A Filofax product without rings!
From above there is a full width pocket which is divided over it's length to form two slots for bank notes and receipts.
So here it is with my cards in place.
And my health documents and drivers licence.
Malden Wallet and Cuban Zip..
Malden wallet and Malden personal Filofax. I should have taken a picture of it with a Malden pocket, the Pocket is taller, and obviously quite a bit thicker.
The only down side of this wallet is it's not quite tall enough to also carry my passport, which will fit in to a Filofax Pocket comfortably. So I now put that in my car document wallet that I also have to carry all the time anyway.
However, like Filofax organisers I'm quite comfortable swapping the contents from the wallet to a pocket or mini Filofax... Maldens in each case!
So for that guy in your life that wants a practical wallet I can recommend the Filofax Malden Portrait Wallet.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
What's in my bag - December 2011
I've been using my Lowepro bag for nearly 8 months now. The contents have fallen in to a settled pattern so I thought I would share with you what I carry. Read the original post for details about the bag and why I chose this particular bag.
So in the front row from left to right:
So in the front row from left to right:
- My iPod Touch 64 GB - I use this a lot for music, checking emails, Twitter etc etc. It is never far from my side!
- Nokia C5-00 mobile phone - This is set up as my UK mobile, it has lots of great facilities built in which are great when I'm travelling back in UK
- Nokia 6300i mobile phone - This is my French mobile phone, a basic phone which is just used for calls and text messaging. I fitted a new battery to this recently and it works fine.
- Sachets of decaff coffee - I've not been able to drink normal coffee for over 20 years now, so I always carry my own with me! These sachets are a simple way of making sure I have some with me.
- Pens - A marker pen and a couple of Pilot Frixion gel pens, I like these pens a lot.
- Headphones - Just some standard Apple earphones for use with the iPod
- Tape Measure
- Car Key
- Compact Camera - I carry a Fuji Finepix JX200 with me, it's simple and takes reasonable pictures for a compact, when I don't have my DSLR with me.
- Headphones for the Nokia C5, useful for listening to the radio whilst on a train or as use as a hands free phone whilst walking.
- A pocket magnifier - Sadly my eyes aren't what they used to be, so this comes in handy for looking at very small print.
- Mini Malden - My wallet Filofax at the moment.
- Personal Malden - My information hub, diary, contacts, information, maps etc.
- Hand cleaning gel - Useful after refilling the car with fuel, to get rid of the smell of diesel!
- Tic Tac Mints
- Small Maglite Touch
- Cleaning cloth - This is a multi fibre soft cloth very useful for wiping clean displays or for cleaning my glasses or sun glasses. I just give it a wash every so often and it comes up clean every time.
- Not shown, my reading glasses case..
Friday, July 29, 2011
Filofax Finchley Expandable Tote Bag
Here are some photos of my new gorgeous red Filofax Finchley expandable tote!
Here is the back, with a zip pocket:
Here it is with the sides snapped down into Handbag mode:
Even in Handbag Mode it's still very roomy. Here's my personal Filofax Finsbury at the bottom. Helloooooo down there!
Here's my A5 Finsbury in the bag, in Handbag mode. Despite peeking out the top, the bag would actually zip fine. In Tote mode, the bag holds A4 size (letter size) files and notebooks with room to spare.
As usual with me, there is a backstory...
A year and a half ago when I was in London, I visited the Filofax shop. Among the other wonderful goodies there, I fell in love with this Finchley tote. I loved the wonderful soft leather, and especially the functionality of two bags in one. It's a handbag! That expands into a tote! I reeeeeaaaaalllly wanted it. And, it was discontinued! EEEP! But sadly, it was way out of my price range so I figured it would never be mine.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago finding it at $100 OFF and suddenly IT'S MINE!! MWAA HA HA HAAAAAA!
I ordered this tote from www.PensAndLeather.com. They are having an amazing Filofax closeout sale, click here to see. Right now there are only TWO of the red Finchley totes left, click here to nab one before it's too late!! (Sorry for the blatant enabling! I'm not affiliated with Pens And Leather, I just can't resist a good enabling opportunity when I see one. ;D )
I'm not normally a red person, but I love the look and feel of this leather. It makes me want a red personal Finchley Filofax binder to match!!
 |
| Detail of buckle and logo |
 |
| Interior pockets |
 |
| Snap at top for tote, or snap at bottom for handbag |
Here it is with the sides snapped down into Handbag mode:
 |
| Detail of snap in Handbag mode |
As usual with me, there is a backstory...
A year and a half ago when I was in London, I visited the Filofax shop. Among the other wonderful goodies there, I fell in love with this Finchley tote. I loved the wonderful soft leather, and especially the functionality of two bags in one. It's a handbag! That expands into a tote! I reeeeeaaaaalllly wanted it. And, it was discontinued! EEEP! But sadly, it was way out of my price range so I figured it would never be mine.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago finding it at $100 OFF and suddenly IT'S MINE!! MWAA HA HA HAAAAAA!
I ordered this tote from www.PensAndLeather.com. They are having an amazing Filofax closeout sale, click here to see. Right now there are only TWO of the red Finchley totes left, click here to nab one before it's too late!! (Sorry for the blatant enabling! I'm not affiliated with Pens And Leather, I just can't resist a good enabling opportunity when I see one. ;D )
I'm not normally a red person, but I love the look and feel of this leather. It makes me want a red personal Finchley Filofax binder to match!!
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