Working in higher ed administration, I've noted that a lot of VPs tend have abandoned leather and leather-like substances for ballistic nylon, which is way more practical. Because I hated all the professional laptop bags I found when I was looking last (either too or too small, wrong carrying option, or too much velcro, etc etc) I found a seller on etsy making them. She's in Thailand, but the quality of the bag I got is excellent, and I think it's quite presentable. Were I still practicing law, I'd even feel comfortable taking to the courthouse with me.
The one I bought, and which I still carry every day to work, is this one in red ballistic nylon with navy blue piping, zippers and interior. (Our uniform is navy and pale blue with red accents -- so it's super appropriate for my place of business, but it also just looks snappy. The red is sort of a darker, more subdued red. Very chic -- especially for nylon!)
I love the outside pockets on either end for an umbrella and water bottle and the zipper outside pockets for cell phone and wallet. The interior handily holds my laptop (in it's padded case) and zippers shut for added protection in the rain. I prefer this design to messenger bags because I don't like dealing with the flap when I need to get in and out of the bag quickly.
I also like that this can be carried cross-body with the long strap OR over my shoulders (wearing everything except my giant slippery down coat)/in my hands with the small straps. (Those hand straps are big enough that I really can carry it over my shoulder with them, tucked under my arm, so the bag is very secure and doesn't bump around when I need to actually RUN somewhere.)
What I don't like is that the strap is not padded, which makes airport use harder. But I bought an add-on padded strap from Travelon and am happy enough with that. I also wish it was just a tad bigger, so my shoes fit better in the winter. I'm planning to have her custom make me a wider bottomed one this year to fix that problem.
For less than $50, I think it's a great choice for anyone who needs a functional, presentable bag on a budget.
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Re: Shifting paradigms
Date: 2013-07-04 02:50 pm (UTC)The one I bought, and which I still carry every day to work, is this one in red ballistic nylon with navy blue piping, zippers and interior. (Our uniform is navy and pale blue with red accents -- so it's super appropriate for my place of business, but it also just looks snappy. The red is sort of a darker, more subdued red. Very chic -- especially for nylon!)
I love the outside pockets on either end for an umbrella and water bottle and the zipper outside pockets for cell phone and wallet. The interior handily holds my laptop (in it's padded case) and zippers shut for added protection in the rain. I prefer this design to messenger bags because I don't like dealing with the flap when I need to get in and out of the bag quickly.
I also like that this can be carried cross-body with the long strap OR over my shoulders (wearing everything except my giant slippery down coat)/in my hands with the small straps. (Those hand straps are big enough that I really can carry it over my shoulder with them, tucked under my arm, so the bag is very secure and doesn't bump around when I need to actually RUN somewhere.)
What I don't like is that the strap is not padded, which makes airport use harder. But I bought an add-on padded strap from Travelon and am happy enough with that. I also wish it was just a tad bigger, so my shoes fit better in the winter. I'm planning to have her custom make me a wider bottomed one this year to fix that problem.
For less than $50, I think it's a great choice for anyone who needs a functional, presentable bag on a budget.