Practical air travel / work bag.

S

slkang

Member
Jan 10, 2007
20
0
#1
Hi,

I'm a horribly impractical person and I would appreciate some advice.

Due to work, I'll be travelling between countries often and would like to carry as little as possible (no check-in luggage).

So on top of my carry on luggage, I need a bag that will double as hand luggage and a work bag.

It will need to fit a laptop, phone, ipod, work papers, continental wallet, water bottle and a pair of flats when working. I'll also need to add a wrap, some beauty supplies and travel wallet that doubles as a clutch for air travel.

The bag will need to have a lot of compartments, just so I can easily sort myself out and clients can't see my personal junk.

I've been thinking about a BV Roma as it has three compartments, but it doesn't have a zip and I'm wary about stuff being poached from my bag. Also, I heard it was quite heavy without anything in it.

Price wise, I'm looking to spend anything under $4k. This will be my baby for the next couple of years so it will pay for itself. It needs to work for me and last, no matter how much I batter it. I dislike shopping for bags (I love shoes), so if this saves me from buying a replacement, then I'm willing to pay more now.

Also, no monogram please. One of the reasons I love my Balenciaga Lune is because very few people can identify it as a Balenciaga. The Lune is impractical because I can't put my laptop in and close it. Didn't check this fact, just fell in love - told you I was impractical.

Do you know of a miracle bag?
 
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#2
The only bag that comes to mind is the Belen Echandia I'm Beautiful (www.belenechandia.com or you can check out the BE subforum here). It has 2 main compartments so you can keep your personal things separate from work stuff, comes with a laptop sleeve, and has quite a few pockets. It weighs somewhere between 2 and 3 lbs. I think it is beautiful and unique enough and fits your requirements.

I love a lot of other brands (Lanvin, Marni, YSL, Chanel etc) but can't think of anything else that will work as well as the BE. It's worth checking out.
 
#5
In my opinion, the perfect bag for you would be the Chanel 'Cerf' tote. It comes in both the double C design and the reissue design. it has separate compartments and you can also attach a long strap to make it like a messenger bag. It looks really practical, classic and functional.

This is bella1's cerf tote from the Chanel sub-forum

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Other than the cerf tote would be the Chanel 'New Portobello' bag. This 'New Portobello' bag is also a very functional bag as it also has compartments.

This is sbelle's 'New Portobello bag from the reference section in the Chanel sub-forum.

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Hope that helps!!
 
#6
I have a huge leather Coach tote that is similar to the Chanel one shown above. It is a very plain and simple shape and fits my laptop and a bunch of other stuff which makes it perfect for travelling. It's a really durable leather so I have been able to carry it for quite some time without too much damage (I even used it as a school bag in college!) The only problem is, I bought it about 6 years ago and I haven't seen a similar style on their website in several seasons. You may be able to find a similar one in good condition on *bay though.
 
#7
Thank you for the replies!

hipnycmom - I checked out the PS1 and they're pretty awesome, simultaneously understated and interesting but I'm a bit worried about durability. They don't seem to hold their shape very well especially for their price tag. My bag would be used for probably at least 12 hours nearly everyday, Mon-Fri and take a battering because babying the bag will be the last thing on my mind. It really needs to hold up.

balenciaga-boy - thank you for the Chanel recs! I never thought Chanel made practical bags, how wrong I was. Could you tell me what leather it's made from? And there seems to be the cerf and the executive which are slightly different but I can't seem to find pictures of the latter. Also I searched for Portobellos but they're different from what you posted! Although I probably, like the cerf more as I'm not a fan of shiny and distressed quilting.

coconutsboston - I have Coach store near me, I might actually walk in now. I was always put off by the candy color monogrammed bags in the window.
 
#8
slkang, the chanel cerf tote is made from caviar leather = scratch resistant, (mild) rain resistant and most importantly, a very lasting type of leather. The portobello is a new style. The old portobello has the '2 bags' image. This new portobello is made with patent leather. Perhaps they have another leather variation for this bag, maybe you could check out your local Chanel store?
 
#9
Well my suggestion would be the BV Roma - love that bag. But the Chanels suggested also look fantastic.

I personally use an Anya Hindmarch Carker in black calf leather for work and travel. It's roomy enough to fit plenty of stuff in (including laptop and notebooks) but also looks very smart, nicely structured. It doesn't really have the separate compartments though so it's probably not quite what you're looking for.
 
#10
how about the ysl easy? you can dump anything in there, with space to spare

you'll just have to use a purse organizer to keep things from swimming all over the place, and a slipcase to protect the laptop

good luck with your search!
 
#12
I have and love my Cerf totes, but I'm always a bit nervous about carrying a laptop in it, as it is fairly open. The many compartments are definitely fantastic, and the removable bag comes in handy for traveling -- I put my travel survival kit items in there and stash that in the seatback pouch.
 
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#14
^^I second the Longchamp tote. I have placed my 15" MacBook Pro and all my other junk (I've got a lot) into my Longchamp Planetes large tote. It's way under your price limit and it's virtually indestructable. I also wouldn't worry as much if someone spilled something on it.

That said, I don't think the Chanel executive or Portobello would be good for this use. First, I don't think it will fit all your stuff. I've seen these bags IRL and they would not fit all my stuff. Second, would you risk putting those very nice bags under your seat? I was on a flight from San Diego to Honolulu direct and when I got off the plane, I found some nasty slimy stuff on my nylon bag which had my Prada Gauffre in it. There are other times I have placed my handbag under my seat and it was fine...but just so you know, I and other ladies on tPF have stories about "under the seat"...

On the Belen Echandia I'm Beautiful, I would buy the large one for your needs. I have the Midi and it barely fits everything I need. And it won't fit a 15" MacBook Pro without leaving the zip unopened.

Good luck!
 
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