carla mancini bag - designer bags catalog

This bag makes an excellent carry-on, stowing well under the seat. It can also be a great bag for a weekend trip. I took my mother for an overnight trip and it held all of both our things quite nicely. The bag was bigger than I expected. Even with my hair dryer, I could fill the bag only about half full. I have not used it. I chose instead to use a smaller bag which held all my cosmetics, but not the hair dryer. I know that we have a good return policy; but with shipping and the restocking fee, I would receive very little in the return. I will see if a friend can use the bag. I only used it for a two week vacation and already one of the seams has begun to unravel. Other than that, I liked all the pockets and thought the size was perfect. Provides ultra-organization for your toiletries and includes a free cosmetic tote.

There are a few things that I don''''t like, however. And those things make me think that the bag is overpriced. Here are the negatives: the leather spots in the rain, and the spots haven''''t gone away on mine. They aren''''t all that noticeable, but for this amount of money I expect my leather to be treated to be more weatherproof. The bag does not have an interior zipper comparment for coins. It is set up with card slots and a place for bills, but no place for coins. They fly out unless you buy a coin purse. It does not lie flush with your back, when you are wearing it as a backpack. This makes it seem to stick out just a bit and seems just a little bit awkward. These are very small complaints and overall this is a very nice bag. But when you spend this amount on a purse, we get to be picky.

This bag has some good design ideas, and some poor ones. I love the idea of access to the open area (sandwiched between the two zippered compartments). It''''s a perfect place for cell phone and keys. But the Velcro does NOT hold the open compartment closed. And because the handle is attached to the back wall of the bag, the weight of the contents make the bag lop-sided when you hold it by the handle. The bag slips onto the shoulders very easily, and the bag rides very comfortably on your back. Someday these bag designers are going to remember to attach the handles at the center of the bag, but as the size of the bag is perfect, I''''ve got my local cobbler designing a fix for the Velcro problem. And I''''ll live with the weight and balance problem, because obviously, most of the time the bag is either on my back or on my shoulder.