Ibiza Convertible Flight Tote by Hayden-Harnett

I love a great bag. And a great travel bag? I'm so there. So when Mom Select sent me this Ibiza Flight Tote last week I was pretty excited.

In the past week I've gone from adoring this bag, to wondering if it would work for me, and back to really, really liking it.



When I first opened the bag I was in awe of its size. It is huge. Which will make it seriously great for travel. Then I touched the leather trim. Soooo soft. As I started to play with the bag I found huge "hidden" pockets- two in the front with those fancy leather pulls and one in the back, all sheltered under that soft leather. Nice.


The bag's interior is roomy with three divided pockets on one side, a deep zippered pocket on the other and a lightly padded section with a snap tab to hold a laptop, magazines or files.

So far so good, right?

Then I filled the bag, like I would for a trip. And I began to have my doubts. First problem: I have a 17" laptop. It fits, but it was a hassle to get it into that pocket. I didn't feel like the long leather strap was really supportive enough to carry that large of a laptop comfortably; if I took it off the shorter shoulder straps were too short for that much weight.

But, I decided to really try the bag before I wrote it off. And, after two days I've come to really appreciate this bag and I can't wait to use it on an actual trip.

Here's what I like:

• I don't actually take a 17" laptop when I travel; I take an Pink Acer Aspire One, 8.9" that weighs 2.2 pounds. I carry it in a wonderful Janine King Laptop Sleeve with the cord and accessories in a matching wristlet. Both items fit very nicely in the pocket.
• The "hidden" pockets are absolutely huge! The single back pocket is the perfect place to keep travel documents safe and organized. It can easily hold a large passport/ ticket folder. And since it is close to your body it's safe.
• The two front pockets are great for those odds and ends that you always end up carrying when you have kids: notebooks, pens, crayons, playing cards, food.
• The three divided pockets on the inside kept my phone, iPod Touch and business cards easily accessible.
• The zippered pocket on the other side is roomy enough for a medium wallet or to keep make-up and toiletries.
• The size of this bag... Wow. It is huge. I could easily fit a one gallon bag with a change of clothes (undergarments, shirt, socks) and a pair of comfy shoes in here. As well as a book or two, a couple of magazines and snacks. And still have room.
• It can be worn over the shoulder or cross body.
  

The only remaining issue I had was with the straps. Luckily Hayden-Harnett has a How to Wear Your Ibiza page. And there I found my answer. If I unhooked the strap from one of the O-rings (which is just gorgeous. I wish there was a good photo of the O-ring somewhere because it is practically art), ran it through the opposite O-ring and hooked both clasps to the same O-ring I had a perfect length, perfect tension strap.

It was almost as if the clouds parted and I could bring myself to love this bag again. OK, that's dramatic, it did feel a little bit that way...

One more great feature of this bag- which truly makes it wonderful for travel with kids or a weekend jaunt... It "downsizes". On the rear of the bag are three snaps and leather loops at the bottom corners. Simply snap, clip those O-rings through the loops and you have a smaller bag. You can put in a few smaller items and have room to expand for souvenir stops and shopping excursions. Or just the weekend farmer's market.

The specs:

The tote is made of a sturdy nylon twill and can be spot cleaned. The leather requires a quality leather cleaner.

The bag measures 19" long x 18" high.

Available in olive (this is the one I have), smoke blue, red, chocolate and violet.

Price $198




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