KandKsmom

Hi everyone,
With the holidays coming in a couple of months, my mom has been asking about possible gift suggestions- she is the quite an early shopper! I had thought that with our trip to London next summer, a good carry on/big tote type of handbag would be helpful to have. For those of you that travel a lot, is there a bag that you prefer that can double as a big tote to put quite a bit in on the trip over, and can double as a nice handbag while there? I am 43, so I would want something classy, but not too funky and probably not in a backpack style. (I thought my kids may carry one of those each onto the plane). I knew some of you could give me some great suggestions to help "Santa"! Thanks everyone!

rex

I am not a big believer in spending a lot on luggage. I think that that the $10 stuff you can find at WalMart or K-mart offers excellent value.

What I do feel strongly about is that any bag you select should be as lightweight as possible when empty. Eight OUNCES makes sense to me for a carry-on - - after all, YOU are its protection!

Having said that, I actually always take one small nylon duffel bag (empty, probably weighs less than FOUR ounces) - - <i>in addition</i> to my multi-pocketed &quot;more subtantial&quot; (but still very lightweight) main carry-on duffel.

Particularly for traveling in cars, I find multiple, half-filled &quot;scrunchable&quot; bags better than fewer, more-filled bags. I often break my stuff up into THREE bags (roll-aboard as my main suitcase, and two half-filled small duffels) whenever we are traveling by car.

Best wishes,

Rex

nytraveler

Well I use a Sportsac - come in 5 million sizes and colors - non-destructible nylon - and can expand - with various zippers opened to hold everything you need for the day.

Caveat: this doubles as a handbag - but not a &quot;nice&quot; handbag. When we go to a real restaurant for dinner - or the theater/opera etc - I carry just my wallet - which is oversize and has a shoulder strap - but holds all the evening basics: cash, cards, passports, comb, lipstick.

elberko

I think a bag that would work as a carry-on would be too big to use as a every-day bag.

I also like Lesportsac (www.lesportsac.com), and I use a zip-top shopper for a carry-on, it folds up into a small pouch, which fits into the Everyday deluxe bag I find to be just the right &quot;not too big, not too small&quot; size for most sight-seeing kind of days.

~Liz

Londonholly

What do you think about Longchamp?
They do have these foldable nylon bags that come in many different colours from pink to black and are found on the arms of many stylish women in europe. They also come in different sizes and are not to expensive, I think there is a web site.

l_jackson95814

Try ebags.com. There is a large selection of bags and it may give you an idea of what is on the market that you may not have considered before. Also, they often offer free shipping so you could help your mother out on that end. They also have great customer service.

LoriNY

I also recommend Longchamp pliages. Available in Saks.

suze

I pack my good leather handbag flat in my checked luggage (empty). I use a small rolling tote by TravelPro for my single carry-on for the plane.

I used to use my regular handbag and stuff it to the brim, but air travel is hard on a truly nice bag, plus even a large pocketbook is really not quite big enough for me.

In the past and as mentioned above I've used various LeSac(s) with success. Also good sized tapestry bag might work for what you describe.

The problem with getting something as a gift, is I'm so picky about bags, I'd need to &quot;try it on&quot; myself.

cmeyer54

I use a 'healthy back bag' - large sized in microfiber. you can find them at normthompson.com or a number of other outlets. as it says, easy on the back, holds a lot of stuff; plenty of pockets and hard to open if you're a pickpocket target. washable as well. good luck!

awbaker

I also recommend Longchamp bags. They can be wiped clean, but have leather handles which make them look more respectable as a handbag. And they are very light. They come in different colors, although mine is rather boring -- black with brown handles.

KandKsmom

Thanks so far for all of the great suggestions. I will look into the brands you all have mentioned. We actually just got a Saks here in our little town, so I will actually be able to try on the Longchamp brand. Are there any stores that sell Lesportsac or is online shopping the way to purchase them? I had thought of the healthy back bag, too and ebags is a great resource; I have bought from them before. Thanks again and keep any other suggestions coming!

BettyBoop

On a recent flight I spied a lady with a LV bag which was big enough to hold extra &quot;stuff&quot; but not too large to use as a purse. I liked the shape of the bag which I've seen in Dooney-Burke and DVF. DVF is the most affordable. Their version is called a boarding bag. You can view them on ebags which is having a Fall sale, and free shipping. And I believe no sales tax.

suze

I've seen Le Sports Sack at Nordstrom. The brands been around for awhile (it was my very first duffle bag for travel back in the late 70's).

travdog

Sports Sac is good, I agree. Lightweight and fairly water resistent, too.

There's Tumi, which can be pricey, but totally worth the investment. Last summer, they had some cool little fold out purses in colors like raspberry and grape, which might be on sale, now. They literally fold up and snap together to make a flat pack the size of a salad plate (fantastic for packing extra because you are going to be doing some shopping and want to bring back more stuff than you're leaving with!) There were three sizes.

I'd also check out Hobo International, which has some nice leather selections. Very hard wearing and practical, but very cute at the same time (too bad more things aren't like that!)

elberko

Although a number of department stores carry Lesportsac, they always have a really poor selection. Lesportsac is great if you want something besides black- but you'll probably have to buy from their Web site.

~Liz

luxing

If it's not too late to offer a suggestion, KandKsmom: You might want to try LL Bean, Land's End and Eagle Creek (stores, websites or catalogs) to see if they might have something that would fit your needs. They have some sturdy, classy-looking bags that might fit your needs. Be sure to ask the salespeople about the weight of those bags though, since sometimes the catalogs don't list that.

On trips, I personally use a black Eagle Creek shoulder bag that - with the shoulder strap removed and hidden backpack straps taken out - can double as a backpack. Unfortunately, that model has been discontinued, but I think LL Bean has something similar. I also take an extremely lightweight empty tote bag (Bagellini brand, I think) in my suitcase. If I've purchased more souvenirs than will fit in my other suitcase, on the way home, I put my purchases, along with my Eagle Creek bag, in the Bagellini tote and it all fits as a carry-on.

Betsy

I love Longchamps because the bags are so light and foldable. It's available on Ebay.

TC

I recently purchased a Latico leather tote (see link below) and absolutely love it. Perfect for carry-on or for a day on the go -- not too big to be used as a purse. Love all the compartments for travel. Excellent investment.

http://www.shoebuy.com/sb/s.jsp/r_ss...s/p_5/st_50040

TC

Noticed that the photo of Latico bag does not show that it has a long, over the shoulder strap as well (this can be removed).

dln

I really like the Longchamp bags. The Pliage series comes in three different sizes and many colors. I also like the Bagallini totes that you can get on ebags.com. My favorite, though, is the Prada messenger bag. It's expensive but it's an incredible bag--looks wonderful, wears like iron (even goes through the wash cycle without a problem) and holds everything but the kitchen sink. I think as far as splurges go, the Prada is tops.