It’s a vacation podcast, but we were not short on topics this week. The Lamy Bracket is down to its final matchup, Sailor did another thing, and I recap the Atlanta Pen Show.
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(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
If I must leave the house, and unfortunately I often must, I take comfort in knowing I can bring a bit of my desk with me. I think that's why I like bags so much, and why I like experimenting with clever bag designs. Bags like the Sun-Star Delde Tote Backpack intrigue me with their engineering and versatility, so I'm always excited to take a closer look at how they function.
Bags with convertible carry methods always catch my eye because sometimes I want a tote! And sometimes I need a backpack! Get you a bag that can do both, right? This bag does do both, though not as well as I might like.
We'll start with the positives, though. The bag is made of a nice polyester canvas material that has some water resistance. The hardware is gold-toned, which looks great with the black. The zippers are metal and smooth. The interior fabric is a silky brown fabric that is well secured inside the bag, so it isn't floppy.
There are many glorious pockets! There is one zipper pocket on the front for quick-grab items, and while it shares some space with the interior, the front piece of fabric allows a surprising amount of space for storage. Either side of the bag has a water bottle/umbrella pocket, though these are quite narrow and won't fit larger water bottles. There is a hidden zip, with black hardware instead of gold so it blends in, on the left back side that allows quick access to the main interior of the bag. Inside the main compartment, there are two slip pockets and one small zipper pocket made of the lining material.
This is a great pocket layout, with all the essentials accounted for. The main compartment is quite large. It claims it can fit up to a 14" laptop, but my 14.5" did not fit at all, and it looked like it would need more than an extra .5" to be practical. For smaller laptops or tablets, though, there is some padding in the back panel and bottom of the bag that would help keep it safe. It may not be big enough for a commuter bag or a student, but for an afternoon outing, it's perfect. It would also be great as a diaper bag.
The bag looks good, and it's classy enough to go from the board room to the park and look like it belongs. The design is well thought-out and the materials feel like they'll last.
There are a few negatives to consider, however. The most critical negative is that the straps are not adjustable. To use the bag as a tote, you pull the full length of the strap fabric through the metal slots at the top of the bag, which retracts the backpack straps all the way. The drop on the handles is not very deep (about 7"), so if the bag is fully loaded and at its full width, there's barely enough room to fit an arm through the tote loops. It can be carried by hand, but not easily over the shoulder, unless you like your bag all up in your armpit.
The same issue applies when the bag is in backpack mode. To activate backpack mode, pull the straps at both the top and bottom to retract both handles, then slide the strap cushions to the top. The mechanics are clever, but without an adjustable strap, you get what you get as far as length goes. You can't make them shorter, as they'll just pull through the hardware to full length either way, and you can't make them longer. It fits okay for me, though I'd adjust it if I could. My spouse can't wear the bag at all in either mode. If you have a larger frame, this bag may not work for you, and that actually makes me a little mad. One shouldn't have to worry about size inclusivity when buying bags, of all things.
So that is my main criticism of this bag. The other issue is a nitpick--the top zipper is one of those that insists on going straight across instead of following the curve of the bag, so you get floppy zipper antennas on either side, along with a fairly large gap where water can get in and items can fall out. It does allow for the bag to be fully opened, but it's a design feature I personally dislike.
In the end, my final impression is that this is almost a great bag. If it had adjustable straps, it would be a very good bag. With its limitations, it's still very useful, but not for everyone, and that's a shame.
It is priced well at $64.75 at JetPens, where it's available in several colors. For the materials and features, I would have expected a higher cost.
And there's some bonus wisdom from Delde right on the front of the bag: "It's important to be yourself, how it looks and handy." It leaves us with much to consider.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)
There's always more room in my stationery cabinet for more pen pouches, and a recent newcomer for my collection is the Midtown pouches from Itoya's Profolio division. These come in both small and large formats, and both are really useful for keeping your things organized inside drawers or bags.
While some pen pouches consist of just one pocket with a zipper, these pouches feature a sleeve in the middle that creates two discreet pouches. The adds a nice level or internal organization without adding much bulk.
The pouches are made of a thick felt material, so it's both soft and protective. The color coordination make it feel a little special instead of a pen pouch that only uses one color for the fabric. In my case, I opted for the black and wintergreen colorway, but I had a really hard time choosing. All of the color options they have are attractive.
On the outside, the cases are smooth and clean. The stitches are well done, but I don't expect them to last forever since they're made out of felt. That isn't a knock against felt, but I just don't think it holds up as long as something like nylon fabric.
The zippers are smooth and easy to operate. The inclusion of a pull tab on the end of the zipper is a welcome addition. It makes closing the case easy. One thing that I really dislike about the case design is that the zipper doesn't actually seal the case entirely. At both ends of the zipper, there's a small gap that can allow things to fall out if you're not careful. It's not a big deal on the small case because even a wood case pencil is a tight fit, but the large case has a gap that's large enough for a regular fountain pen to slip through. I don't think this would happen easily, but the right conditions could mean losing a pen or pencil that you value. With that in mind, I only use these pouches when I know they won't be thrown around or jostled very much.
Inside Large.
Inside Small.
Inside the pouches, you're greeted with a fun color contrast because the slim pouch in the middle that divides the larger pouch into two sides is a different color. In my case, the divider is a bright wintergreen while the rest of the pouch is black. Each side of the main pouch has plenty of room to store all kinds of things. The small pouch is even large enough to store unsharpened wood case pencils! The dividing pouch is slim and doesn't expand, so its storage capabilities are limited. It's great for storing something flat. The divider in the small case isn't deep enough to hold a 3.5x5.5 inch pocket notebook, but the large case divider is perfect for a pocket notebook.
In terms of the size, there are two options: small and large. At 4x7 inches, the small size might be poorly named, but I think it strikes a great balance in portability and how much you can store inside it. I can easily fit about 15 to 20 gel pens in each interior pocket of the small case, and while it does expand quite a bit, it's still very stow-able.
The large pouch comes in at 5x9 inches, which doesn't sound like much but translates to a much roomier pouch that holds almost too much stuff. This pouch is large enough to handle small electronics and power bricks along with plenty of stationery goods.
These cases certainly aren't my top choices for storing or transporting more valuable pens since they might get scratched or dinged, but they've been fantastic for throwing a bunch of pens and tools into the pouches, tossing the pouch into a bag, and going out. The thick felt is pleasant to use and offers plenty of protection to what's inside. And with two size options, you can find plenty of different ways to use these pouches.
The small pouch comes in at just $5.99, and the large pouch is $7.99. Look, they're zippered pouches with a divider inside — they hold stuff and they look cool. If you need a pouch, pick one up! Choosing a color is the most difficult part about this proposition.
(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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