Bag review - Follow-up post about my Coach Bleeker travel tote

For Mimmy!

Ever since I got my Coach Bleeker tote,  I've only had a chance to bring it on road trips and it wasn't until early this year that I was able to take it on its first short distance trip on a plane. I was heading to Las Vegas for 4 days and 3 nights and didn't want to deal with checking anything in, so it was my carry-on and regular luggage, all-in-one. 

Between size and weight restrictions and what we can bring in terms of liquids and gels, travel can be hectic and I just wanted to show how this bag held up in case any one is looking for alternatives. 

The bag and cardigan were out of the bag for this photo, but it fits into the bag easily.

Everything in! (the above cardigan is in the Oliva Harris dustbag to protect it)

This is everything I packed inside the Bleeker, and for liquids, I just put it all into a ziplock bag, ready to pull out at security.

I also want to retract my previous comment about wishing the straps were longer - they are actually long enough to go over my shoulder, but they are still stiff. The more I use the bag, the more it's softening up, and somehow it seems to be making it lighter (but probably not since that's impossible haha). Also, the size dimensions are just right for putting it neatly in the overhead compartments, and since it holds it shape so well, VERY easy to pull out. 

I definitely recommend this bag for short travels to hold everything for your entire trip. If you're looking for just a carry-on bag, I'd go with something else since it's pretty sizeable and I could see it getting cumbersome because it still isn't a light bag and if it's not packed full, it's just unnecessary material. 

My Bleeker's first official plane ride! Vegas, here we come!



I'm headed to Las Vegas today for 4 days and have decided to do only carry-on, and not just that, but try to minimize the amount of stuff I'm bringing so that I can carry the beauty that is the Coach Bleeker; I have been waiting about 3 years to take her on a plane.

 



I've used her for other weekend trips but I would say that this is her first major test. Just to give you a better idea of what she will be carrying and how I packed her, here's a brief run-down of my trip: I arrive on Tuesday afternoon and leave Friday afternoon; we plan to have one day of randomness until the rest of our team arrives the next day, plan to go to the shooting range, have a nice team dinner, a gambling competition, spend some time at lounges, and a full working day. I have packed a heavy cardigan, pair of black jeans, toiletries, PJs, clutch for going out, under garments, belt, a top, and left room to comfortably fit a puffer jacket that can be bunched into a pouch. I could fit another pair of shoes and a few more tops, but I gaged our activities there and with what I packed, and my outfit to the airport, have enough to mix and match. If it were summer and I didn't have to pack for cooler weather, I'd have even more space!

 

From my previous trips, I can tell you some of the pros and cons of the Bleeker:

Pros <3 - 

• Spacious - I am always able to pack at least 3 days worth of outfits and that usually includes at least 2 pairs of shoes, 5 outfit changes, PJs, toiletries, curling iron, and my laptop and ipad. My previous trips, the bag would be stuffed to the brim but since I'm flying, don't want to over-do it. 
• Organization - it has 2 large inner, slip pockets, 1 large zipped compartment, and one outer slip pocket. The inner pockets are very useful for electronic cords and chargers, and I keep important documents in the inner zip pocket; I don't use the outer slip pocket except as an emergency place holder for papers, before I move them to another spot. I like the openness of the bag because it lets me pack that much more stuff in it.
• Large opening - the zipper extends well beyond the opening of the bag so I have easy access to my stuff and it also has a little more give if it gets over packed. 
• Color and profile - what can I say? I love the color, and I love its very minimal look.
• Leather - its leather is super sturdy and I really like that it holds itself up so I can easily organize my things.
• Feet - I like that it prevents the bag from touching the ground, and with a bag that size, gives it a bit of detailing.  

Cons </3 - 

• Heavy - it's VERY heavy. I don't recommend this if you have to move around a lot from place to place. Ideally, you should be carrying her from: car -> airport -> car -> hotel; also, don't carry more things than you need to, outside of this bag, or else it will be very difficult for you juggle. For this Vegas trip, I'm designated all my electronics, and travel documents to my handbag, and leaving my liquids on the top of the Bleeker for easy access at security.
• Handles - most of my complaints are with the handles. They are very stiff and short. If they were slightly longer, and able to fit over my shoulders, I think I would have an easier time dealing with its weight, but as it stands, the short handles mean that I have to use this as a hand-held, and it does get cumbersome. Also, if I am carrying a lot of things, the stiff handles do not make it easy to juggle a few things at one time as they give no amount of flexibility and sometimes you just need things to twist and turn a bit to manage - don't try with this, it will hurt your hand. 

Changes I would make - 

• Nylon with leather trimming to lighten it up, while keeping its sleek look and maintaining some of its structure; I think there's a heavy canvas version which would probably fare well, but have not had a chance to see it in person.
• Lengthen the straps, or give it a detachable shoulder strap (although given the weight, the shoulder strap would probably hurt, but it's still nice to have the option so it can free up your hands from time to time in the event you need to have your hands free for a moment)

Excitement! - new favourite outfit and accessory!

I thought Mimmy made a really good point in her post comment about the 'odd man out' - "I think I was actually trying to pair it with things that worked against it." This really spoke to me and she had mentioned she decided to pair her piece with neutrals and let the piece speak for itself. 

Here is that same sweater again - 

(Rosie Neira)

And taking into account Mimmy's words, yesterday, I decided to wear it as the showcase piece and made this outfit with it - 

(Banana Republic, GAP, Rosie Neira, Cole Haan, Coach, Pearson & Brown)

I wish I had taken a photo with the outfit on because the colors look way better together, but this is a new favourite outfit I discovered; it uses my color capsule and a 'odd man out' piece to form a decent outfit, but then is taken to a non-boring level by my shoes and scarf. 

(The more I look at it, this cardigan seems to be a shade of gray with some green undertone ... ya, I still have no idea about its color, sigh...)

Now, let me talk about this scarf - I received it from my mom's latest trip to Asia and it's actually landscape. I don't know if you can tell from the photo but it's mountains and a body of water. I don't know too much about it other than it's silk and by Pearson & Brown - if any one has more info on this brand, I'd love to hear about it! It's beautiful and oh sooooooo soft. It's fast becoming one of my favourite items. 

(Pearson & Brown silk scarf; sorry for the poor photo quality, I used my phone camera to do the pano)

The yellow played off of my shoes and the green picked up the undertones of my cardigan. And since I left everything else neutral, both the scarf and cardigan got to stand out. So, thanks Mimmy, for giving me the idea to let the 'odd man out' shine, and also to the girls on TpF for all the talk about scarves lately that gave me the idea to pull this out.