Hold the phone, and everything else, in our festival-ready backpacks and cool leather satchels, or take (clutch) control of all occasions with Dune and Paul & Joe Sister's sale edit.At the start of the year I wrote a list of 10 ‘investment’ pieces that were missing from my wardrobe. One of those was a practical but interesting black leather bag, something I’ve been looking for for the last four years. I don’t have the budget (nor inclination) for a ‘high-end designer’ bag so I’ve been scouting around slightly smaller brands to find something that I’ll love and wear for years to come. I finally found ‘the one’ in form of the Mansur Gavriel Black/Ballerina Bucket Bag which I tracked down with the help of Annie at the start of the year – but, at around the same time, I saw the Whistles Verity in black and after a few months of justifying the purchase to myself (and wavering over the incredible silver version!) I decided I’d get good use from both. As much as I love my Mansur, it’s not the most secure and the 3D shape doesn’t lend itself well to busy underground trains.

While I struggle to think of the humble backpack as anything but the preserve of tourists (worn front facing, of course) and students, they are incredibly practical. The Verity has a gold zip all the way round the top and the beautiful, squidgy black leather folds over to keep belongings safe from any potentially thieving fingers. My only gripe is the hidden magnet is a little too weak to hold the fold in place if worn on one shoulder. When I’m not sandwiched on the aforementioned train, I walk a lot and that usually means carrying one bag for my general paraphernalia and another that’s smart enough for meetings. Verity fits the bill for both; it’s very comfortable thrown over both shoulders ‘Saved By The Bell’-style and, whilst I probably wouldn’t try to carry my laptop inside (it’s old-ish and a little too heavy), it’ll happily facilitate a tablet or A4 notebook. Whistles Verity Large Rucksack, £275The post Whistles Verity Backpack appeared first on LipsSoFacto. U.S. high tenacity 1050 denier ballistic nylon — or — ultralight 400d Halcyon/420d nylon ripstop 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop fabric lining Tough Duraflex® and Nexus buckles #8 and #10 YKK Aquaguard® coil zippers

Made in USA 100% finished seamsbackpack wfp system Dimensions: 19.7 x 12.6 x 7.9" / 500 x 320 x 200mmWeight:1050d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 2 lbs, 14 oz / 1300 grams400d Halcyon®/420d nylon ripstop: 2 lbs, 6 oz / 1070 grams Volume: 1830 cubic inches / 30 liters (ASTM Standard Measure) Total O-rings: 9 (4 in the main compartment, 1 in the inside mesh pocket, 1 in the left curved pocketsupra tuf backpack, 1 in the right curved pocket, 1 in the left side pocket, 1 in the right side pocket)arrow backpack runescape The Aeronaut 30 is the little brother of the original Aeronaut 45, our convertible carry-on travel bag (the "30" or "45" reflecting their approximate volumes in liters). kickflip backpack black carhartt

Its smaller size meets most requirements for North American regional commuter jets and intra-European flights. tumi knox leather backpack priceThat said, even if you fly in just regular planes, you may find that the Aeronaut 30 better meets your needs: its smaller size will allow you to squeeze it in to just that many more tight overhead bins, and to move that much more stealthily through crowds. obey commuter black & grey laptop backpackThough the Aeronaut 30 only two-thirds the volume of the Aeronaut 45, you'll find that in use it seems to fit almost as much. When began to scale down the Aeronaut 45, we couldn't resist updating the design with a few minor changes. To make it smaller but still allow full-sized folks to carry it, we had to change the way the bag went together: the padded back panel under which the backpack straps hide is actually a bit longer/taller than on the Aeronaut 45.

The gist is that you needn't be 20% shorter to wear the Aeronaut 30. In other words: if the Aeronaut 45 is a good fit for you, the Aeronaut 30 will be as well. Travel with the Aeronaut isn't like travel with wheeled luggage: you won't ever hesitate to make your way through the crowd, down a cobblestone alley, across the grass, or up the trail. With the load on your back, you can navigate through not just airports, train stations, and bus depots, but through airplanes, trains, and buses. The Aeronaut 30 is at once soft luggage, a duffel bag, and a backpack. It takes the best of all those bags and combines them into what many people have found to be their most versatile travel bag yet. Designed, like we said, to fit even European budget and regional commuter airline carry-on requirements, the Aeronaut 30 also serves as luggage for shorter trips (or even longer trips for those of us who lean towards ultralight/minimalist packing). With its zip-away backpack straps, the Aeronaut 30 can be carried as a backpack, or with its padded handle can be carried on-edge as one would a traditional suitcase.

Of course, you can add our Absolute Shoulder Strap so you can carry it on your shoulder or cross-body (almost any other shoulder strap will work as well). The downside to most duffel bags is their lack of compartmentalization: we think we've answered that quite successfully with our Aeronauts. The main body of the bag is divided into three significant compartments: a large center compartment flanked on both ends by substantial end compartments. Don't need one end compartment or the other, or need to fit something bigger than expected in the main compartment? The panels dividing the end compartments from the main compartment of the bag unzip — another versatile feature allowing you to customize the Aeronaut 30 to your needs. Good to know: the end compartments of the Aeronaut 30 can accommodate a pair of size 12 men's dress or running shoes. Don't wear a size 12? Smaller sizes fit too, of course. The end compartments are also great for segregating the clean from the unclean (more on that just below), or perhaps socks and underwear, from everything else.

Available in a size designed specifically to fit the end compartment of the Aeronaut 30 is the Travel Laundry Stuff Sack. Based on a design from Tom's archives (circa 1981) and inspired by his time hosteling around Europe, the Travel Laundry Stuff Sack works like this: start your trip off with the sack full of clean clothes, and as they become dirty, put them in other end of the same sack. A floating divider midway keeps the clean and the dirty clothes separated. The volume of the clothing doesn't change, but the ratio of clean to dirty does. You don't need separate sacks for clean and dirty laundry anymore! It can be ordered as an optional accessory with the Aeronaut 30 or separately. The main compartment of the Aeronaut 30 is accessed through a curved zipper opening and swallows a substantial stack of folded shirts/blouses/trousers/dresses; as you pack the Aeronaut 30, the end pockets act like bookends, keeping everything in the center compartment relatively flat and folded.

The inside of the opening "hatch" features a convenient zippered mesh pocket for small items. We make a variety of Packing Cubes sized specifically to most efficiently utilize space inside the Aeronaut 30. Inside the main compartment of the Aeronaut 30, you can fit two Large Aeronaut 30 Packing Cubes, one Large and two Small, or four Small. In either end compartment of the Aeronaut 30, you can fit an End Pocket Packing Cube in either Fabric/Mesh or All Fabric. Also available to fit in either of the end compartments is the handy Travel Laundry Stuff Sack that we mentioned above or various combinations of our Travel Stuff Sacks. If Packing Cubes aren't your style, you can avail yourself of the pair of tie-down straps inside the Aeronaut 30's main compartment. These straps can be handy for securing pants/slacks or a carefully folded sport coat. The tie-down straps attach to the inside of the bag with Gatekeeper loops, so if you find they are in your way you can save a bit of weight by removing them.

The Aeronaut 30 converts easily to and carries comfortably as a backpack: the shoulder straps are contoured and padded, and they feature a removable/adjustable sternum strap; the back panel is padded with closed-cell foam as well. An optional 1" / 25 mm waist strap attaches to the bottom of the lower (unpadded) part of the shoulder straps. The waist strap is meant not so much as a weight-bearing "hip belt" but rather a simple way to further secure the Aeronaut 30 on your body. With both the backpack straps and waist strap tucked away inside, the Aeronaut 30 becomes a sophisticated soft-luggage piece, free of extraneous straps and geegaws and entirely presentable. Because it is carry-on size, you usually won't be checking the Aeronaut 30 as luggage, but tucking away the shoulder straps (and waist strap) also greatly reduces the possibility of the bag being caught in a conveyor belt if you must check it. The grab handles at either end of the Aeronaut 30 were designed to be in the right place at the right time.

Specifically, they provide an inviting and obvious place to grab the Aeronaut and give it a yank to extract it from an overhead compartment of a plane or other tight spot. They’re reinforced, so if you need to pull hard, go ahead, and because they’re padded, the whole process will be as comfortable for your hands as possible. Both exterior ends of the Aeronaut 30 have exterior zippered pockets; one includes a Black 8" Key Strap, and both are large enough for the Guide Michelin and a boarding pass. They're a nice place to keep your earbuds or other small items you might need during the flight, as one end or the other is often easily accessible in the overhead bin. We make the Aeronaut 30 in two different exterior fabrics: 1050 denier high tenacity ballistic nylon (made in USA to our specifications) or 400d Halcyon/420d nylon ripstop (made in Japan to our specifications). Both versions are lined with our ultralight Japanese 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop fabric (again, made to our specifications — see a pattern here?