Thinking of ordering an Ellington but not sure which one...

[pastaff65]

I have just one 22 month old and pack fairly lightly-2 dipes, travel wipes, few small toys, snacks, juice cup, my personal items such as wallet, cell phone, tissues. I have a LE small tailored tote and don't like it because the shoulder straps are so short I can barely carry it on my shoulder. I have been looking at the IF small tote and it looks like it measures a little bigger than the LE tote, and I really like the look of the IF tote, esp the kiwi. Those with this bag or the large IF bag can you help with my decision??!! TIA, Patty

[suzhatch1]

Hi Patty - I ordered 2 Ellington bags, the black & the kiwi, both in the larger In Flight Tote size. I have a 5 y.o. + a new baby girl due in a few weeks & since I tend to overpack (I hate finding that I need something I didn't bring), I figured the large would be better for me.

Well, I just tried out the bag today and packed it up with mostly "Mommy" stuff (wallet, large water bottle, mail, couple DVDs to return, lotion, handi-wipes & a small makeup bag) and BOY was there TONS of swimming room left over. I didn't even use HALF of the pockets. Even if I had my 5 y.o.'s occassional snack or toy in there, I'd really have LOTS of room left.

Plus, the 1 thing I noticed is that the bag itself can get kinda heavy! LOL!! (Gee, I guess when you pack everything but the kitchen sink, it would be, huh?) Although the black is microfiber & I imagine would be very easy to clean, I did notice that with just a trial-run of packing it up, it does tend to get a bit "dusty" & fingerprint looking. (Not sure how best to describe this). Because the micro-fiber is kinda shiny, any little bit of powder or lint just seems to be magnified against the dark background.

I'm thinking of actually returning the black one, but keeping the Kiwi. It is definately a big bag, more for all day trips or overnighters. The Kiwi is beautiful & the interior is a light colored beige, so you can find everything very easily!

With your situation the way you describe, I think the organization of this bag would be great, but definately in the smaller size.

[MommytoLayla]

I just placed my order. I got the small in flight in bamboo, a tripper tote in kiwi and a catalina clutch in blue. I have 1 year old and already have my ll bean diaper bag if I need to pack a lot. Plus I thought the small would be great for a organized purse for post baby. I got the tripper for a daycare/summer bag for my dd. I thought it would be good for cloths and a small towel and other summer stuff.
Good Luck in deciding, but I agree that the small would probably be a good size for you. ( I just couldn't resist the deal so I had to buy more):)

Shannon
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040421/3/0/1/-5/.png[/url]