LL Bean Bags

[Judie]

now i'm thinking about purchasing a llbean bag- either a large touring bag or the microfiber tote. does anyone have both bags and can offer a comparison?

i have 2 daughters- a 2.2 year old and a newborn. i'm nursing the baby but she spits up a lot, so in addition to diapers, i have to carry a few burp cloths, extra clothes, etc...

any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks!!!

judie

[ckleist]

I don't have the touring, but I do have the tote, and it is a big bag. Mine are 18 months apart and am an overpacker because the 9 month old is still bothered by spitting up, acid reflux, and other digestion problems so I need to have several changes of clothes, etc. He is also breastfed so I don't have to worry about bottles or food for him yet. The tote is a very big bag and would certainly fit everything you need plus some room to spare. I had posted some pics last week I think if you haven't seen them already.

[Judie]

thanks! yes i did see your pictures and that's why i'm considering this bag. however, now i'm wondering if it may be too big.

judie

[ckleist]

I just got the chester diaper tote bag (not the classic) and it is another great size bag that I wish I had found earlier. They are on the sale page and they only have 2 colors left.

http://www.chesterhandbags.com/default.asp

I got the cocoa one, but it is too pink for me and am considering returning it even though I love the bag.

[Judie]

hmm, i was ALSO considering one of the chester bags too- lol!! that one looks cute. i have 2 girls so a pinkish bag would be fine for me.

so you think this bag could hold enough for 2 kids? i really just want to buy a bag and stop thinking about them! thanks!!!

judie

[Judie]

another question- on the site the handles look short. do you think you can fit them over your shoulder while wearing a coat?

judie

[ckleist]

definitely! I like that it is 7" deep, so you can really fit a lot in without it being overly big or wide. The strap length drop is 10.5", so I would say it fits nicely under the arm. Since I'm thinking about returning (I've got 2 boys, and it is just too pink for me) I haven't really packed it up to try it out, but the 2 flat pockets are big enough to fit a travel wipes case in one pocket and 3 or 4 size 5 diapers in the other (both my kids wear the same size, even though they are almost 19 months apart in age!)

If you belong to babybags, I posted some pics there of the bag under the files section.

[Judie]

thank you yet again!!! now i'm really leaning towards this bag.

another question- does it have a zipper on the top? i can't tell from the pictures. thank you!!!

by the way, my friends who have boys still carry pink bags. i think it's fine.

[ckleist]

no zipper, it closes with a magnetic tab strap

I'm not much of a pink girl anyway

[Judie]

ugh!!!!!!! i'm not sure i like that. i guess if i put my wallet in the zipper compartment it would be safe, but that bothers me. i had my wallet stolen from my skip hop bag last summer- i had the wallet in one of the top zipper sections and someone unzipped it.

[Judie]

i just read that the other totes (the classic ones) do have a zipper closure. i'm talking the ones that are not on sale. i wish they were on sale though! lol!

[Judie]

ok, yes i'm now obsessed. why did you purchase that tote vs the classic? i see there are classics on sale and i believe they have zippers. i'm not familiar with these bags so i don't want to miss out on anything. i do think the classic has inside pockets that hold sippy cups and i prefer ones that are on the outside.

sigh....

judie

[ckleist]

I think the classic tote on the sale page has a zippered top. The zippered pocket in the style I have is not very big at all, I don't think it would fit my wallet. I thought I could use the zippered pocket for my stuff, but that won't work because it is small.

The discount code for 20% off and free shipping would work for those bags, I just didn't like any of the patterns.

It is so hard finding the right bag!

[ckleist]

I wanted a bag with outside bottle pockets for easy access to my son's sippy cup and water bottle for me. I also liked that the bag was 1" wider than the classic. I've had some other totes that were similar in size to the classic, and they just didn't work for me because of the tapered shape, they just didn't seem to hold a lot, you know they say 6" wide, but it's only at the bottom and they taper up to nothing at the top.

Here's a post from someone with the classic, maybe this will help.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=63&topic_id=21626&mesg_id=21626&listing_type=search

[Judie]

i know exactly what you mean. i'm not sure if i can get over that the tote doesn't have a zipper. once bitten, twice shy i guess.

i guess the search continues but this is getting so frustrating!! i may just get one of the llbean ones.

thanks so much for all your help!! i really appreciate it.

[Judie]

just wanted to see if you still liked the chester bag. i ordered a bumble jessica- hoping this will be "it" for me, but i'm curious about the chester one as well.