LL Bean microfiber shoulder bag and Carry All? Opinions?

[DAKnits]

I am looking at these two convertible bags, and did a search and found lots of great reveiws of the microfiber bag ...

But I don't see a lot of posts about either of these bags anymore. Is anyone still using them? What do you still like or dislike about the bags?

Also, I am torn between the microfiber and the carry all -- I tend to dislike microfiber b/c for some reason it looks "cheapy" to me, and prefer the canvas bags... but the microfiber has silver lining, and the carry all has black lining. Any opinions? I did NOT like the microfiber on the Skyline bag, if that compares.

Thanks for any help!

[tinainsala]

Hi there,
I saw your post on Babybags and thought about replying but since you had a link to the canvas bag, I decided not to because I have no experience with the canvas carryall shoulder bag, only the microfiber one. (my disclaimer :-)

To be clear, I had this one: http://xrl.us/oxvg
And I returned it.

Pros: convertible feature is great and I used the D-rings and caribiners to hang it from the stroller, decent organization- there's an organization panel, loved, loved that the main zipper compartment was not under the flap, loved the silver lining, specifically sized for a woman so fairly comfortable on, great price/ value

Cons: I used it for about a week. The main reason I returned it was access to things in the bag. The bag is vertical in shape with no interior pockets and I had issues with digging and things being jumbled/ thrown in the main compartment along with the zipper opening- I felt it didn't open up wide enough to get at things. Plus the zippers didn't seem smooth. And I felt the microfiber got heavy over time.

However, if you pack using lots of smaller cosmetic bags, digging may be a non-issue, I was not as efficient of a packer then.

I think the canvas one may have slightly different measurements and I'm not sure if the opening is larger i.e. the zipper goes down further.

I think you should give the canvas one a try. LLBean has great customer service, wonderful return policy and the price is reasonable. I used a free shipping code and when I returned it I sent my zipper feedback to them and they refunded me completely including the cost to return it which was a great surprise!

HTH!
Tina

[DAKnits]

I posted a reply, but don't see it.... so I apologize if it shows and I double post.

Thanks so much for your thoughts! I looked at the measurements of the canvas one and it's 1 1/2 inches taller and one inch wider than the microfiber, so I'm not sure if the canvas size will be good for me. It might be even harder to dig through stuff. But when I look at the two side by side in the LL Bean photos, the canvas one appeals to me more.

I checked the weight of both bags and the Microfiber is more than a pound lighter than the canvas!

What to do!?!?!?!

[DAKnits]

OK after having a Live Chat with LL Bean, the info on the website is wrong ... the microfiber weighs 2 lbs, 6 oz, and the canvas weighs 2 1bs, 4 oz. Also, the picture of the microfiber bag is incorrect and I confirmed that the openiong of the bag still is not covered by the flap.

The linings of the microfiber may not be silver anymore. The CS rep is going to get back to me, she isn't sure.

[tinainsala]

Great that the canvas one is slightly lighter! Yes, I took another look at the pic and it is incorrect. My bag definitely was not covered by the flap.

This post has great pics of the bag I got: http://xrl.us/oxyj
You have to scroll down a bit to see the pics. The post is a bit dated but accurate. You've probably come across it already in your research. :-)

Bummer about the lining- the silver lining was great. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Tina

[DAKnits]

Thanks for all of your help! The size of this bag turns out to be even bigger than the Silver Line Convertible Backpack which I have and don't need -- I wish this bag was a medium size! Not sure what I am going to do ...

I do have a couple of questions I forgot to ask though ...

How was it when you wore it messenger style? Did it lie flat? Was it comfy to wear messenger as well as backpack style?

Again, thanks for the help!

[tinainsala]

Yeah, it's quite a big bag - definitely more of an all day outing size.

I didn't wear it messenger style very long...I wore it primarily as a bp because I had packed it up and the weight was more comfortable on my back. So I can't really comment on long term comfort. But for short spurts, I did carry it as a messenger and it was a bulky (since it was filled). It holds it's shape and it did lie flat but the microfiber is more structured, not floppy so it didn't conform to my body, if that makes any sense. Also, since the shoulder pad didn't move- it's built into the strap- I had trouble adjusting it to where I liked it (it was long even on the shortest setting) but I'm short- waisted and picky about wearing messengers. I like small messengers like the Swagg but not medium/large ones.

HTH!
Tina