Product Description:
Popular: Rick Steves' compact (9 x 8 x 3 Velocé Guide Bag helps you toss together just enough for a day's sightseeing or an evening out and it's small enough to be permitted in many museums.
Product Details:
- 100% Recycled Polyester
- Plucky: it is trim and tough, made from rugged, 100% high-density recycled polyester.
- Practical: the shoulder strap with pad is fully adjustable. the zippered main compartment easily swallows up a couple of guidebooks.
- The front flap has an outer zippered pocket ideal for a compact camera and clips open to reveal a full-length hidden pocket, two mesh pockets and a magnetic snap pocket for your cell phone or sunglasses
- Plus: the comfy padded back panel includes one more full-length compartment.
Customer Reviews:
Fits Galaxy 2 10.1 Tablet; A 'Right Size' Day Bag By James Ellsworth
We travel in Europe for a month each year and I have always wished for 'just the right size' guide bag to take along. For years we have taken a too-big backpack style of day bag and things have either rattled around inside them or we felt somewhat hot and oppressed by the bulk (not the weight) on our backs. This kind of 'satisficing' is o.k. on the short tours but the larger pack got more annoying with every passing travel day. This year we 'sprung' for Samsung Galaxy 2 10.1 tablets and GPS/local Map Apps (we got 'lost' a lot with maps that were to 'general' and arguments ensued). We needed a good way to carry the new tablets and, since we converted our travel research into electronic files, we didn't need as much space for the daily itinerary. I took a chance on this bag (after due-dilligence in measuring and reading the specs) and I am relieved to report that the Samsung full-size tablet fits fine and there is a decent density pad to provide some shock protection!
There is a LOT ELSE TO LIKE about this bag. It can be trim but it can expand (I measured 1 3/4 extra inches)to usefully carry my Nike jogging rain jacket and a water bottle (no outside sleeve for that, though.) Even without expansion, the size is right for stowing the inevitable museum guide books and postcards that accumulate over a day of my wife's ceaseless pursuit of culture. An interior pocket has its own organizer pockets, including one for a smart phone and two mesh pockets. One of them will protect a goodly number of standard sized postcards or serve to carry notecards and a clip-on pen. A second zippered, mesh pocket will work fine for carrying a card from your hotel to present to non-English speaking taxi drivers or...if you are only a little bit foolish, for carrying some currency or, for a short period, housing a bank card for the walk to a nearby ATM. (Credit and Debit cards should be carried in a Rick Steves moneybelt stowed under one's clothing.)
I am fine with the level of security this bag provides: in my experience over the last few years in Italy and France and Germany, pick-pocketing is more under control. People with really expensive digital SLR cameras don't seem to be targeted. I have never seen an instance of the 'slash and run' type of theft that would justify buying a bag with cut-resistant steel wire mesh. This bag does not have that but the shoulder strap seems to be made of sturdy enough stuff that a 'perpetrator' would have to saw on it a bit and that definitely would be noticeable! What this bag does offer is the 'layered, multiple-fastener' sort of security that pickpockets would choose to avoid: time is money and tugs=discovery risk to them. Behind the smart phone and mesh pockets is another deep zippered pocket in which to bury...what? I use mine for carrying 'Streetwise' laminated maps or for carrying the similar size maps from Tourist Information Offices that give a useful level of local detail. Any written correspondence relating to rail passes and hotel reservations also go here: secure but handy.
My bag (and another for my wife) feature full-size zipper tabs that are easy to grip. Two inside zippers have circles punched in the tabs so a key ring or larger pulls can be added, if desired. Stitching and sewing are first-class. The tote strap expands smoothly to 48 inches, allowing for a cross-body carry, which I prefer for security and for comfort. A sliding shoulder pad works well-enough to take some pressure off the shoulder with a well-loaded bag. We have two of these bags: on one the expansion zipper works smoothly and on the other some patience is needed to zip/unzip around the corners. All in all, this is close to my ideal day bag!Handy bag for everything By Laura J. Westenkirchner
Who doesn't watch Rick Steve's and long to go to Europe? I respect his advice and was looking for a small bag to carry my essentials in. This a handy little bag with the messenger bag styling, which I was looking for. I found it fit the bill and carried everything that I needed in it. It was easy to use with enough compartments that things didn't get all lumped together in the bottom. My only regret is that I didn't get the size bigger. I usually am a small purse fan and this is perfect for me, but in Europe I like to sketch and my sketch book didn't fit in it. I also carried a small diary and it was too small for that. Now I use it for my purse. I like the crossover strap (although you can shorten it to hand conventionally) and the sturdy construction and material. This bag is well made, cute and sturdy as heck, you can't beat it!7 of 9 Good basic design, but needs some changes By Color Bond
In general, this bag is well made and looks great. However, there are a few peeves I have with it:
1. The main compartment has only a single zipper. It should absolutely have a double zipper. Different people prefer different directions to zip their bags. A double zipper would give them that choice, along with an easy way to lock the compartment.
2. The main compartment zippers do not have a slot at the end. This means that zipper pulls cannot be easily attached.
3. There are two mesh compartments under the flap. One has a zipper closure, the other has a velcro closure. They should both have a zipper closure. Velcro is noisy, gathers hair and other debris, and eventually breaks down.
4. Like many day bags being made today, this one uses permanently attached shoulder straps. A good bag should have steel D-rings on both sides, and a shoulder strap that clips on. That way, when the strap goes (which they all eventually do), it can be easily replaced. As it stands, this back uses flat plastic buckles. That means they won't have a good life, but it's at least possible to replace those buckles with D-rings manually - unlike bags that actually sew their shoulder straps in (a horrible, horrible design).
Other than those things, the bag looks really good, and is very useful. For people who don't mind the issues I posted above, it will be a nice choice.
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