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Moose Leather Adjustable Tote – How’s it Wearing?

Moose Leather Adjustable Tote (Customized) – Get it here!

Happy Saturday, All!  Is anyone else doing the Orangetheory Fitness Hell Week?  If so, “Thigh-Day the 13th” was brutal (kudos to whoever was clever enough to come up with that name!).  Typing is about the only thing I can do because my fingers are the only thing that’s NOT sore.  So, time to get caught up a little.  Somebody asked for more photos of my  Moose Leather (aka The Leather Shop) customized Adjustable Tote.  If you saw my earlier unboxing vid, then you know there was some controversy on the sizing of this bag.  So, on my unboxing post, I took photos with the measuring tape so you could decide for yourself if this is the right size for you.   Long story short, I took a ton of photos.  So, I was tickled that somebody asked for MORE photos….finally, there’s somebody else out there that obsesses (really obsesses) over a bag before they purchase it.  Basically, I’m a purse stalker and I’m glad to know I’m not alone.  So, you know who you are and I applaud your crazy.  If ever you want to see MORE PHOTOS of any of my bags, hit me up and I’m all too happy to oblige.  Welcome to Crazy Town; I’m the Mayor.

HOW’S IT WEARING?

It’s wearing quite well!  I was a little nervous because the info sheet it came with said something to the effect of – Store the handles inside the bag so that it doesn’t scratch the exterior.  That gave me a bit of pause because if the dangling handles might scratch the bag, how badly might it get scratched from my use and abuse.  In general, I don’t baby my bags (though there’s always a few exceptions!) so I was concerned that it would look really beat up. I’ve been carrying this thing Monday through Friday for about three (3) months and on the daily it’s holding:  a laptop, hard sided sun glass case, hard sided glasses case, essential oils pouch, my giant clunky keys, phone, laptop cord, phone cord, and  a lunch purse with my wallet and other non essential essentials.  Did I mention I ask a lot of my work bags?  A few days, I even had some presentation type stuff to do so there was also a bunch of files.  Well, I’m pleased to report this bag came out the other side looking no worse for the wear.  I really can’t see any deep scratches, just a bit of wrinkling here and there.  The bag basically still looks really new.  One thing about this bag – – I never NEVER put it on the floor.  Not to say that it couldn’t handle being placed on the floor, I just don’t like the idea of it. Plus, I didn’t pay up for the “feet” so it would literally be the leather just resting on the floor – no thanks.  So, that step alone probably saves some wear and tear on the bag.  I also only carry it to work so I don’t have it on my person for very long either (vs. my weekend bags, which I might carry for hours at a time).

WORK BAG OR WEEKEND BAG?

Weeeell, a LOT of people say they got this bag and have forsaken all their other bags and this is their weekend and their weekday bag.  It’s a nice bag for sure and it’s got enough interesting features (and colors!) that I can see why you’d carry it on the daily.  For me, however, this is strictly a work bag for a few reasons:

1.   It’s very structured.  I like my weekend bags to have a bit of give to them.  I relax, I mean really relax (like no makeup, sweats / “athleisure”, uncombed hair type relax) on the weekends so for me to carry this bag would be like someone wearing high heels with their cut off shorts.  Again, this is just my personal opinion and if you want to rock this bag seven (7) days a week, more power to you.  I like my bag to match my mood and mentally this bag says work to me so I tend to pick a more slouchy and / or small bag for weekend wear.

REDS, YELLOWS AND BROWNS, OH MY!

You can customize a ton of feature on this bag.  I chose this yellow/ orange / natural for the main body and the brown for the side / bottom and topped it with red handles. I saw that someone else did all black with red handles and I thought it made the bag look very sharp and sophisticated whereas my bag is more whimsical.    All that said, the person requesting the photos wanted to see some shots of the colors of my bag.  That said, all these photos were taken rapid fire on the same day in about seven (7) minutes.  You can see it really depends how the light hits it.

The body of the bag is darker than this photo would lead you to believe, but I still like this photo because you can see all of the good detail on the front.  The front and back exterior panels have no pockets.

The way the main color of the bag is shown in this picture is closest to how it looks in real life.  It’s got an orange undertone that I think will continue to darken.  The brown sides are also pretty true to life in terms of color.  I love that the snap is permanently affixed to the brown panel instead of the orange / main panel. That way, if you have a tall water bottle in there that won’t allow you to snap the pocket shut, the snap doesn’t get in the way at all – smart design!

Ok, the main body is not nearly as dark as this photo, but it’s still a nice shot of the back of the bag. No pockets, just a bit of branding and some rivets and contrasting stitching. Overall, a very clean looking bag for something that has a ton of organization on the inside.

I wanted to show you how bright the interior is. The contrast of the unlined bag with the dark pockets and red trim makes it really easy to find things.  There’s pretty much a pocket for every conceivable need though I wish I had made one side of the bag a laptop sleeve since I don’t need quite so many pockets.

I wanted to show you an aerial shot so you could see all the pockets in their glory.  There’s even pockets on the interior sides of the bag. I have a red tote bag stuffed down in the center just for depth purposes.   The side pockets are designed so they don’t get in the way or take away from the full use of the bottom of the bag…if you didn’t hear me the first twenty (20) times, this bag is really smartly designed!  You can also see the placement of the key fob on the side so your keys dangle out of the way.

A close up shot so you can see how all the stitching is a double row.  I’m not an expert on sewing, but I think it just speaks to how everything on this bag is built to last.  Why sew once when you can sew twice?

Here’s a close up of the key fob.  You can just hang your keys from the D-ring directly or you can use the other end of the dog leash which is an actual key ring and then just unsnap this when you want your keys.  The other side of the bag also has an identical D-ring.  People seem to be obsessed with D-rings these days so I guess the more the better, For me, one is plenty.

Here’s what it looks like if you use only the short straps.  Basically, if you’re using the short straps, the long straps MUST hang on the outside of the bag.  Looks fine to me, though I may have some Version 2.0 suggestions when I finally get around to doing my full video review of this bag.  I’m always a shoulder carry gal, but this bag changed me.  I carry it almost exclusively by the short handles. It feels like a feminine version of a briefcase to me and I love that!  

For what it’s worth, I get compliments on this bag from a wide cross section of the population (hipsters, lawyers, business people, receptionists, etc.).  It’s just a bag that speaks to a lot of people.  Hope this helps you understand this bag a bit more!  Happy shopping!

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Ranchlands Chico Tote, an Unboxing

Check for it here (Customizable!):  Chico Tote

Ranchlands Chico Tote, an Unboxing!

 

Hey Guys!

Sorry I’ve been away for  so long…life has been keeping my busy in the best way possible. Work is a challenge, but I’m glad to be a part of a great team.  My kiddo’s getting older (sniff, sniff) and so we’re exploring all sorts of new things together to see what interests her.  As for me, I’ve recently become super excited about NON city stuff. I’ve always had this insanely urban existence – think, it doesn’t even get dark at night because there’s just so many city lights that even night has a permanent soft glow.  For some reason, a few recent trips have really sparked my interest in more rural / country / nature type existences.

Today’s unboxing is an offshoot of my newfound interest in everything NON city.    I think it’s my own personal City Slickers moment (if that dates me, great because I’m loving this age).   Enter….Ranchlands.  They have the most thoughtful website and I’ve literally spent a few hours poring over it and reading about their connections to the land, how they’re caretakers of it and stewards of the animals.  Honestly, I’ve also secretly thought – how can I talk my husband into a working ranch vacation in the country side of Colorado?!  I’ve got to go.  Soon.

So, how do you get from a working ranch to a leather artisan? Aside from the literal access to cows, I thought they had the most thoughtful answer to this question – – they want to bridge the gap between urban settings and their connection to the land.  After my trip to Tennessee and then The Ranch in Laguna Beach, I really just want to spend more time outdoors and experience the land so this is like the mother ship calling me home.    Long story short, they have bridged the gap. In the search for the perfect bag, I’ve inadvertently learned about their ranching, and more importantly, their larger mission for education and conversation.  

I continue to try to be more a conscious consumer by knowing who made my bags and where they were made.  I watched the video on Madi Hester carefully crafting her leather pieces and I was sold on them.   So, here I am unboxing their Chico Tote in two – tone black.  I came home last night and it was waiting for me.  I did the unboxing video the same night and took the bag with me today – – it’s that alluring.  I’ve already gotten a bunch of compliments on it…. it’s just that kind of bag. It’s a thoughtful, unique design with lots of finishing touches that I haven’t come across before.   Can’t wait to do the video with my full review!  Fingers crossed that I’ll find myself in Colorado at Ranchlands starring in my very own City Slickers.  Cheers Ranchlands; thanks for taking care of our land.

MEET THE MAKER

TAKE ME ON A WORKING RANCH VACATION

FTC Disclaimer:  This bag was sent to me for my review.  All opinions are 100% my own.

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The Leather Shop Adjustable Tote

Check for it here (Customizable!):  Adjustable Tote

The Leather Shop Adjustable Tote, an Unboxing!

Ok, fellow leather crazies….it’s been a while since I posted, my apologies!  I have been busy traveling, doing videos (and videos and videos) and keeping busy working out.  Anyways, I’m glad to be back on the website and this leather tote is the perfect excuse to do a little article.   Plus, I got some great questions and comments from my Facebook group and YouTube subscribers that I wanted to address here.

Here’s what I’m loving so far about this adjustable Leather Tote!

1. Very thoughtful design – It’s got two (2) options for carry and the shorter straps fold perfectly into a square shape to lay flat on the interior of the bag, taking up no room.   I did the unboxing video at the end of the long day and, although I had the thought that maybe those suddenly square handles could transform, I didn’t give it a shot.  Luckily, one of my fellow FB group members was kind enough to point this out.  In addition to the clever handles, it’s got pockets on all four (4) sides of the interior of the bag, not to mention the two side pockets on the exterior.  Talk about organized!  I’m running out of excuses on why my bag gets so messy.

2. Customization – You can alter the height, the width, add a cross body carry strap, add feet to the bottom, customize the color (or three!).  There’s not too many leather artisans that give you this kind of leeway. I previously commented that I wasn’t crazy about the idea of a magnet closure and Ken suggested the snap closure instead – great solution!

3.  Uptown – This feels like the uptown version of a lot of my other work bags that are more velvety in nature since the leather is more polished / smooth.  Granted, the colors I chose are whimsical, but I’ve seen it in all black w red straps or very dark tan with black straps and I think any of those color combos would fit right in at even the stuffiest of offices.

Lastly, I had someone ask for measurements and I thought, sure, I can tell you the measurements, but we know the “exact” measurement of a leather bag can be a bit controversial so I thought I’d just show you instead and let you see for yourself.    There’s no exact measurements – are you talking about the interior, the exterior, the bag when it’s empty (or full), etc.  Long story short, I decided to capture pics of the measurements that I would want to know.  Apologies for the crooked tape measure, my arm was getting exhausted holding the bag and tape measure out there.  Fear not, however!  I literally ran out to the mall and bought this silly thing (you’ll see it in the next video!) to help with measurements for when I do the full review so they’ll be more even.  Without further ado – the measurements!

I measured just the front panel length at the top of the bag (12″).  Reason being, to me this is the true length of the bag since the leather on the sides is meant to be for depth, rather than adding to the length.  Although, as you can see, it’s not 100% structured, so you do gain a bit of room because of this….

Hence, why I also chose to measure the full length of the bag, meaning edge to edge, including whatever portions of the side depth are naturally visible from the front.  This measures 16″.   Although it looks like the left corner is not anchored, that’s just an optical illusion.

I wanted to also measure the true length at the bottom of the bag, which is often different from the top in a tote.  Here, the front panel measures 13″, 1″ wider than at the top…just perfect for my laptop!

This measurement is the full length of the bottom of the bag, including whatever portions of the side leather naturally are visible from the front, since it does add to the width.  This measures about 14″.  Keep in mind, the bottom of the bag joins the side of the bag at an angle so the lower you go, the smaller the measurement gets.

This is the “resting width” (totally made that up, but sounds appropriate) of the bag – – meaning, with the bag empty, how wide does it expand when you’re just holding the bag?  That’s about 3″.

I also wanted to measure what I consider to be the full width of the bag, which, to me, is the width of the bottom panel.  That comes in at about 5″.  The bag was “smooshed” (again, another very technical term) for packing purposes so I had to push out the crease with my hand to take this measurement.  My guess is that after some use, this measurement will expand to 6″ once the crease is fully ironed out.

Lastly, the drop length and the height of the bag are bag basics, so not to be forgotten! The drop length is a very comfortable 13″ and the height of the bag (not including the brown part that’s technically the bottom, though visible from the front) is 11.5″.

FTC Disclaimer:  This is not a sponsored post.