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| My new Haiku Bag! Image from REI.com |
Before my introduction to the beautiful, "poetically functional" Haiku Bags, I'd used the same messenger since college. Bright red with "Carpe Noctem" sew on in thick Gothic lettering, it definitely fit me then, but didn't any longer. I decided it was time my bag better matched who I am as a grown-up, especially on work trips.
Enter Sharon Eisenhauer and her ability to execute the perfect marriage of function and beauty in bag form. I hadn't heard of Haiku Bags until a search revealed my perfect new messenger on REI.com - the Calligraphy Messenger. The bag comfortably holds my laptop, several folders, a water bottle, and has several interior pockets for holding smaller things. It's exceptionally well padded and durable; I had no qualms about putting my laptop inside without a separate case. I spent three weeks toting it all over Monterey and the only complaint I had was how heavy it got. That's mostly my fault. But I've also heard the Rumi Collection laptop bag is a bit lighter.
Now, If you haven't already, you'll notice if you click on the link that the bag isn't available any longer. Then, you'll ask yourself, "what kind of gear review is this if I can't even buy the product Katie's telling me she loves?" When I come across a new-to-me company that meets needs I didn't know I had, or hadn't been met before, I like to think that same needs might exist for others. My needs:
- a laptop bag for work that captured a little more of my personality without looking childish (like this), or too casual (like this, even though I adore it!)
- a bag that can hold more than my laptop without feeling too bulky, something I've experienced with Timbuk2 bags
- a bag with a story, and not just a story, a bag made with a greater purpose than simply carrying things
- a bag that comes from a socially responsible company (the Rumi Collection is made from post-consumer recycled fabric made from recycled bottles)