My Fabulous New Work Bag

Commuting on the train to work requires me to carry a ton of crap at all times, so I need a bag big enough to accommodate said crap.  Last week my work bag finally bit it by ripping pretty much the entire way up the back of the bag.  It was time to bag shop!

Zappos is my go-to source for work bags.  They have a great selection and I can narrow down the size of the bags easily.  I need to fit the following things in my work bag:

• One 24 oz. Nalgene water bottle
• One 16 oz. travel coffee mug: I am in love with my Thermos leak-proof stainless steel mug.  I make my coffee around 6:00am and the coffee stays warm until at least 11:00am.
• Small purse to hold wallet and pill bottles: I get frequent migraines and I have seasonal allergies so I always make sure to keep these on me.
• Lunch box: With the exception of a treat every now and then, I pretty much always take my lunch.  Thankfully my wonderful husband packs it for me each night.  Isn't he the best??
• Craft bag: Most often this will contain knitting needles and yarn, but sometimes I mix it up and throw in an embroidery hoop and some floss.

 It may not look like much, but it's a lot to fit into one bag.  Shortly after starting my search, I happened upon, and fell in love with, this amazing tote.

It is made of coated canvas so I won't have to worry about my stuff getting wet on the days when I have to make a rainy trek to my building.  There are pockets on either side of the bag to hold my water bottle and coffee mug.  I'll no longer have to put up with my bottles falling over inside the bag!  The front has a pocket with a flap, and the back has a narrow pocket (perfect for a magazine or thin paperback) and a zippered pocket.

Here's a closeup of the front the flap and lining canvas.

And a closeup of the main body canvas.

The inside is packed full of pockets too!  There are two wide pockets on the inside front, which perfectly hold my cell phone, tissues, and gum.  On the inside back is another wide pocket, perfect for my iPod, and a zippered pocket, which holds my keys and train pass holder.  Speaking of my train pass holder, it still works out perfectly!  I attached the hook onto the inside zipper and the strap is still long enough so it can sit on the top of my bag for the conductor to see.  Isn't it nice when things work out?  Inside you can also see my craft bag and the small tote that I use as a purse.  And there's still plenty of room for my lunch box and anything else I might have to take home with me, like if I were to take a trip down the subway to visit Duross & Langel and Lush on my lunch break.  I'm not saying that will happen, but in the event that it does, I will have room to carry my one or two (or ten) purchases home in my tote and not have to carry an additional bag.  This is all hypothetical of course.

My tote arrived on Friday thanks to Zappos bumping my order up to next day shipping.  Aren't they great?  They have the best customer service.  When I pulled it out of the box, Nick agreed that it was awesome and said that it looked like something I would sew.  I told you he was the best!  The great thing is that the coated canvas is thick and durable and will definitely last me a few years' worth of commutes.

I looked super stylish carrying this bag to work this morning.  I'm finishing up something else that will increase my style points even more!  Stay tuned for the unveiling later this week!