Travel bag – cheap, but expensive.

How to find a cheap bag to travel

After carrying my Vera Bradley weekender bag through the Amsterdam airport and using every escalator to put down the bag, I decided to buy a backpack for my next trip. The weekender bag is great for a travel by car. Take it from the house to the car and then put on the trolley to the hotel room. To haul the bag through an airport big as Amsterdam is exhausting not even if it has a strap to carry it as a crossbody. Because there are no pockets to organize the items I bring, it was a nightmare to go through the airport security.

A few years ago, I was obsessed with Vera Bradley bags.  It was not a surprise to anybody that the first chance I got, after my return from Europe; I went to the mall and bought a backpack and a crossbody in my favorite pattern – Venetian paisley. Unfortunately, the bag is not big enough for all the gadgets I carry with me, so after a trip to Toronto (by car), I decided I need a different backpack. A bag for the grown-up woman who lives in the 21^st Century and hauls a lot of tech gear when travel.

This time I was not in a hurry. I took my time. I did my research. I looked and I waited. There are so many new backpacks coming out from Kickstarter.com with the millenniums in mind. Strolling on the website ebags.com is overwhelming with all these bags and backpacks and suitcase. It was very difficult to decide which one will be the best for me. The latest backpacks are made for specific travelers. Taking your commute by bike or public transportation there is a bag for you with such security features as Radio-frequency identification (RFID) and for pickpocketing. Flying on business, there is a bag for you that will open easily to separate the computer from the rest of your items on the conveyer belt for scanning. Hate to pay the baggage fees; there are backpacks that are big enough to carry all your belongings for the trip. No matter how long it is.  Backpacks with a lot of pockets to make you stay organized and have an easy access to your stuff. Some of them even have built-in chargers for your phone or computer.

After a long search, I decided to buy Briggs and Riley “Kinzie Street” backpack. Based on the website, “it is inspired by the bustling downtown streets and urban design”.  The material is called Tartex™ – high-tech embossed textured fabric. The best way to describe it is a sturdy fabric with rubber texture. It has high-quality hardware and RFID blocking pockets. A lot of pockets to stay organized. The backpack has a lifetime guarantee and it sells on ebags.com for $279. I loved the bag and I wanted to buy it, but I couldn’t justify to myself the price, so I kept looking.

One late evening, I was lying in bed and dreading the upcoming Monday when a though cross my mind that I never checked the local Facebook Marketplace. So I started scrolling through pages and pages of backpacks – old and new, big and small when suddenly I saw it. The same bag, brand new, still with tags for sale for $40.00. My heart rate speeds up and I almost fell off the bed in my excitement. I contacted the seller immediately even if it was after 10 pm. The lady probably couldn’t sleep like me since nobody likes Mondays. After exchanging information, we agreed upon time and location where I can pick up the bag.

The next day after work I cross the state line and drove 45 minutes into Illinois to buy the backpack. Now, I am the proud owner of this bag. The first test of my new backpack will be this Labor Day weekend when I travel to Chicago by train.

Pictures of me, the bag and my adventures in Chicago will follow.

And this is what I call getting ready for ultra cheap travel.

P.S.  Just in case you were wondering, Vera Bradley backpack and crossbody are for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

What is your favorite bag?