My fashion style — in both clothes and accessories — leans toward the sporty side. Regular readers know I’m a fan of brands like L.L. Bean, Water Girl, Keen Footwear and El Naturalista. When I’m on the road, you’ll sooner find me in flip flops carrying a duffel bag, than in heeled leather boots pulling a stylish carry on.
But I was intrigued by the Complete Traveler 3-piece Weekend Bag. Especially since its publicist offered me the opportunity to review a sample product in time for me to bring it along on my girls-only weekend trip to the mountain town of Keystone, Colorado, earlier this month.
I found the Weekend Bag surprisingly roomy. And, as much as I love my L.L. Bean Toiletry Kit, I was turned on by the large, removable, multi-pocket toiletry roll that’s integrated into this bag. You can un-snap it from the main bag and hang it in your hotel-room bathroom. Love that feature! Plus, the see-through plastic pockets are big enough to store a wet bathing suit, if you didn’t have time to dry it before packing up to go home.
There’s also a small, removable cosmetics case that snaps on to the main bag, but the large elastics meant to hold long makeup brushes and eyebrow pencils did nothing for me. (I don’t wear that much makeup!)
The main compartment can fit a ton of folded (or better rolled) clothes and a couple of pair of shoes. Now, I’m a shoe freak – my feet must be prepared for any and all occasions when I travel. So, I couldn’t fit all of the ones I wanted to bring – plus my clothes – in the Weekend Bag. But maybe women who don’t need hiking boots, tennis shoes, flip flops and clogs for a two-night trip could manage to bring all of their footwear in this bag.
I tucked clothing way into the corners of the main compartment, and I appreciated the side pockets in which to smush socks and underwear. Again, it’s surprising how much you can actually get into the compact bag.
While I would not have necessarily chosen this piece of luggage for myself, I certainly felt classy rolling it into my rented condominium. Plus, it’s healthier for my back to use a pull-behind bag on wheels, instead of hauling around an overstuffed tote or duffel bag.
With the winter holidays approaching (okay, I realize it’s not Halloween yet, but really, Hanukkah and Christmas are going to arrive quickly), I’d recommend this bag as a gift, for sure. The price is right: it’s under $50 with shipping and handling and available on Lori Greiner’s site at QVC. The exterior color comes in tan, light blue, pink and black — with the LG logo weaved into the shell. Or if you’re feeling sassy, consider the leopard pattern.
Now some of the online reviews at the QVC website say that it’s tough to wheel the bag down a plane aisle, and it doesn’t fit conveniently into overhead bins. Obviously, I can’t comment on that, since I just stored it in the trunk of my car. But I wouldn’t hesitate to bring it on another road trip — especially if I want to look classy and cool on an urban weekend away.
