Tote-ally Terrific: A Carry-On Bag for Pack Rats

Amelia Carry-On Bag

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I’m on a seemingly never-ending search to find the perfect travel tote. Something that can hold my 15” laptop (but doesn’t look laptop bag-ish), that’s lightweight (because my daily essentials weigh about five pounds on their own), and that looks stylish (because I wouldn’t be caught dead with a generic black bag).

The latest contender is Ellington’s Amelia tote (go here for a detailed view), which the company sent me to road-test on my trip to Cancún a couple of weeks ago. I love that you can wear it cross-body, over the shoulder or as a backpack, and that it doesn’t have that obvious “computer bag” look. I hauled a MacBookPro and an iPad on this trip and the Amelia accommodated them both with ease. The elasticated side pockets were perfectly sized for my power cord and mouse. Plenty of interior compartments meant that I had dedicated spots for business cards and personal items (and eliminated frantic searches for lipgloss and keys).

My only disappointment was that there was no padding for my laptop, but, to be fair, the bag is marketed as an everyday tote and baby bag and not specifically as a computer bag. Nevertheless, it did an efficient job and I plan to take it on my upcoming trip to Bermuda – and to try not to stuff it with so much this time around.

Amelia comes in seven colors (including boring black) and retails for $79.                       

Now tell us: How do you tote all your gear when you travel? Any carry-on bag recommendations?

Tags: caribbean shopping