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Burn that old fanny pack and get a HipS-sister waist band gear holder

Remember fanny packs (Sorry Aussie visitors)? I had one… I think it’s still up in the closet that houses my gear bag collection. Fanny packs were very convenient because they let you carry your everyday essentials without burdening your hands, pockets or shoulders with bag straps. Sadly, they went out of style about the same time as the mullet and parachute pants. But as products tend to do, what was old becomes new again. This time it’s the HipS-sister.

What is it? The HipS-sister is a modern and more stylish version of the fanny pack. It’s a 5-inch wide waist band gear “bag” designed to hold small items when you’re out and about.

The HipS-sister has a top loading secret pocket sized perfectly for your phone. It also has both a front and a back zippered 5-inch pocket for all your other small personal items.

Available in a huge variety of colors and patterns, and are priced starting at around $17. You can find more info at hipssister.com and Amazon.

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Burn that old fanny pack and get a HipS-sister waist band gear holder originally appeared on on April 3, 2017 at 7:00 am.

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Add new color choices to your NutSac with the Black Collection

Yes, the name induces giggles. But behind their (intentionally) humorous brand name, NutSac produces a solid collection of well-designed, high-quality satchels to relieve your pockets of all of their assorted junk… that doesn’t look like a purse. This week, NutSac announced the addition of a black color scheme to their existing lineup. 

I’ve been impressed with what I have seen from NutSac so far. Every bag in the lineup is made in the USA with high-quality, American-made materials (10 oz. waxed canvas, top-grain leather, and rugged hardware). Reviews are consistently excellent, praising the quality of design and rugged build of their products. They also don’t take themselves too seriously, as you’ll find out within moments of visiting their web site.

The NutSac lineup ranges in size from a bag for the essentials (amusingly called the “Man-Bag, Dammit!”) up to the “Satchel Pro” designed for all that plus your iPad Pro and accessories (this is the one my shopping list). Up until this week, the series was only available in a rugged green color which some found to be appropriate for more casual use. The black collection definitely brings a more dressed-up look for both work and casual situations.

Join the Man-Bag Revolution by hopping over to NutSacbags.com for more information and check out their offerings on Amazon too.

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Add new color choices to your NutSac with the Black Collection originally appeared on on March 21, 2017 at 9:00 am.

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ThinkGeek has the perfect bag for your next Comic-con

Last week Bob told us about a bag from ThinkGeek called The Bag of Holding. Today I want to tell you about another Bag of Holding from ThinkGeek. This time it’s a bag that’s been designed especially to survive a convention. The Con-Survival Edition of the Bag of Holding has several cool features that will help you enjoy your next Comic-Con.

The polyester bag has an adjustable shoulder strap and a grab handle and it has a large area where you can stick patches. Bonus: visit a ThinkGeek booth with the bag and they’ll give you a con-specific patch!

The Con-Survival Edition of the Bag of Holding also has a zippered see-through tablet holder that opens with a handsfree hinge so you can use the tablet without holding on to it.

The bag also features a water bottle holder one one side and a poster holder on the opposite side.

Thanks to Joe Porletto who told me about this bag. He ordered one for his next convention after just attending Pax East. I told them that I’ve never attended a Comic Con and have been thinking about going to the one in Indy a few weeks from now. He convinced me that I should definitely go.

The The Con-Survival Edition bag is priced at $34.99. Visit ThinkGeek to order one.

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ThinkGeek has the perfect bag for your next Comic-con originally appeared on on March 20, 2017 at 12:10 pm.

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This Is Ground Mod Mobile 2 review

I’m a sucker for organization and minimalism. To me, there’s nothing better than having a place for everything and having everything in its place, and all the better if I can consolidate and reduce the number of things that I have to carry with me on a daily basis.

So when I got my hands on the This is Ground Mod Mobile 2 case, its smart layout, customizable interior, and well-made hardware immediately put a big smile on my face.

A case? A wallet? Or both?

There’s a lot to immediately like about this svelte, leather case. However, I can’t decide if I’d call it a large wallet or a small purse.

The French Gray color is really more of a light tan, in most lighting, and quite handsome.

The size and utility of it struck me as very… European. By which I mean it feels like something you’d see a very well-dressed man wearing while stepping off a train in Italy, or that’s the scene I’ve created in my head, at any rate. It’s intended to accommodate a passport, several cards, a tube of lip balm, pen, charging cables, bills and change and, of course, a large (but thin) cell phone such as a Plus-size iPhone or Galaxy s7.

Plent of space for several cards, bills, coupons, wires, cleaning cloths, lip balm… it’s meant for your everyday items.

According to the This Is Ground website, their products are “handcrafted of highest-grade leather by our heritage leatherworkers in downtown Los Angeles and Italy,” and that quality really shows. The leather is supple and flexible and looks like it would age handsomely. I received the French Gray model and I really like the color much more than I originally thought. The stitching is gorgeous and strong. Every element used feels extremely high quality and is admittedly much nicer than most other wallets or cases I would purchase.

Size is everything

The dimensions of the Mod Mobile 2, which I gathered from the website, are 4.5″ wide x 7″ high x 1″ thick closed and 9″ wide x 7″ high open. So it really is crafted around the size and shape of these larger modern phablets. I currently own an iPhone SE, which did of course fit inside the case, but my phone seemed a little too thick for the phone pocket. It began to make some indentations in the leather because of the SE’s angled edges. Fortunately, I’ve been dabbling in bullet journaling, and that pocket was the perfect size for the Moleskine Chapters journal I was using at the time.

That notebook is about the size of an iPhone 7 Plus.

The case can be slung around ones neck using the removable strap, or simply carried around like one would a sizeable hardback novel, which was my chosen method.

Everyday use

In preparation for writing this review, I went all-in and used the Mod Mobile as my every day carry, all-purpose wallet for a couple weeks. And while it took a bit getting used to, having to carry one large case versus putting my things in several pants or jacket pockets, I quickly adapted and put my full trust in knowing that if I had my leather case with me, I had everything I needed as well.

The center billfold carrier is snapped in and easily removable.

After some experimenting, my eventual loadout included my Moleskine journal, pen, debit cards and license, iPhone and BeatsX headphones. That case plus my keys is everything I’d need in a typical day, and there was something quite comforting in having to check only one place instead of my pants pockets and jacket to make sure I had everything. I removed the snap-in, zipper billfold after a few days since I never really carry cash, cutting down on the weight and thickness, a bit. I thought it was brilliant that both the inner billfold and the strap were both removable, offering a surprising amount of customization.

The snap-down cord holder is a nice touch and did a fine job of holding my earphones in place.

The fine construction of this case feels as if it could withstand many months of abuse, and I wasn’t shy with throwing it on my car seat, desk or shopping basket. The exterior looks like it would age well and take on a rugged look with each mark and scar inflicted on its surface, the way leather is intended.

Conclusion

The Mod Mobile case is gorgeous, well made and feels like it would last a good, long time under regular use. But is it worth the $250 asking price? Like any other premium product, you’d have to weigh the price against its usefulness and longevity. And I would say it delivers on both counts.

The Mod Mobile 2 is now available from This Is Ground for $250. It comes in five color choices and monogram option.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by This Is Ground. Please visit their site for more information.

 

Product Information

Price: $250.00
Manufacturer: This Is Ground
Pros:
  • Superior build quality and beautiful materials
  • Removable strap and billfold allows for some customization
Cons:
  • Pricey for the size and functionality of it
  • Could be a bit larger, or a bit smaller

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This Is Ground Mod Mobile 2 review originally appeared on on March 17, 2017 at 7:27 am.

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Toffee Commuter Satchel review

I’m a huge fan of backpacks and bags of all kinds, and one of my favorite bags with a shoulder strap is the Mission Rucksack by Toffee. I loved bringing that on the plane, but I have started using my iPad less and less, and I usually just bring my MacBook Pro on trips now. Toffee’s new Commuter Satchel is made for a 13 or 15-inch laptop, so I was excited to be able to try it out and see how it compared to the previous Toffee bag I loved.

My old Toffee bag still looks great after over three years, and that is with trips locally and across the country on a plane. The Commuter Satchel is made of the same tough waxed canvas, leather trim, and a similar design, but the satchel has a few very nice modifications that was happy to see.

The shoulder strap is sturdy and durable, with an adjustable canvas pad. This definitely helped keep the shoulder strap from digging into my shoulder, and was necessary with the extra weight a larger bag can carry. I consider myself an average height for a woman, and it fit me with about six inches of strap that could be extended.

Other than fitting my MacBook, the design change I liked best was having a magnetic clasp to keep the flap held down. It is so much easier to get in and out of the satchel compared to the old bag, which used buckles that you had to manually adjust. Of course, it is easier to accidentally open the flap now as well, but I would prefer that to the buckles.

The backside of the satchel has a zippered compartment, which I used mainly for my phone and smaller items that could easily fall out of the main area of the satchel. The zippers are sturdy, well made, and easy to use, and there was room for my Kindle or 8-inch tablet if I had wanted.


When you open the front flap, you’ll find two small pouches, a large pouch with a sleeve for a 13″ laptop, and another zippered compartment. There is plenty of space inside for a MacBook, iPad Air, and one or two magazines. I could fit a Kindle and an 8-inch tablet within the smaller pouches, and with the flap closed, I never worried about them falling out. The full dimensions of the satchel are approximately 14.1″ x 10.6″ x 2.3″.


The satchel is just big enough that I can toss a sketchbook in with some colored pencils as well as my MacBook, or perhaps a drawing tablet and MacBook if I wanted to go out of the house to do a bit of art. The inside is nice and padded, especially around the laptop compartment, and you can snap the compartment closed to keep your laptop from moving around too much. Even with the padding, it’s big enough to be versatile to use, but small enough that you won’t be filling it up and hurting your shoulder with the weight of the bag.

I used the inner zippered pocket to hold coins, cash, and my wallet. Since tossing my crossbody purse into the bag would have taken up room, I just moved everything into the satchel and used it as if it were an EDC bag. It definitely worked very well, as I loved the look and feel of this bag.


Overall, I really liked the Commuter Satchel by Toffee. The look, feel, and usability of this bag is great, and I can carry my MacBook around without being paranoid that it will be damaged. If I find myself carrying around an EDC bag regularly, this would be my go-to bag. Since I know the quality is top notch, I would not hesitate to recommend the Commuter Satchel to anyone looking for a solid laptop bag for their every day needs.

Source: The sample used in this review was provided by Toffee. Please visit their website for more information.

 

Product Information

Price: $154.50
Manufacturer: Toffee
Pros:
  • Sturdy and well made
  • Laptop compartment very padded
  • Looks very stylish
Cons:
  • None

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Toffee Commuter Satchel review originally appeared on on March 16, 2017 at 8:13 am.

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