Gear Review: Lat 56 Traveller Bag

Last April, I did a review of a garment bag from Scottish bag maker Lat 56. The have just introduced a new line of bags and have sent me three for review. I’ll do about one a month just to space them out.

The first to be reviewed is the Lat 56 Traveller Bag. It is a part of their new Urban Warrior collection.

Measuring 11” x 9.8” x 3.9”  (28cm x 25cm x 10cm) and weighing 1.1 lbs (520g), the Traveller Bag is designed to fit the Apple Ipad but will hold a netbook up to 10.2” as well as smaller sized tablets or e-readers.

The outside of the bag is made of EVA foam (sort of a rubbery plastic) and 600d nylon.

Inside the main compartment of the bag are two smaller, zippered pockets and one snap closing cellphone pocket. (Note, my Iphone5 in a hugging case wouldn’t fit.) There is also the main Ipad/Netbook compartment that has a snap closure and red velvet lined memory foam on the front, back and bottom to protect your device.

Inside the front cover of the bag is a mesh lined zipper compartment.

The rear of the bag has a compartment with a hideaway zipper pull.

A detachable padded shoulder strap is included. There is also a grab handle at the top of the bag.

The zippers are not lockable but the zipper pulls have numerous holes allowing them to be clipped together. They are also lined to resist water.

I was able to fit my Nexus 7 (in a padded cache) and wireless bluetooth keyboard into the memory foam lined compartment. The snap hook closure is attached to a thick elastic band so I could pull it out to snap. I was also able to put my Kindle in the front compartment at the same time. A portable charger would also fit in the front compartment.

For the true onebagger, this would probably not be a good choice because it holds it’s shape very well and would take up too much room in your carry-on. However, for those of you who travel with one bag and a personal item, and are looking for a sturdy, well designed shoulder/messenger bag, then this should be considered.

The company that makes the bag refers to it as a “man bag” and I can see why. With it’s tough looking, high tech appearance, it would fit in many different scenarios from leisure travel to executive use. No one is going to refer to this as a “murse.”

The addition of the memory foam at the bottom of the tablet compartment adds an additional layer of protection against thieves who may slice the bottom of bags.

Lat 56 Traveller Bag is currently on sale for $119/£79. Made in China.

Comments

[Been There. Done That.]

I purchased this bag after reading the above review. While I have many shoulder day bags that work well for me on the road, they tend to be pretty casual looking. Every time I try to get something more "urbane" for city travel (usually in leather) it still ends up looking like a so-called "murse" and eventually gets expropriated by my wife.

Well, this bag definitely makes the grade as a "man bag" from an appearance standpoint. I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit of LAT56's two young Scottish founders and really wanted to like this bag. Unfortunately, having now given it some road testing I just can't recommend it. As a TRAVEL bag it is over-designed and over-engineered. Tiny zip pockets that won't handle much beyond business cards. The Ipad section will accommodate only a naked Ipad or one with the slimmest possible case. You can fit a good amount of loose stuff in the scooped out rubber front but the enclosure is still kind of clunky and the zippered mesh lining holding this stuff in place is unlikely to last long without tearing.

I will still use it as a day bag for Ipad and small electronic adjuncts. However, as my designated "personal item" for long haul air travel and daytime jaunts it is entirely unsuitable.