Haiku by Sharon Eisenhauer To Go Bag 2

I got this bag in the raspberry. It's really beautiful. I had an original To Go Bag, the one with the really big side pockets, that I got as a "toddler diaper bag" or to hold a small netbook + regular handbag items. I've worn it into the ground for almost 3 years (I'm a one-bag kind of girl, so I'm talking about daily use). I got compliments on it ALL the time. The To Go bags are a great size: big enough that you can pack a ton of stuff in them, but not so big that it looks like you're carrying luggage around with you or feel like you're carrying a mostly-empty bag if you're not carry a ton of stuff. So, looking for a new bag, my first thought was to get another To Go. I ordered the To Go 2 and a "later generation To Go Bag 1," currently listed on Zappos as "Haiku by Sharon Eisenhauer To-Go Shoulder Bag." The To Go 2 is beautiful and very thoughtfully designed. It's sleeker and more vertical than the previous versions. It's also bigger on the inside than other versions, and easily holds my 11.6" MacBook Air. The later generation To Go 1 also holds the MBA, but not nearly as easily. (It doesn't fit into the earlier generation To Go 1 at all.) BUT: I'm keeping the later-generation To Go Bag 1, and here's why: I really like having the side pockets, and they've been eliminated in the To Go 2. Despite feeling "over-pocketed" when I first got my original To Go Bag, those side pockets ended up being always, always used: water bottle in one and umbrella in the other on day trips, sunglasses in one and keys in another on a trip to the grocery store, etc. In the later generation To Go Bag 1, the pockets have been downsized from the earlier generation, but they're still present. I think the interior water bottle holder is great... but one nice thing about the exterior side pockets is that they made it possible to segregate wet items (umbrellas, water bottles w/condensation) from the interior of the bag--where I tend to carry a lot of water-sensitive items. One other thing (just in case Sharon Eisenhauer reads this, ha!). I have a bit of a love/hate with the yellow lining. It's beautiful and incredibly cheerful, and in general I like contrasting and/or colorful lining, and it looked great with the raspberry color, but I wish there was an alternative option for those of us who don't necessarily want to commit to a yellow floral pattern (especially those of us one-bag types who will conceivably use the bag every day for 3 years.) That's particularly the case with the black one, where I'd imagine there's a chance that whatever leads someone to choose a black bag might also lead them to skip a black-and-yellow bag.

I'd also recommend: Sherpani, Kipling