*Me:* A cooler-than-average mom (right? RIGHT?) who isn’t particularly girly but likes those rare products that succeed in combining fashion with function. Kids are a bit older so I don’t have to carry diapers anymore. However, as a type 1 diabetic, I have to leave the house with a few more things than the average person. I mostly work at home but commute into an office once per week. I have achieved going completely paperless, relying only on my iPad for work stuff. At 5 feet tall I am considered petite, but am otherwise average. I do have fairly broad shoulders (relative to my size), which can make backpacks (and shirts and jackets) a bit tricky.
*What I Wanted:* A cute bag that was easy to carry around on errands and days away from the house. My crossbody bags were starting to hurt my shoulder and always felt in the way. I wanted something that had the comfort of a backpack but didn’t make me look like I was about to go camping (I have a traditional backpack for times when I need to leave with more stuff). I wanted something that could comfortably carry the basics I need during the day, but also with the option to squeeze in my iPad and Bluetooth keyboard for the rare commute into the office.
*The Purchase:* I decided to give the Kanken Mini a try. I saw one at Urban Outfitters and loved how it looked cool yet functional. And it’s European so that automatically makes it cooler. I started looking online and it immediately became clear that Amazon was NOT a good place for this particular purchase. So many people had ended up with fakes. Thankfully, some people posted excellent videos on YouTube showing how to spot a fake Kanken, so I knew what to look for. I ultimately bit the bullet and got mine from Zappos, an authorized retailer. I paid $67 for the color I wanted (royal blue with pinstripe pattern - neutral but with a little color). After reading reviews, I opted for an older mode Kanken that had been manufactured in Vietnam. This model includes the flag on the label and seems to reduce the odds of getting a fake.
*Unboxing:* The first thing I did when I got my Kanken was look over the bag to make extra sure it was a legitimate Kanken product and not a fake. For example, I looked at the label to make sure it was attached with quality tine and included a colored logo. I checked all the stitching (one sign of a fake is poor-quality stitching), the snaps and zippers (snaps should have a fox on them and the zippers should also include the fox and company name), the internal label, and the overall quality of the material (a real Kanken will be made of a stiff, thick material, whereas fakes are often made of softer, less stiff material). Thankfully, I got a real one.
My overall first-impressions were positive although I was briefly concerned it was too small for my needs. The material is satisfyingly stiff and overall it feels high quality, like something that can be used every day and not show wear easily. Despite it’s overall small appearance on the outside, the inside looked roomy. The bag’s squarish design provides a lot of internal functional space.
*Packing it Up!:* On a typical day when leaving the house (to run errands, traipse around the city, kid outings, etc), I always carry the following in my bag:
* Small bifold wallet
* Omnipod PDM (the remote control for my insulin pump)
* Extra pods (the other half of my insulin pump)
* Some other “diabetes stuff” (vial of insulin, spare syringes, test strips, batteries, a spare sensor for my continuous glucose monitor)
* Fast-acting glucose (several things of smarties, fruit snacks, and Gu gels)
* iPhone 8+ in a LifeProof case
* Charging cables for iPhone and Apple Watch
* Small Bluetooth headphones
* Solar-powered charger (about the same size as an iPhone) (this may seem extreme, but my iPhone doubles as a receiver for my Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, so having it charged at all times is really important)
* Lipgloss (several varieties)
* Small tube of sunscreen
* Work ID and metro card
* Small set of keys
I tried a few different ways to pack up my essentials, and ultimately found it was best to put all small items into little zippered pouches. I found a couple of different ones laying around my house and a couple of other ones for cheap at my local Homegoods store. I will eventually upgrade these, but for now they work for all the small stuff. They also help maximize the internal compartment. Without these pouches, all the small stuff sinks down to the bottom, leaving the upper portion empty. I found the pouches helped use the inside space better.
All these items fit easily in the bag with some room to spare (this kind of surprised me). I could easily add in my sunglasses case, some snacks, and/or a couple of other small items, all without it feeling overpacked.
The iPad was the big test though. I don’t leave the house with this all the time, but wanted a bag in which I could squeeze this in if needed (like when I commute to work or want to go do some reading or work at a coffee shop). My iPad is in a case and I also carry a separate Bluetooth keyboard with it:
Now, the iPad is a little tricky to get into the bag. I have to remove the pouches and put the iPad in the way back so that it’s flush against my back. But it fits, which surprised me:
The iPad definitely makes the bag a bit heavier and more filled, but it fits. I also found that because the main compartment opens up fairly wide, I could get the iPad and keyboard out without having to remove all my other stuff. This was nice.
*Wearing It*
One thing people complained about in reviews is that they felt it looked silly to wear a small backpack. This is somewhat subject to individual opinion, but I didn’t think it looked silly. It is fairly comfortable to wear too. The straps are thin but because it’s a small backpack and not weighed down with a ton of stuff, it’s not uncomfortable. The weight is very evenly distributed too. It took me a few minutes to learn how to adjust the straps, and I found that I had to extend them pretty far to get a comfortable fit.
*What I Like*
* It’s small but it can hold a lot. I do not plan on carrying around my iPad all the time, but it fits and that means I can also use this bag when going into the office.
* The material is sturdy and water resistant.
* It carries all the things I would carry in a purse/crossbody bag, but without getting in my way. Really nice when out running errands, going to the park, etc.
* I love the tote straps. Sometimes it’s just easier to hand-carry the bag and these make that convenient. The backpack straps fold up fairly easily so that they don’t get in the way when carrying by hand.
* It is so much easier than a purse to extract things from this bag! The opening unzips pretty wide, and I’ve found this makes it easier to open up and get what I need quickly. With my cross-body bags, I always find myself digging through them to get what I need. This is REALLY nice.
*What it CAN’T Do (and things I don’t like and things you should be aware of before buying)*
* A water bottle is not going to fit in this thing. The side pockets are small and are only good for small items (like a metro card, snack bar, lipgloss, etc). They also don’t zip, so I wouldn’t put anything of value in there.
* The front pocket is smaller than I expected. My iPhone doesn’t fit in there (but it’s also a plus model sporting a Lifeproof case). I keep my keys and Tile in there, along with a tube of lipgloss.
* There’s no good external pocket for a large phone. Granted, my iPhone is usually in my hand anyway, but if I want to stash it in my bag, I have to put it in the main compartment. This isn’t a huge deal, because it’s easy to locate stuff in the bag, but something to be aware of when purchasing.
* The straps are not padded. This keeps the bag itself light but some may find it uncomfortable when wearing it for long periods of time. Thus far, I’ve only worn it for three hours straight at once (and still found it comfortable).
* If you need to carry more than what I carry, get the classic. I may eventually invest in a classic one as well for longer days out.
* The straps could be longer. This is possibly my biggest beef. I am a petite person with broad shoulders and I find that I have to extend the straps fairly far to get a comfortable fit. I am not sure this bag is going to work when I’m wearing a winter coat. I am not sure if a larger person would be able to use this bag (or maybe my shoulders are freakishly large). I have about 1/4 length of slack left in the straps as currently adjusted for use when wearing a t-shirt.
*How I Plan to Use It*
For the foreseeable future, I think this is going to be my daily go-to bag, including for running errands, going out with the kids, and even commuting to work. It’s functional, cute, and holds the basics. As this thing can also hold my iPad, I am going to use it for commuting into the office as well, but will also carry a small tote bag to hold my lunch, water bottle, and extra shoes (if needed), as those items would definitely not fit in this bag.
