Me & My Bag in New Zealand
I think most people can be divided into one of two categories; There are the people who invest their money in a few, good quality items or those who prefer to buy lots of cheap things which can be replaced more regularly. I had always fallen into the second category. For so long I saved every last penny I had to put towards the next trip, that i couldn't justify spending lots of money on things.
Unless said thing was a plane ticket of course.
However, last July I wrote a post Wroclaw: A Quick Guide To Poland's Most Colourful City - and shortly afterwards I was contacted by a lady named Sheila, she had stumbled across my blog post as her grandmother was from Wroclaw and the post resonated with her. Sheila works for Lo & Sons, a family ran company which designs and creates bags of all shapes and sizes. They make everything from camera bags to backpacks, each one not only stylish but lightweight and practical.
Sheila offered to send me a complimentary bag of my choice to try out and potentially feature on my blog if I liked the product, no strings attached. I chose the brown leather Claremont bag which is designed for DSLR cameras. I had been hunting for a stylish camera bag for ages which could also double as a handbag so this was the perfect fit.
That was eleven months ago yet I am only writing about it now. Why? Well, as much as I do enjoy receiving new products to trial and test and play with, I would never recommend anything on my blog which I didn't LOVE. The thing with handbags, or any bag really, is that after a few months they always seem to fall apart. You know yourself, the stitching will come undone in parts or the strap will pull away from the body of the bag. It was for this reason I didn't want to review or promote the bag until I had put it to the test. And I can assure you this bag has been tested to the limit.
Copenhagan
Over the past 11 months, I have travelled throughout various countries, my Lo & Sons bag with me in tow like a loyal companion. This bag has been on and off buses, stuffed into suitcases when my carry-on was over the limit, crammed into overhead lockers and shoved under many seats in front of me. It's sat next to me on the cobbled streets of Ljubljana and protected my camera whilst whizzing down Filipino roads on the back of a motorbike.
It has literally been to over 15 countries in the past year and I am beyond delighted (and a little astonished) that this bag looks just as good as new. It hasn't marked, its kept its shape and there isn't even a hint of deterioration.
Lo & Sons has completely converted me. I am slowly making my way over into the first category where I can see the benefit in investing in quality things and I have slowly allowed myself to spend money on items which I know I will still be using years from now.