Baggallini Women's 2.0 Convertible Backpack with RFID Protection - Sterling Shimmer (One Size US) | Stylish Travel Bag for Work, Commuting & Everyday Use

Baggallinis used to be my favorite bags. I have the original version of this bag that's at least 20 years old (the Urban backpack became the Metro). The styling used to be cool. Now they're kind of boring, generic.This is the perfect size for traveling. Enough room to keep my wallet, passport, water bottle, a snack, and a few extra things. I love that it can be a sling or backpack too!I thought this bag was way too expensive, but I decided to splurge and purchase one, thinking it would be high quality, at least. After only a few uses, one of the seams had already started coming apart. Unfortunately, this happened after the 30 day window for return/replacement. No one at Amazon was able to help me with this situation, other than to just give me a $10 promo code for my disappointment.I returned it because it is much smaller then portrayed in the photo. It’s almost kid sized and there is barely any space to get my cell phone wallet and keys in!Photo with soda can for scale.On the very small side for a backpack, smaller than my actual purse. Not up to usual Baggallini design.This backpack purse idea is a nice combo if you like to wear your purse on your back sometimes.It has a clever strap that can unzip and become a backpack. But I have a bit problem with this, because when you unzip it you have half a zipper on each side, and it really rubs against you.Pros:Can be a backpack or a sling bag.Well made.Interior has nice pockets.There is a center zippered pocket large enough for a small wallet.Cons:Backpack strap rubs because it is half an unzipped zipper.Unzips too far down, stuff falls out.You better be pretty small to use it as a crossbody bag, and better not be too gifted in the bosom area.I would never put a credit card in that front part, because it flops over when you open it and all it takes is for that slot to become loose and it will fall out.Note on Baggallini:I am a big fan of Baggallini bags in general. I own three of the same version of their handbag and rotate them. I am one of those people who hates changing out purses, as I have a place for everything in one design. They can be washed in the washing machine (I put them in a lingerie bag) and then drip dried. Considering where we put our purses all the time, this is a big plus. The fabric for these is a thick nylon, that wipes clean pretty easily. I find a bag will easily last me 2 years of constant use.Fair disclosure, I am a huge fan of Baggallini but not a huge fan of backpack style purses. My teen daughter, however, loves them so she convinced me to give this a try.The best I can describe this is a purse who wanted to be a backpack for Halloween. I can't really say when it wanted to grow up because it's honestly just not big enough.Although this has the typical Baggallini quality -- made from recyclable materials with the typical water resistant fabric. The zippers work smoothly and easily without catching. I was unable to find any manufacturing flaws. This has plenty of zipped and open pockets, and the standard three credit card slots, although three is not enough for me so I end up carrying a wallet on top of the built in slots. The slots are rfid protected, but in my situation, the only time my information has been stolen has been from businesses so I feel this is still in the hype category.The issue is that it's not really convenient as either a purse or a backpack. It is too small to carry a notebook or standard tablet. The straps zip apart to work as a backpack or together to work as a sling purse, and are not particularly comfortable in either case. There is none of the locking zippers that the theft deterrent versions are so proud of, so it's not ideal for travel. The zipper on the front pocket will not zip or unzip completely without attention to what you're doing.An inch larger would have made it more utilitarian as a backpack, an inch smaller would have made it more stylish as a purse. I feel that in trying to do both, it does neither well.This is my first Baggallini purse but I have family who have purchased them before. I was always impressed by the quality so I thought I would give it ago and try one. When I first opened my backpack I was impressed by how well it was put together. You can tell by just looking at it that it is good quality. The stitching is well done and perfect in all visible locations. The bag itself is made out of some really nice durable vinyl type fabric. It reminds me of like waterproof canvas. It wipes off like a dream and when you have a toddler around that is a great feature. For the same reason the fabric is really durable. You aren’t going to snag it on anything, it isn’t going to run and you won’t damage it if you drop the bag a few times. Overall I love when higher end bags are made of more durable materials. The strap is nice and long and I was able to wear it more like a crossbody type bag across my back. The straps are also pretty long and due to the nature of the zipper on them don’t shorten nearly to the level that most backpack purses do. So keep that in mind if you have a really short torso or plan to give this to someone younger.My only real complaint is that I prefer backpack purses to wearing it as a sling purse. For this reason I always have the zipper open and as you can imagine zippers aren’t that soft. So it does tend to catch on things that are sweater fabric. The zipper isn’t that soft as well so if it happens to rub against your neck or shoulders it isn’t really that pleasant. While I know what they were trying to accomplish by making this bag convertible I don’t think it was super successful. Overall I do like the bag but I have to pick and choose what I am wearing when I use it.I've used Baggallini bags for many years, and this one also fits my needs perfectly. It may look small, but in reality it holds a lot of stuff. When using the straps for a backpack, it does hang a bit low, but that doesn't bother me. All-in all, it's a great little bag. I highly recommend it.