The Must Have Carry-On Bag

When it comes to traveling, I have a strong requirement that all of my carry-on bags must not only be aesthetic, but must also be functional as well. What’s the point of bringing a bag along with you on a trip if it isn’t going to put in some work for you? However when it comes to shopping for travel friendly bags, not many meet that mark. I’ve gone through my fair share of bags but while most check off one of the requirements, the majority of them fall short of hitting both. Gorgeous bags are easy to come by, but ensuring that they’re working hard for you is a total other question.

On my recent trip to Paris, I had the pleasure of testing out Poppy and Peonies’ Brooklyn Backpack (I have the blush shade, but it also comes in black) to determine whether or not it was fit for a frequent traveler. What may look like your regular fashion backpack that’s great for everyday actually comes packed with a ton of features that transform it into the ultimate carry-on bag.

Have you ever struggled with your bags falling off of the top of your carry-on luggage when you’re rolling your way through the airport while locating your gate? I know, I know, it’s the worst, and it’s ridiculously annoying. I’ve had it with all of the times that my bags have swung off of my luggage and hit me on the back of my knees, only to almost knock me off of my feet. And the funny thing is, the fix is so simple that I’m surprised that I’ve yet to see any other brands pick up on this idea! The back of each Brooklyn Backpack is fitted with a slip-through panel that makes it simple to slide over the handle of your luggage, which fixes it in place. Ta-dah! It’s that simple! And it makes all of the difference. Sometimes it’s the small things that count, and it’s crazy how functional the bag becomes with the simple addition of a slip-through panel. But enough about that part of the bag. There are so many other components that make it the perfect travel companion.

Besides the slip-through panel, one of my favourite aspects of the bag are the various quick access pockets scattered throughout the exterior of the big. Another huge pain of traveling is all of the various paperwork that you’re stuck with carrying around. Between your luggage tags, to your passport, to your flight tickets, to your declaration papers, it can be tricky to maneuver your way through the airport without dropping something at least once! But with the various checkpoints that you have to cross, the problem isn’t as easily solved as simply sliding away the paperwork into your bag. I’m always in need of pockets that are easily accessible so that my hands are free to hold all of my bags. With two pockets on the front (one zip, one exposed) and another open pocket on the back of the bag, I never find myself struggling to store and take out my paperwork at ease.

And though there are two compartment on either side of the bag that are designed to house water bottles (let’s be real, I always forget to bring an empty one with me, so I never use it that way), I often find myself shoving in the smaller things such as elastic bands, hair elastics, napkins (this girl is a messy eater!), and anything else that I’m not too afraid of potentially losing. Seriously, this bag has all of the compartments that you would ever need and more!

Those that love to keep the innards of their bags organized will also really appreciate the many mesh pockets and zipped compartments built in the interior. I never once lost my lip balm amongst my various knick knacks. There is literally a compartment for each and every single thing that you can think of. I can store my wallet in one, my keys in another, and my bus pass in a separate one. I’m not lying when I said that there’s a pocket for every thing that you can stuff into your bag! But the biggest kicker? Is that this beautifully designed backpack not only carries your entire life and knick-knacks, but that it also has a laptop compartment. How is this not already blowing your mind?! With this bag alone, I can carry anything that I would need to survive. Seriously. Whenever I travel, besides clothes, I can fit all of my essentials along with my electronics. I’ve often found that I even have enough space to pack in an emergency set of clothes—god forbid that some airline looses my check-in luggage.

If all of that hasn’t already sold you on the bag, the one last thing that I’ll share is that Poppy and Peonies is a vegan brand that produces beautifully designed bags without ever compromising your never-ending love for animals. And although I may be partnering with them to showcase my favourite selection from their wide range, I’ve long-since been a big fan of the brand and have so many different bags in my repertoire (psst! Many of them have joined me on my adventures around the world). Below are some of my absolute faves if a backpack isn’t quite your style:

Cali Crossbody

This crossbody is the perfect “throw-it-on-and-go” type of bag with a beautiful pop of colour. Remember when I mentioned a few posts back that yellow is the new colour trend of the season? Well this bag will set you up to be perfectly on trend! It’s also relatively roomy in the sense that you could easily fit a point-and-shoot into the bag and still have leftover space for your other belongings.

Have My ❤

This bag! If I can say anything about this bag, it is that it is absolute perfection and the definition of cuteness. I’ve never seen another bag as adorable as this one without looking tacky. I can’t even remember the last time that I had a heart-shaped bag, probably when I was in kindergarten. So to fall in love with this bag is a huge surprise for me. I particularly love this bag for traveling since it’s so structured, that it’s great as a storage solution for fragile objects. All you have to do, is to wrap up whatever you’re trying to transport in a shirt of some sort and then throw it into the bag for safekeeping. I can’t even count on my two hands the times that we’ve done this to a success!

Darling

If hearts are too much for you, another one that I highly recomend is their Darling bag in yellow. Not only is the structure of this bag super conducive for transporting fragile goods, but it’s also available in the season’s hottest colour—yellow. It also comes in a pale pink, along with an even paler pink and encrusted with faux pearls. Whatever the colour and embelishments, I just know that this bag had to be mine as soon as I laid my eyes on it.

Cabana Circle Towel

Although this may not be a bag, the towel is too cute to pass up! I know that many of you are curently on vacation to a warm destination where you can swim. For those of us that prefer to lay on the beach, why not do it in style? I’m a huge supporter of doing things differently, so when I saw that this towel was circle instead of a rectangle, I immediately became smitten with it. Peter and I brought this blanket with us to Spain while we were traveling, and it served us well on the sandy beaches of Alicante!

Photography Credits: The Dunk Listt
This post was sponsored by Poppy and Peonies, however all views are 100% honest and my own.