The First Step Is Admitting It

By Tara Richter…

Hello, my name is Tara, and I’m recovering pack-a-holic; that is to say, I chronically over packed when I travelled “just in case” I needed some article of clothing, or extra toiletries etc. As it I only ever used 20% of my stuff, 80% percent of the time.

The eBags Packing Cubes arrived just before I took a weekend trip out of town for my son’s sport tournament. I figured it would be the perfect time to see if they really made that much of a difference. I had my doubts that I’d be able to fit everything I needed into these grasshopper-green packing cubes (small, medium & large). I placed all my toiletries in the small, underwear, socks and swim-gear in the medium, and the remainder of my clothes (pants, shirts etc) in the large. After neatly folding and putting it all in the cube, I couldn’t’ believe it! Not only did it all fit – I even and EXTRA space. Of course it wouldn’t allow me to over pack and I did have to think more seriously about what I ‘needed’ to bring; namely the 20% rule. The cubes easily fit in my suitcase (equivalent of the carry on size). The best part was arriving at the hotel, and “unpacking” my suitcase to easily access everything I needed without having to rummage through the entire suitcase. Even with downsizing significantly the amount of stuff I brought, I still didn’t use it all!

It’s no wonder that the eBags Packing cubes are recommend by 98% of over 14,000 reviews. With 8 colours to choose from (aquamarine, black, canary, denim, eggplant, grasshopper, peony, raspberry and tangerine) it makes coordinating colours for different types of contents, or even different family members a breeze. The mesh top part of the bag allows for ventilation as well as easy identification of the contents (eliminating the dreaded rummaging through suitcases like I used to do). Of course you certainly aren’t limited to using these handy cubes only for travel. They make organization of home contents easy too (all those extra sheets, pillow cases, towels, blankets, craft supplies, toiletries) or just about anything you can think of. At just $29.99 for a set of 3 of these bags, it makes it an affordable piece of travel gear, and one that you can certainly get a few sets of to make the best use.

Large purses are super trendy, and up until very recently I, myself used one on a daily basis. The downside to these large bags is that they become a deep abyss of darkness whose contents cause it to literally be a mixed bag of goodies. This deep cavern made retrieving my ringing phone near impossible on multiple occasions. Now I only use the stylish and practical Piazza Day Bag from eBags. I absolutely LOVE how there are so many compartments that allow all of my stuff to have its own place – making everything super easy to find. The main compartment features a zippered wall pocket and two elastic pouch pockets – making it perfect to carry camera, sunglasses, wallet and other bulky items. The front flap with magnetic enclosure provides further storage space and a zippered pocket on the backside allows for quick access to everyday items like your phone (no more frantic searching as its ringing).

One of my favourite features is the adjustable strap that I can easily place cross-wise over my body. I find this extremely valuable when I’m out shopping or getting groceries since I don’t have to worry about someone snatching my valuables from the cart. This feature would also make the Piazza Day Bag ideal for travelling and navigating busy airports.

The large purse I used to carry didn’t have any type of enclosure or zipper which created chaos on more than one occasion as the contents spilled while slamming the brakes on in the car. In contrast, the Piazza Day Bag has numerous zippered compartments that keep things separate and in place. It even has a side-zippered pocket to carry a water bottle. I thought that was highly impractical until, of course, I needed a place to put my water bottle in order to have both hands to carry my two year old niece. While at first glance, the Piazza Day Bag would appear too small to carry your “purse” belongings, however I was surprised as I transferred everything over, including my iPad, that not only did everything fit but it did so in an extremely organized way. The best part was that there were still pockets/pouches I hadn’t even made use of. While I may take out the large purse for certain occasions, or grab a small clutch purse for a fancy night out, the Piazza Day Bag is perfect for the everyday needs that I need.

The Piazza Day Bag comes in eight great colours: black, eggplant, espresso, plumberry, sandstone, navy, cherry and my favorite, teal. This functional, versatile, stylish and practical bag is available for $39.99.

It is apparent that the design and function of each eBag is carefully thought out, and make sense for the person using it. As it turns out this company readily includes feedback from reviews of people and incorporates people’s ideas into them into the design so that the best functionality of the bag is achieved. I know I personally found this in my Piazza Day Bag as I would think, “Wouldn’t it be great it there was a pocket for ‘this’, and then discover that in fact that exact feature already existed in the bag such as a key ring, a small pouch for lip-gloss and other small items, elastic pocket for my check book, and so on. This company really does pride itself on the design and quality of their bags and as every private label product comes with a lifetime guarantee. The amount of selection on the ebags.com is simply amazing. There really is something for everyone and for every type of need. I’m already looking to replace my drab, worn out messenger with something far more stylish and practical. I know eBags will have exactly what I’m looking for.