Buying A Good Bag

From a cheap canvas bag to an expensive designer bag, choosing a bag to suit your needs isn’t always an easy task. Bags come in all types, sizes and colors. There are specialized bags for all kinds of activities from golf bags to evening bags. Bags know no gender or age, from the baby’s diaper bag to leather purses for women to messenger bags that can be used by both men and women. Regardless of the kind of bag you need, all bags have some features in common. This article will discuss some of these features to help you select just the right bag for you.

Think before you shop

Take a minute to figure out what kind of bag you need and what some of its basic features should be. For example, a beach bag should be waterproof, as should luggage and travel bags. Waterproof bags have many applications. An athlete who plays an outdoor sport like football definitely needs to keep the items in his sports bag dry. Try your best to determine what size bag you need: a carry on airline travel bag has specific size requirements. A tote bag should be big, boxy and roomy and may or may not have a clasp and interior compartments.

Features to look for in your bag

When shopping for a bag, make sure you consider the following features:

• Size and shape; hard or soft
• Materials
• Type of zippers
• Pockets and compartments – interior and exterior
• Stitching
• Designer or manufacturer
• Straps and handles
• Wheels, locks, hardware and other accessories

Size and shape: hard or soft

These features are especially important for luggage. As mentioned earlier, there are specific size restrictions for carry on luggage. Luggage can be hard-sided or soft-sided. Hard-sided luggage is more durable, soft-sided luggage is less cumbersome to handle. You may want to purchase a couple of different sizes of travel bags so you’ll be ready for that quick weekend jaunt or multi-week odyssey.

Materials

Most bags are made from some type of fabric. Canvas bags are environmentally sound because they’re often made from cotton, a natural fiber. Many people use canvas bags at the grocery store rather than paper or plastic. For luggage, duffel bags and sport bags nylon is a good choice. Ballistic nylon is light and strong, resists tears and soil and has enough “give” to withstand over packing. For smaller bags like totes, handbags and cosmetic bags, leather is a popular material. Leather is also the widely used in designer bags. Leather has a luxurious look and feel and is also very durable. The best leather is vat dyed, with the color permeating the entire thickness of the leather. Handles and straps are often made from strong nylon webbing. Closed cell foam can reinforce some bags, giving them structure and dimension. Strong multi-ply polyester thread assures that the bag will stay together.

Type of zippers

There are two types of zippers: coil and toothed. A coil zipper is self-repairing if it separates but isn’t as strong as a toothed zipper. Choose a bag with toothed zippers on the outside – especially if the bag will be overstuffed. The zippers on a quality bag should operate smoothly and never stick or catch. Zipper materials are generally metal or plastic, with metal being the material of choice. When buying luggage, look for dual pulls on each exterior zipper to facilitate locking.