Review on The Sak Ventura 2-in-1 Convertible Backpack and Handbag by Michelle Ortiz

I bought these a few days before my trip to New Zealand. This bag fits quite a lot of things and is not an awkward size to carry around. The leather is very soft and I've found it to wrinkle and age a little as you ride, giving it a uniquely worn look towards the end. I wanted a backpack style day trip bag so I could carry slightly bulkier items like a light jacket and a book without weighing it down on one shoulder like a crossbody bag. My main pack was a travel backpack, which of course would be at odds with a daypack on travel days, and I didn't want to take more than a wallet on this trip. This convertible bag was the perfect solution. I usually wore it as a backpack for day trips and then swapped it out for a shoulder bag on travel days when I needed to carry a backpack. I only have 2 very minor complaints. First, the hand straps and top handle on the bag are one-piece. So if the bag is in the shape of a backpack and you lift it off the ground by the top handle, the top handle will extend for a very long time, turning the bag into a shoulder bag. I wish there was an independent top handle so I could grab the strap to easily lift the bag off the floor without pulling on the 12 inch strap. My second complaint is that the straps are very easy to adjust - too easy. I have found that when I wear it as a crossbody bag the straps pull when the bag is overloaded with too many things causing the bag to fall to the side of my leg until the strap is fully extended. In other words, the length adjusters didn't hold up when carrying a shoulder bag with too many items. It was annoying to constantly adjust the straps so that the bag touched my hip instead of bouncing off the bottom of my legs when walking. I haven't experimented much yet, but this problem is easily solved by putting a safety pin on the strap to keep the adjuster from slipping past it. Overall this bag was perfect despite these two very small imperfections. for my trip and I will definitely benefit from it in the future.