Favorite day bag/purse

My first trip I took the tom bihn parental unit, which I love for all the pockets, but it was just too big.

https://www.tombihn.com/collections/shoulder-bags/products/parental-unit?variant=42617482576061

Next, I tried the tom bihn small café, but hate the open back compartment and lack of pockets. My sister uses this one and likes it.

https://www.tombihn.com/collections/shoulder-bags/products/small-cafe-bag?variant=42699297063101#description

Now I’m using the tom bihn icon, and it’s working pretty well, but I wish it had a few more internal pockets.

https://www.tombihn.com/collections/shoulder-bags/products/icon?variant=31270249758783

Almost forgot I also tried the tom bihn side kick, which I love for all the pockets, but it is a tad too small.

https://www.tombihn.com/collections/shoulder-bags/products/side-kick?variant=8932411539519

Good luck in your search!!!

I use a nylon crossbody purse by Tumi. It is about medium sized and sits pretty flat against my front.

I've found my Harvey Seatbelt bag to be a really good bag/purse while traveling. I use mine as a crossbody, but the strap is adjustable so it could also be a shoulder bag. The seatbelt fabric is incredibly tough and well wearing and I've had people stop me in the street when traveling to ask where I got it and it's nearly 10 years old at this point (but the company still sells 'em)! I also really like it for travel since it just has one zipper on the outside, so easy to manage if in an area/situation where pickpockets are a concern. Inside, there is a pocket on each side, one zippered and one not. Otherwise it's wide open inside, which works well for carrying everything from a water bottle, book, lunch, to stuffing a jacket or sweater in there. Size wise it's about 12" wide and less than that tall, so not huge.

The closest I can find on their website right now is the one below, which is the same size and pattern as mine, but mine is all grey. I'm not bold enough to for this pattern. You can also find Harvey's on sale at other stores (I got mine at Fireworks Gallery here in the PNW), and Ebay...

https://shopharveys.com/collections/crossbody/products/messenger-ltd-bowl-a-rama

I've also used a small and a medium Tom Bihn cafe bag before, both worked well for me. The last few trips I've taken one of my Rough & Tumble city safaris. They do have interior organization and can three way carry, which I appreciate.

My favorite is a Baggallini bag. It is a crossbody and made of super light weight nylon. There are a bunch of different styles, but my favorite is the Hobo. It has a water bottle pocket on each end, enough pockets to be useful, comes in lots of colors. You can get them from Amazon and usually from TJ Maxx or Marshall's or used on Ebay or Mercari.

I have an Eagle Creek purse that is very practical and lightweight. however, I am not sure if it's made anymore. Take a look at Sea to Summit bags. They are very lightweight though not that cheap.

I haven't tested it yet, but I recently bough this Travelon bag for my upcoming August trip.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E5JKUY2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

I used to use the Tom Bihn Medium Cafe Bag and had planned on using it on this trip, but now intend to use the Tom Bihn Side Kick. It's on the small side so it might not work for you, but I don't bring much with me - just passport, wallet, small notebook and pen, and collapsible water bottle. If I'm planning on doing any shopping, I will bring a packable tote with me.

I will say I love the TB Medium Cafe Bag - it makes a great day bag, imo, but it's almost gotten too big for me.

Carrie, I almost bought the TB Icon, but backed out at the last minute when I realized it didn't have a top zipper. Don't know why but that was a dealbreaker for me. I do love the other zippers, though and the pockets.

I carry a Kipling Alvar crossbody bag
https://www.kipling-usa.com/alvar-crossbody-bag/HB4061.html?dwvar_HB4061_color=437#uuid=bebQsiaagZZtUaaadaBo73XvcP

I like this purse because it is compact, lightweight, has a tether for keys and an interior zippered pocket. I don’t carry a lot when I travel and I rarely carry a water bottle when I am just sightseeing. This purse could handle a small water bottle, but not a larger one. There are some larger Kipling bags if a large water bottle is a neccessity.

I like my Travelon cross body bags which have side pockets for water bottle and/or umbrella and little clips for securing the main zippers.
They come in a variety of sizes and colors and are quite durable.

Thanks, everyone, for your helpful suggestions!

What Laura said. I really like the Kipling Alvar bag.

I carry a Kipling Alvar crossbody bag.

I like Kipling bags - I have a crossbody bag that my daughter absconded with and a large tote (great bag but can't use it as a personal item as it's a black hole). My granddaughter loves the monkey keychain that is on every bag, so for Christmas I got her a small crossbody bag that she loves.

You can almost always find then at Sierra for deeply discounted prices - that's where I've bought mine. https://www.sierra.com/s~kipling/

After years with large PacSafe bags (too heavy) and an assortment of Baggalinis (the straps always shift on my neck), my daughter recently introduced me to Baggu. I’m in the Netherlands now with the fanny pack in black and white pixel gingham (looks a bit like houndstooth) and I’m wearing it as a crossbody sling bag - Perfection! The fabric is super light, but water resistant and very durable and the extra long adjustable strap is very comfortable. I have been wearing this all day, everyday for the last ten days without the hint of a neck ache. I’ve even ridden bikes a few times and it stays in place.

Between the two outer pockets I can fit an iphone, small first aid/med bag (with an epi-pen), sunglasses in a hard case, a transit card case, lipstick, hand sanitizer, tissue pack, moleskine note book, small pencil case, reusable cloth shopping bag and my extra phone charger. I could fit a small water bottle in the larger pocket if I left one or two things out. (I like to carry a water bottle in my jacket pocket.) When I travel, I wear an extra small PacSafe crossbody wallet under my outer layer for all of my valuables. So, no cash, cards or passport in my day bag.

Edited to fix link

After carrying a larger bag on trips for many years, I decided earlier this year that I really needed to find something smaller. I rarely used stuff I was dragging around all day.

This is what I chose, and used on my trip to Portugal last month. It worked really well, and my favorite detail is the hidden slip pocket at the top for my phone.
https://www.baggallini.com/modern-pocket-crossbody/POK730-BG.html

Just a normal Fossil Leather cross-body bag, with a zipper top, make sure any crossbody you get has a zippered top closure.
I like one large inside bin with a small zippered pocket, and one to two outside pockets for things I want to access frequently and do not want to have to unzip the large pocket where my money is. So in the outside pocket is my sunglasses, lip balm, hair ties, maybe a metro pass. I might also stop before a museum entrance and transfer any paper ticket I have to that outside pocket so again, no need to be opening the big zippered pocket. That purse stays on my 24/7, even when I eat.

Every night I dump the purse out and restock it with what is needed for the next day, which could include topping off the cash in my wallet, adding any tickets needed, maps etc.

I bought a Tom Bihn small cafe bag for a trip last month and it worked very well. I was concerned about the contents falling out but it was no problem. I used a mini clear organizer pouch that hooked to the bag for my cash. I just ordered another small size pouch to hold miscellaneous items for my next trip. The bag looked good and was more rugged than a purse for hiking/walking.

https://www.tombihn.com/collections/shoulder-bags/products/small-cafe-bag?variant=42699297063101#description

Thanks again, everybody! I ordered the Kipling Alvar. I found it in grey only for 50% off at Macy’s.

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/kipling-handbag-alvar-crossbody-bag?ID=15809984&CategoryID=26846

Discount good only for today.

I now remember buying a couple of “black hole” Kipling totes in some funky patterns whenever I’d go through a European duty free. I think I’ve donated them when I was decluttering my house. ☹️

WOW! I just looked at all the Kipling bags on sale at Macy’s.
This forum is great because if it weren’t for the info here, I wouldn’t have known I “needed” a new bag.
Thanks (?) everyone.

The Kipling Alvar is also $50 on amazon in other colors😊

https://www.amazon.com/Kipling-Cross-Body-Bag-Blue/dp/B083YCPSPP/ref=asc_df_B083YCPSPP/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=508337741181&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6897710538983592772&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012509&hvtargid=pla-944094370229&th=1

It looks like the Kipling sale is still going on at Macy's - don't know if it's the same one but the Alver bag is $39.48 and lots of other Kipling bags are discounted. https://www.macys.com/shop/featured/kipling

Wow Mardee, some of those are marked waaay down! I keep forgetting about Macy's since they closed the nearest one to me and working from home since covid I don't buy "work clothes" anymore.

I bought a Travelon crossbody bag in black. It's OK - but not all water bottles fit in the side pocket, and it's a little shallow so they can fall out. Size is nice, I can fit a small umbrella and a sweater or light jacket in there along with all the usual travel stuff. But it's heavy empty and the strap bugs me. So I got a Peak cross body bag. Lightweight nylon, lots of pockets, only thing lacking is a water bottle pocket, but mine fit inside the bag easily enough. Not "slash-proof" like the Travelon but not concerned about that.

https://verabradley.com/products/sling-backpack-34947q39?variant=40841167536172

Love this style of bag. Lightweight, fits a bunch (in NYC I carried a spare pair of shoes!) and can be worn to the front so that all the zippers are under your arm where you can get to them easily but pickpockets can’t!

I keep forgetting about Macy's since they closed the nearest one to me and working from home since covid I don't buy "work clothes" anymore.

roubrat, me too! No more need for work clothes! My law firm was actually located in Macy's corporate headquarters in Cincinnati. But then Macy's decided to move everything to NY, so they sold the building and the tenants left. It was a shame because we did get some nice discounts from them occasionally. :)

I love this bag! I wore it as a crossbody bag, but it can be a backpack. It has lots of pockets and a water bottle pocket. It is inexpensive and held up well.

I have a large Kipling bag (Zelenka) and a small flat Lesportsac bag that I used for travel. I take both with me and use one depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going that day.

The Kipling bag will hold a water bottle, small book/ travel guide and other things and has many pockets to keep items organized.
The LeSportac bag has an inside divider and two outside zip pockets.