Convertible Backpack

I bought this bag for a 2 week holiday to England -- 1 week in London, 1 week in the country -- with my husband + 2 boys. I needed something bigger than an every-day handbag, but wanted something smaller and nicer looking than a full day-pack. I also wanted something that wasn't frumpy, as so many travel bags seem to be. This bag was perfect. On the 10 hour plane flight, I fit passports, iPod, earbuds, Kindle, extra socks, extra lightweight sweater, lightweight (but big) scarf, snacks for the boys and a magazine in the bag. During the trip, each day I got to play family Sherpa and carried both boys' rain jackets (rolled up fairly small), a small umbrella, more snacks, wallet, small cosmetics bag, small camera, phone, sunglasses, random bits and pieces -- and it all fit! It rained and drizzled a couple of times during the trip (why I didn't want leather or suede) and the fabric was ideal -- not a mark showed up.I alternated between the shoulder bag and the backpack style of wearing it (takes all of 4 seconds to adjust it), depending on where we were and what I felt like. The straps aren't necessarily the type that you'd be psyched to wear for a non-stop 10 hour day with heavy contents -- they're quite thin -- but no problem for our 8 hour days when we would catch a bus or the tube from time to time, or sit down for lunch, plus alternate with the single shoulder mode.The bag itself is lightweight, and the quilted fabric looks stylish. Another consideration was the security of the pockets, which turned out to be great. The front outside pocket is just a little flap with a magnetic snap, but there's a nice subtle zipped pocket on the outside back that was ideal for carrying passports on the plane and through passport control. The major inside compartments (there are 3) are roomy and worked well. The center one (biggest) has a full zip as well as the twist closure at the top that locks in all 3 securely.When we got home 2 weeks ago, I just started using this as my at-home every day bag since I love it so much. Problem is, my mum saw it this past weekend and liked it so much that she asked if she could borrow it for her 4 week trip to Europe that starts this week, so now I'm without my bag! I may just need to buy another.Got the bag in the "mushroom" color, and it is a terrific neutral that has gone beautifully with everything, color-wise.

This is not Dan. It's his wife : ). The bag was good for travel, but not absolutely perfect.Pros:- lightweight but sturdy, hardware not overly heavy as is often the case- couldn't be simpler to switch from shoulder/handbag to backpack- very roomy -- holds a lot, including a cardigan, water bottle, kids' stuff, and all the usual items- attached wallet feature was handy and secure for travel (left the real wallet at home)- very good quality, overallCons:- straps are slightly too narrow/thin/roughly woven, so they don't match the quality of the bag. a slightly thicker (in both width and thickness/density strap would significantly boost the overall look/feel/experience of the purse)- wallet needs a snap or zip coin area!- only 1 easily accessible front pocket, all others require unlatching+unzipping/unsnapping to access (had to decide whether phone or camera went in this one pocket, and constantly had to remove pack to get to the other item!).- a grab handle would be great- straps become frayed and "shreddy" fairly quickly. For a bag this expensive, they should use higher-quality straps

I loved the design of this bag. I bought it for a trip to NYC. However, on the 3rd day, all the hardware started falling off. Had to return it. Given its price, the quality is just not there.

This bag is beautiful inside and out. However, the straps are "slippery" and tend to fall off your shoulder. As a backpack, the straps really cut into the front on your shoulders and were too painful for me to wear that way for very long. The bag has a lot of room inside but the shape of the zipper (upside down smile) makes it a little hard to get into without using both hands.

I wanted a convertible backpack that didn't look like a backpack when in purse mode, something I could, for example, take to a professional conference and carry as a purse when on a job interview then switch to a backpack later for more convenient hauling of all the free pens and post it note pads one picks up from the vendor area. In terms of look, this item certainly fulfills my needs, and I got a lot of compliments on it. It is also quite light, so light that I began carrying it as my daily bag. Unfortunately, it began to show unusual wear right away. Fraying occurred on the stitching on the leather bits on the rings securing the straps. It was only a bit of fuzz so it was easy to trim back at first, but it grew steadily worse over time. After one month, a hole appeared in the lining -- this was the ear bud/head phone cord opening. I never used it, but it this part of the lining became separated from the body of the bag. Eventually, another tear appeared. My bag was jet black with a pink interior. The pink lining was a softer color, not garish, and proved easy to clean when it picked up minor stains. The main body of the bag remained fine and held up well to my local weather (very humid, frequently rainy, usually very sunny), but the straps look like they're on a bag that's seen heavy use for a few years.A note on the straps since that seems to be a sore point for many people . . . I'm 5'2" and about average build. When carrying this as a backpack, the straps did tend to slip down but never off my shoulders. Admittedly, that was annoying, but eventually I learned to ignore it. As a purse, I had no problems. There's no way to change the length of the straps. For some people this will be a serious downside, but adding that functionality would add to the bag's weight. For me, this wasn't a big deal and I was happy to have a lighter purse.This was my first Mosey Life bag, and I admit that it was a disappointment. Given the cost, I expected higher build quality. I'm hoping that perhaps I was simply unlucky and got a lesser quality product somehow. I'd be tempted to try them again because I like the look of their bags and the fact that recycled items go into their manufacture, but I wouldn't invest so much money into them without some assurance that they'll hold up more than six months.