Suggestion for Cafe Bag

I have been using the Medium cafe bag non stop and I am totally thrilled with it. However, I do have a small suggestion: it would be great to have a small flat zippered pocket on the wall of the outside open slash pocket. I realized how important this was for me especially when I take mass transit which I do quite a bit of; and when I am travelling abroad. It is helpful to stash train tickets, a card, some change without having to fish around in the open pocket; and/or open the buckle. Quick access and safety. It should be relatively simply I would think to add a small zippered pocket inside the slash pocket at the rear of the bag!

So far it has been --hands down--my favorite conference bag!

I think the simplest solution would be an o ring in the slash pocket so that you can attach a key strap and organizer pouch in there.

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Originally Posted by timarelay

I think the simplest solution would be an o ring in the slash pocket so that you can attach a key strap and organizer pouch in there.

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Great idea -- I like to keep my keys on a strap, but I don't like to have them in with other things that could be scratched (e.g. cell phone, PDA, sunglasses, etc.). So, the pocket in which the keys reside becomes less functional for me because I can't just throw things into it. The back slash pocket is the "extra" pocket for me, into which I slip things like mail, magazines, and lip balm, none of which I care about scratching, so it would be an ideal pocket for keys, IMO.

I second (third?) the o-ring in the back flap. Its in my list of things I would like in a cafe bag. I'll be posting a more detailed read on the cafe bags over spring break. They are great bags. :)

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Originally Posted by yeti

Great idea -- I like to keep my keys on a strap, but I don't like to have them in with other things that could be scratched (e.g. cell phone, PDA, sunglasses, etc.). So, the pocket in which the keys reside becomes less functional for me because I can't just throw things into it. The back slash pocket is the "extra" pocket for me, into which I slip things like mail, magazines, and lip balm, none of which I care about scratching, so it would be an ideal pocket for keys, IMO.

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That is exactly how I use my back slash pockets. Keys, chap stick, hand wipes, etc. I've always wondered why there wasn't an o-ring back there. I never understood why people were keeping their keys in the interior of the bag when it's so much easier to get them out of the back pocket.

hi,

if you're keeping keys, chap stick, wipes and such in the back pocket, what if there were organizer pockets there in addition to an o-ring? and would you want to put a zipper on that back pocket at that point?

but one concern with the back pocket being used to organize stuff like this is that the bag will not be as comfortable to carry against your body.

I also use only soft stuff in the back pocket.

It would be great if it had an O ring or even one on each side of the slash pocket. This way one could use the organizer pouches with or without key strap to make 2 extra zippered pockets out of the back pocket.

One use for this, could be to attach clear pouches containing public transport cards and/or contain boarding passes and id, I think the latest could only work in the Large and Medium Cafe Bag.

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Originally Posted by maverick

hi,

if you're keeping keys, chap stick, wipes and such in the back pocket, what if there were organizer pockets there in addition to an o-ring? and would you want to put a zipper on that back pocket at that point?

but one concern with the back pocket being used to organize stuff like this is that the bag will not be as comfortable to carry against your body.

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Despite wanting everything else in my bag to have a very particular place, I wouldn't want organizer pockets in the back pocket -- I find it useful for odds and ends that I collect while out (e.g. receipts), and I empty it as soon as I get home, so simpler and more flexible is better. I like the idea of o-ring(s) in the slash pocket because then I could attach keys to the bag with a key strap -- otherwise I fear they will somehow fall out of the slash pocket -- but I can also see the usefulness in having a public transit pass attached via an organizer pouch. That's the degree of organization that would work for me, anyway.

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Originally Posted by maverick

hi,

if you're keeping keys, chap stick, wipes and such in the back pocket, what if there were organizer pockets there in addition to an o-ring? and would you want to put a zipper on that back pocket at that point?

but one concern with the back pocket being used to organize stuff like this is that the bag will not be as comfortable to carry against your body.

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I like that its a big open space. No zippers. No pockets. An o ring would be more than enough. =) All the stuff I keep there are small and require quick easy access. All I want a o ring for is to make the key grabbing process even easier.

I am using the Large Cafe at present and here is what I do regarding the back slash pocket: I use a medium size clear pouch (but will replace with cordura possibly) as a zipper pocket inside the back. Also. I use a long keystrap attached to an inside o-ring to secure a mini clear pouch I use as a change purse for vending machines. I keep that mini-clear in the slash pocket and tug on the strap to get my coins when needed. Using a clear I can quickly see what I need.

The medium clear as 'pocket' is great when I need to put stuff there I want easy access to but am concerned about spilling. The medium fits snugly so I am comfortable with it. Also, the clear panel is rather gummy toward my cell phone so It works well. I rarely zipper that pouch. However, say when I change shirts, I empty the contents of my shirt pocket to there so I don't have to play hunt and seek. :)

I keep an extra handicap placard in my medium size cafe
bag's slash pocket so when I'm traveling with friends I
have it handy.

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Originally Posted by ex machina

I use a long keystrap attached to an inside o-ring to secure a mini clear pouch I use as a change purse for vending machines. I keep that mini-clear in the slash pocket and tug on the strap to get my coins when needed.

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I hadn't thought of using a longer keystrap on an inside o-ring -- I'll have to try that with my keys!

In my Large Cafe Bag, I used a mini organized pouch to carry my transit pass, the pouch was attached with one long and one regular Key Strap to one of the O ring in the big pocket.

I would find it useful to have one or 2 O-rings in the slash pocket for that purpose, to hold keys and a Guardian Dual Function Light or to clip a pouch containing travel documents.

I am always wondering if the things I place in the slash pocket are going to fall down, it is even more worrying while traveling especially by air since the bags are shoved around so much.


Consequently, I don't use that pocket that much except to pack my folding rain shell.


Edited to add that I am talking about the transit cards that can be scanned even inside an organizer pouch, a system similar to Washington D.C Metrocard.

When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, the transit agencie(s) started to install a similar card reader on buses but some of the agencies never got with the program and stuck to their own passes and token that had to be taken out of their containers to be scanned inside a slot.

For those living in big metro area it is worth bugging the transit agencies big wigs and twirling thumbs about implementing a metro wide scanning card. It is soo much easier to use.

Thanks all for the various suggestions. My biggest issue has been things falling out of the back slash pocket. I do keep an organizer pouch in there, but it can be a pain to zip/unzip when you want to grab and go. I guess I use a lot of mass transit, and like to keep my card and ticket handy--particularly when travelling in Europe. I think keeping sharp objects out of the back pocket is important.
Darcy/Tom: what might be great if for us to be able to customize our O-rings! hehehehe. what a nighmare that might be for all of you at Seattle!

Looking at my LCB, I think an extra o-ring in the slash pocket would be nice. I don't put anything wide or bulky in there, but something slim in a pouch would benefit from the added security of an attachment point, while still being close at hand.