Make a "mini" Cafe bag

[pretzelb]

Maybe it's worth buying as a temporary solution. It's such an ugly color though.
How will it work inside the Imago? I'm using the Swift mainly for knitting.

I don't have the convertible packing cube but I do have a few small packing cubes which are close to the same size (from what I see on the website). I haven't tried to put a small into the Imago but it should fit fine because the Imago expands like crazy. I could try it if you like but it won't be exactly the same.

[Heidi Jill]

I like the idea of a mini cafe bag, too! I was wondering if it should have a removable shoulder strap. That way, it could be used as an organizer in a bigger tote without the strap getting tangled up in things, then when you want to carry it by itself, all you need to do is clip the strap onto it.

[Heidi Jill]

I had another thought on the mini Cafe bag. I wouldn't put a separate wallet into the bag- I would want to use a zippered pocket in the bag to hold my money and cards. So, how about a zippered pocket on the outside of the bag?

[Tom Bihn]

What I know so far:
• Around 5 x 7 x 1.5" (as compared to the Small Cafe @ 7.5" x 11" x 3", so about 1/4 of the volume)
• Made of 1000 denier Cordura® (lots of possible colors)
• Removable, adjustable 5/8" webbing should strap
• Zips shut

What I don't know:
• Landscape or portrait orientation. This is important because the bag will be so small that, if it is a vertical bag, anything that falls to the bottom will be really hard to see/retrieve (like playing a game of "Operation - the goofy game for dopey doctors"). I prefer the aesthetic of a vertical bag but the utility of a horizontal bag. What do y'all think?

[Heidi Jill]

I give a HUGE vote for a horizontal/landscape orientation. I rarely carry tall items, so I have really, really been hoping for a small horizontal Tom Bihn bag. (See one of my posts somewhere in the forum begging for a smaller Imago!) All that skyscraper space ends up being wasted space for me 90% of the time (but I adore my bags anyway! ;-0)

[Just]

Make like the horizon, man...

You've already voiced your reservations about the other option. =D

[ncb4]

Although I just ordered a Ristretto (olive/cayenne, so it won't ship for a couple of weeks), which has a vertical orientation, I vote for horizontal for a mini-cafe bag. That's the depth of the leather shoulder bag I carry daily, and I've found that it is so much easier to find and retrieve objects in it. I rarely lose items in it, whereas I always lose things in the deeper bags I own.

If I might also cast a vote for more O-rings: I love the organizer pouches and key fobs and have several of each. But unfortunately, there's only one O-ring in my ID, and I think that will be true of the Ristretto, too.

Finally, I guess I'm in the middle in the great pocket debate. I like having organizer pockets in a bag, but I agree that when there are too many, it's easy to lose things. I once lost a watch for an entire year in the depths of an LLBean bag my mother gave me. And even a few hours after I packed it, I could never remember where I had put things in it and wasted a lot of time searching. That's the main reason I stopped using the bag, so I do know that too many pockets can be a bad thing. But so can too few!

Thanks, Tom, for asking what we'd like to see. I can't wait.

[Tom Bihn]

Thanks for the feedback!
FYI, Ristretto has three "O" rings: two in the main compartment and one in the front pouch.

[PM4HIRE]

Tom:

Summer 2005, Manhatan Portage sold a mini bag they called
The Jogger, same deminsions except not as deep as your mini
bag.

Certainly, a horizontal/landscape oriented medium size
cafe bag would sell well also.

[timarelay]

Horizontal would be wonderful. I'm generally not a fan of vertical except for backpacks (and I think it works well for the Swift).

[mrae]

Horizontal. It would be nice to eliminate the need for a wallet. I'd like to see a couple of pockets= maybe one that zips for holding cards, cash etc. Or a mini clip on pouch to provide that function.

[yarnopfile]

Horizon. thanks for asking.
Need any testers :) :) :)

[autokilo]

Horizontal please!!!

I have a small compact horizontal messenger that I love and I cannot find anything remotely like it...

[yarnopfile]

Does "zips shut" mean it won't be styled like the other cafe bags?
I don't want it to loose the flap. Or any of the other style characteristics that make the cafe bags lovely bits of eye candy.

Are the dimensions unchangable? Horizontal orientation seems to be the favorite (I'd prefer it too), but it may not work with the cafe style. Could the mini be 7" square? Square is somewhat unusual these days and would make room for the flap & buckle.

[yarnopfile]

A functional item that I hope you keep on the mini:
the flat pocket on the back--I like the non-zippered flat outer pocket for to-do lists, directions, mail that needs to be dropped off and the like.
The utility tote has two, but the swift doesn't have any & it's the only thing I don't love about it (though it's still the favorite and most used bag in my house)