Review. Basil Bohème Carry All Bag

From the official tag: “Shoulderbag of water-repellent polyester, artificial leather details, inner-pocket, front pocket, zip-fastener, carrying handles, shoulderbelt, innerlining, Hook On-System, reflective stripes.”

Already a month ago I’ve celebrated my birthday. I brought cakes at work, got a lot of lovely private messages (the occasion to get contact again with people I haven’t seen for long), a small cactus from a dear friend, Minions via mail and concerts via email, gifts at my arrival in Italy. Plus I got extremely cuddled by Cristian. An aperitivo when I came back home, flowers, dinner out and a completely unexpected gift (wrapped in a football newspaper of course): the Basil Bohème Carry All Bag.

I have been using it for a while now, and I can really say I am extremely satisfied. It has become my official sportbag, that often comes with me to the university.
It is spacious – actually it is very big (18 Lt). If you want something not really visible and for shopping in the city center, that’s probably not what you want. But for me (and the sport purpose) it is just ideal. I can fit sport clothes and accessories, shoes, shower items, the glasses case, a small hairdryer, water and often lunch/fruit. Furthermore, sometimes I have to bring my laptop with me from home, and it fits with its case. (I will never be able to bring less – so I just use big bags).

It is handy – with two handles and an adjustable shoulderbelt, a very slim inner pocket (26 cm wide, where you can fit only thin stuff like a tablet – my laptop does not fit) and a front pocket for keys, phone and such (again, for small items like pass, keys and smartphone).
Maybe a larger pocket or an inner separation (like a larger laptop case) would still be an improvement. This way the laptop could be carried along without the additional case or protection.

The Hook On-system allows you to easily secure the bag to the bike, while I normally help a bit by lifting the bag when unfastening it. The extra hook of different color serves as a sort of lock I think – you turn it perpendicularly to the bag when the bag is fastened, and then back to the in the initial position to unlock it (but I do not use it often). And given the fact that I bring my home with me, it is very good I can discharge its weight on the bike instead of on my back.

It is of good quality – the material seems really robust. For what concerns its durability I will have to give a later update. In the beginning it was even somewhat tight, but now it is just perfect. The double zip helps a lot when something is not fitting properly. Also the inner lining is well-finished and cute, with a nature-inspired pattern.
It is not extremely expensive – I do not know the exact price of my own bag because it was a gift, but I have seen that it can vary between 34 and 55 euro online and in the shop. Not really cheap, but you can get something good for that money. I thus think it is worth – especially when comparing prices of similar bags.

Finally, it is pretty – well I should say it is really Marta-style: pinkish with a sort of Bohème pattern. Plus I think it matches perfectly the style and colors of my bike!
This is the vintage red version, but the series includes also the one in light blue (jade), navy (indigo) and black (charcoal), all with similar pattern – lighter top and darker bottom. Honestly I would be in doubt on which one to choose (except the black one)…but luckily somebody has made the effort for me and I think it is the best choice!

Do you use bike bags? What’s your experience with it? If you are looking for one, I think this one could be a good option.

Doei,
Marta

PS. I know love doesn’t go through material things, but receiving messages, small attentions and unexpected gifts made me feel even more lucky and thankful for the people around me

PPS. I am not sponsoring it. I just felt like sharing my opinion on a good product