Commuter Handbags

Handbags matter a lot when you travel on public transport. Drivers can sling a handbag on the passenger seat and not worry too much if the contents spill out but when you travel by bus or train a good handbag is essential. For a start, you need a safe place to keep your ticket. You don’t want a handbag that is going to weigh you down. You don’t want a handbag that is easily snatched or that an opportunistic thief could reach into. You probably want a handbag that is stylish and waterproof. You also want a bag that won’t get in your way if you have to run to catch a bus. It’s not easy to find a good commuter handbag.

Any day now I will be leaving the car at home and taking the train to work in the city centre. The walk will be good – particularly with menopause and the associated middle-aged spread on the horizon. More importantly, though, it means I need a new ‘commuter’ handbag.

• Handbag must be waterproof since it rains a lot in Ireland
• Handbag must have 2 separate pockets on the outside, one for train ticket, one for iphone
• Outer pockets must not have magnets since magnets wipe the barcode on the railpass
• Pockets must be side by side, not one over the other, since iphone wipes barcode on railpass
• Inside, handbag must be big enough to accommodate a book, a big wallet, water, and makeup bag
• Strap must be long enough to get on shoulder when wearing winter coat
• Strap must be short enough to allow handbag to rest securely under arm
• Strap must be sturdy enough to tolerate increasing weight of bag
• Strap must be flat enough to sit on shoulder not roll down arm
• Strap must have 2 straps to faciliate rummaging in handbag while one strap stays on shoulder
• Zippers must be easy to open, robust but not so strong they break nails or scratch hands
• Bag must fasten securely at the top to discourage potential wallet pinchers
• Nice lining is highly desirable
• Multiple inner pockets are highly desirable
• Girly keyring attachment is highly desirable
• Handbag must be made of leather or some other durable material and must not look tacky
• Handbag must have some desirable hardware that suggests rock chick but in a corporate way
• Handbag must cost less than 100 euro
• Handbag must be black or purple – no matter how nice a red bag it is

So, at the end of my third separate shopping trip in search of the commuter handbag, I’m two bags up but still no bag to get me through the winter. It’s a little like the elusive ‘sleep bra’ I blogged about on another occasion. There may be market opportunities out there for those with an interest in something other than alternative HRT products aimed at the menopausal market.