AD | Gifted item
Usually when I go on a trip away anywhere it’s with John and Erin. As Erin still gets so tired and definitely can’t do a full day of walking this means we always have the pushchair with us. I don’t have to worry about carrying luggage or bags as either the pushchair holds it or John carries anything else. However, last weekend I went on a trip to London with my Mum and that meant needing to carry anything I needed for a couple of days. I have been to London before on my own and had a terrible choice of bag that got heavy and dug into my shoulders. I definitely didn’t want that this time.
I wanted something I could carry easily, wouldn’t hurt a shoulder like a cross body bag would and I also wanted something that I would feel safe using around London and on the tube. A backpack seemed to be an idea choice and I was very kindly sent the Sydney backpack from Mia Tui, a company who I already have another bag from and love. Mia Tui offer a really lovely range of different bags for different occasions. I also have the Matilda Mae cross body handbag which I use for every day but there are also travel bags, accessories such as document wallets and packing cubes and what’s even better is that there are loads of different colours to choose from.
When I was browsing the Mia Tui website there was a couple of backpacks that really stood out for me and they were the Sydney and the Maya backpack. In the end, I decided to go with the Sydney as it was a bit larger in size (H40cm W32cm D12cm) and I thought it would hold a bit more for a weekend away. I chose the bag in chestnut and this came with a teal lining, which is such a gorgeous colour.
The Sydney backpack has so much space inside and there are lots of different compartments for your things. This bag has space for a laptop (up to 13.5″) and this would also be great for larger tablets. The bag has phone and pen holders, and insulted bottle holder and also comes with a clear accessories bag. On the outside, there are two separate zip compartments, one of which is fully insulated and there are two side pockets as well.
Taking the Sydney backpack to London
It’s been 2 years since I’ve gone away anywhere at all without John and Erin so I was definitely not used to having to carry everything on my own. I was only going away for 1 night so I tried to pack as lightly as possible while still taking all of my essentials. I loaded up the Sydney backpack with something to sleep in, clean underwear and socks, make-up, camera equipment and bits and pieces like a drink and a hairbrush. The bag wasn’t overly full at this point and there was still plenty of room just in case I did any shopping.
Putting the bag on for the first time I did think it was quite heavy. However, I haven’t worn a backpack in years so I think I just wasn’t used to the size and what was in it. After having the bag on for 5-10 minutes it was really comfortable and the weight wasn’t really very noticeable at all. I was very happy walking around with the bag on my back and it was actually a lot more comfortable than a regular handbag.
The real test was how well I would do in London. Being hands free made things like the tube much easier as I get a little bit panicky about getting on and off the escalators. The size of the bag meant that I got in the way of people when I was in shops and I had to take it off a few times because of this. I had some quite bulky things in the bag at this point so it did stick out quite a bit. However, the bag can be taken on and off easily. I also took the bag off once I was on the tube for safety and even full, I could swing it back on easily and quickly so as to not hold people up.
Once back at the hotel for the night I found having a backpack a lot easier than trying to find things in a suitcase or big weekend bag. The size of the bag meant I didn’t over pack unnecessarily and it hardly took up any space in the hotel room. We were lucky to have somewhere quite spacious but if you find yourself in small, budget accommodation the backpack will be a much better size as you don’t need to think about where to put it.
Overall
I honestly never thought I would be a backpack kind of person but I really loved it. Not only was I able to take everything I needed with me to London but I felt safe carrying it on my back and didn’t end up hurting a shoulder like a different kind of bag would. I’m already looking into getting a smaller Mia Tui backpack for every day.
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