My iPad Traveler Bag from the Copper River Bag Company on Etsy.com arrived a couple of weeks ago and I just love it!
It's $86.95 without the shipping fee. The shipping time is as advertised and it comes with a variety of cards tucked away in the four pockets including a lifetime guarantee card, a bookmark and an inspiring Bible quote that I can identify with as a Buddhist.
It's simple in design with a large buckle on the front and and is handmade from brown leather and is beautifully crafted. It's designed with three large steel looking rings that make it possible to be worn either as a shoulder bag or a backpack and it is designed specifically for the iPad and iPad 2.
The ring at the bottom of the bag is strategically placed so that it cannot be seen from the front when worn as a shoulder bag. The grips for attaching the strap to the top two rings swivel in 360 degrees, and the strap is thick enough to be comfortable when I'm wearing my down jacket. The big buckle at the front closes with a distinct and audible snap and the outer pocket in the back also has a snap button to keep items in place.
The smell of the leather is just wonderful. It is deliberately distressed, a feature I find aesthetically pleasing. The extent of the distressing is not completely obvious if you don't carefully examine the online photo. Because of the oils used to condition the bag, I've been able to use my thumb to carefully rub away the couple of scratches I found distracting.
One of the four pockets is a hidden compartment located in the back designed for holding sensitive documents like passports and other travel documents. The pocket for the iPad is also an inner pocket but located in the front and is lined with felt that has a nice semi-smooth feel to it. This pocket is the only one large enough to hold 8 x 11 sized documents. I've tried it with a 21 page document along with my iPad 2 in its Grove case and it's a comfortable fit. The other pockets are too shallow for documents of that size.
It can be comfortably worn as a shoulder bag for even someone as short as me at barely over 5 feet. When I'm standing, it reaches to a little above my knees and when I'm sitting, it reaches to my knees. It's most comfortable when worn so that the bag is off to the side and a little behind me. Considering how short I am, I'm surprised at how comfortable it is to wear the Traveler Bag as a shoulder bag. In spite of its length, it doesn't flap annoyingly against my body while I'm walking. However, I plan to wear it mostly as a backpack for long distances.
I can conveniently rest my iPad on it and I appreciate the greater surface area and the fact that the leather grips my jeans when I'm typing while sitting on a park bench.
I've only used it in the shoulder bag mode when listening to music on the iPad and it's quite comfortable with the standard issue Apple ear buds.
I'm sure I'll eventually use the other pockets but for now I just plan to use it for my iPad and a few miscellaneous items.
Please forgive the quality of these photographs (taken with my iPad 2). There are others at the company website.
