Five Factors That Should Influence Your Choice Of A Tote Bag

Modern women know it best about multitasking. They are hitting the gym, lugging around sports equipment for their kids, working in offices, and attending PTA or parties with friends in the evenings. Today’s women are professionals in multitasking, and the only thing they need is a trusty bag that can accompany them for all their adventures.

Imagine having to stop by your place or keeping a pile of different bags in your car, every time you have to switch roles. And heaven forbid if you are dealing with a weak fabric bag that is ready to snap the moment you decide to stuff another bottle of smoothie before lunch break!

That brings us to totes. These are lovely, spacious, and sturdy bags that you may have trusted ever since you attended your first college lecture or walked out of that first successful job interview. Totes can carry extra clothes, water bottles, sports equipment, electronics, and almost everything you may need throughout the day. It is the multitasker bag, for the multitasker woman.

However, not picking the right type of tote can lead you into big trouble. Not only will you find yourself with a bag that is not ready to hold-it-all-in, but you might also risk breaking the handles or ripping the seams of the bag at the most inconvenient hour.

What to consider while shopping for a tote bag?

If you have shopped for tote bags before, you should know how overwhelming it can all become after a while. In Singapore, you can find uncountable material types, shapes, and sizes of bags for every stay-at-home-mother, working woman, and the avid multitasker. Well, no matter what your plans for the day are, you can take two minutes out to learn about finding the right tote that can keep you company throughout the next few years to come –

• The material

The most popular materials for a tote bag include cotton, canvas, PVC, PU, nylon, and leather. Both canvas and leather totes are quite in fashion with well-known designer brands capitalizing on canvas tote designs for the spring-summer 2019 lines. However, if you are looking for something fashionable yet durable, leather should be your ultimate choice. Leather can withstand humidity, daily use, and heavyweight with ease that cotton, canvas, and PVC often cannot. If you are exclusively looking for a tote for your beach escapades, go with a nylon tote that will offer protection to your belongings with little demand for attention or maintenance.

• Affordability

Affordability is always a concern when we are shopping for bags and accessories. We tend to prioritize other expenses and talk ourselves out of spending a significant amount on a bag. However, statistics show that women who invest in a good-quality leather bag tend to spend less on bags in the next few months as compared to others, who spend their money on low-quality PU, PVC and pleather bags. The price you pay for a premium full grain leather designer bag is not just for its looks, but rather for its durability and sturdiness. So, when you are considering the affordability of a particular design or material, always consider how long you plan to use the bag in the future.

• Trustworthiness

The trustworthiness of a bag depends upon how much weight it can confidently carry and for how long it will serve you without showing signs of wear. PVC, PU, Rexine, and all other forms of fake leather tend to crack or peel upon heavy use. Most importantly, when you carry heavy weight, there is a good chance that a cheaper quality bag with poor stitching quality will snap under the weight. There is nothing worse than having to pick up your personal belongings from the floor of the office or the road after your bag let’s go! Before you go out shopping for your tote in the markets of Singapore, always consider which designer and bag you can trust the most.

• Cleaning and maintenance

Cleaning canvas and cotton bags are the easiest. If they don’t have metal attachments, you can put them in the washer or hand-wash them in detergent. Even nylon bags offer the same convenience. You can clean PVC and PU bags easily with a microfiber towel or slightly damp towels from time to time to keep the dirt off. However, leather develops a beautiful patina with constant use. It is unlikely that anyone would want to give their full grain leather bag a good wash, but just in case you need to clean it, you can use a damp microfiber cloth to clean the outside. The only requirement is that you dry the surface off thoroughly before stowing the bag away. Designer bags typically come with extensive instructions for cleaning.

• Fashion and style statement

Nylon totes, cotton, and PU are incredibly useful. Every one of us has trusted faux leather or canvas totes at least once in our lives when we have had to carry extra books or notebooks. Nonetheless, none of us can say that they do much to enhance our personal style statement. If it is vogue you are looking for, you should stick to leather tote bags. Leather totes come in so many designs and colors that it is difficult to pick just one. In that case, go with a size and design that can accommodate all your belongings without creating any chaos.

After considering the five factors we have mentioned above, you might find it a bit easier to settle on a material, range, and style of the tote. You will definitely find it much easier to decide on size once you make a list of all the items you need to lug around almost every day. Several large totes don’t come with multiple large compartments inside. An easy hack is to invest in a laptop sleeve and a medium-sized pouch that can contain your essentials while leaving the larger items in the large main compartment.

Tote bags can be a woman’s life-long friend. All they need is a little understanding!