The Perfect Bag?

I do not know if I will ever find the perfect art supply bag, but like a trooper, I keep on trying!  If you could see the cupboard I keep empty bags in, you would see an embarrassment of riches and a record of years of my quest for the perfect art bag.  I reached into it to pull a few out and grabbed three for your viewing pleasure.  Maybe it'll make you feel better about your secret stash.

From top left, a Just Stow It bag, North Face backpack and a Woodcraft duffel bag- proof that I'll look anywhere for a good bag, or as it usually turns out, a not so good bag.

This past week, my daughter was emptying her current art bag- dissatisfied with it she was switching to a different one.  Now, I have had my eye on this bag for a long time.  In fact, I knew I had to buy one just like it at Ikea as soon as she showed it to me!  However, my husband came along on the shopping trip and really, I just couldn't take the raised eyebrows I would have gotten if I spent $25.00 on yet another "this-one-is-the-perfect-bag-I-just-know-it" bag.  These things are better purchased where nobody can interfere.

With a smooth, grey linen fabric, this bag just looks like the person carrying it has it all together.  I'm hoping it'll rub off. 

However, things worked out in my favor as she was wanting to dig through my paper stash to find just the right paper for her Inktense pencils and we promptly traded.  I now own the bag I was lusting after.  Of course, I emptied the retired laptop bag I was carrying and handed it off to her.  I am sure she will tote it around for awhile to see if it's just the right one.  We do this.

The inside is large, but not a gaping hollow cavity calling out to be stuffed with good junk. There's a zipper on the bottom to adjust for size and keeping it zipped helps reduce the temptation to go find another sketchbook or two to put in there to a minimum.

If you get a huge art supply bag you will feel obligated to fill it up.  If you are like me, you have oodles of good stuff from all of the times you bought art supplies that were going to change your artistic life that you can stuff in there.  Now you have everything you may ever need to sketch in the field but you can't pick it up.  If you drag it to the car, chances are you won't use it because it's overwhelming to dig through all that junk.  It's easier to pretend you forgot it at home.

The bag has a pocket on the back to drop things into, but unzips to reveal snazzy little pockets inside; who could resist?

On the other hand, if you get a bag that's too small you will be able to fit your water cup, paints, brushes, pens and paper towels into it, but it won't hold your sketchbooks.  None of them.  So you could carry them separate, but where's the nifty feeling that you get from making a travel art kit that is just right?  Besides, that's a great way to lose a sketchbook, believe me.

It even has pockets on the carrying strap, including one with an elastic cord and carabiner to keep your keys from being lost.  My daughter says she never took her keys off of it, just put them into the ignition still attached to the bag!  Now there's a key chain.

You can see my struggle here.  There aren't any art bags that are just the right thing for a travel journal lover.  Well, maybe there aren't.  My new Ikea bag may be just the right thing!  You may even thank me for pointing it out.  In the meantime, I will tote it around for you, giving it a good tryout and report back if I've hit the jackpot.  I'm just that nice.

Thanks for stopping by! Alice