Samsonite City Air Backpack

The Product: Samsonite City Air Backpack.

Best For: Stylish women who love practical hand luggage.Th

Three Things We Loved: The durable material, the soft grey colour, the ability to easily flat pack.

Road Test:

In the old days it used to be so easy; travel for business and you needed a bag for office accessories you need to take with you, travel for pleasure and a terrific handbag would suffice. Today, however, between restrictions in carryon weight, and the fact that most people are travelling with iPads or tablets even for holidays, choosing the right bag to take on the road is even more important. And we all want to look good, right? Luggage leader, Samsonite, has recently come up with the answer for women on the go, with the launch of a new range of seven City Air and Mooval handbags. The City Air range comes in black and warm grey colours, with features including internal pockets, and options including a medium Hobo bag, a Shopping Bag, and the City Air Backpack. Meanwhile the Mooval collection comes in black and dark blue colours with features including multi-front pockets for all your essentials, and four styles; the Horizontal Shoulder Bag, the Medium Shoulder Bag, the Large Horizontal Bag, and a 12L Backpack. Prices for all seven styles range from $119 for the Mooval Horizontal Shoulder Bag, to $169 for the City Air Backpack. Both ranges are made from durable yet lightweight nylon material.

I recently got to road test the City Air Backpack in warm grey on a trip to Singapore flying Scoot Airlines in ScootBiz. This meant that carryon weight wasn't an issue, but seat comfort was…but more on that later. The backpack is incredibly light and I loved the warm grey colour which was more like a very soft, pearly gold. It's small yet extremely roomy with a 14L interior, so I was able to fit in my 13" MacBook Pro, my iPad and a variety of other things I needed for my 8-hour flight in its various pockets; including some healthy snacks, headphones for my iPad, a camera, and a charger for my electronics. Everything fitted in easy, and even when full the bag remained light and easy to manage, with the straps adjusting simply. On the flight, however, while the ScootBiz seat has a footrest, it isn't one which comes under your feet - it pushes your feet up from the floor. Being petite in size, my legs were left dangling, which as I found out on the outbound flight, can be uncomfortable on your lower back. On the flight home, I used it as a footrest; when I got the bag home, there was a tiny mark on it, but this washed off easily with a little clear soap and the bag looked like new again. And it flat packed into my suitcase waiting for another trip.

The Verdict:

I loved this bag as it not only looks feminine and stylish, but it's also lightweight for women to carry, and it has a terrific selection of pockets so you can easily store, and access, your essentials. If you're looking for a backpack, or a handbag, which will deliver practicality with a touch of style, check this new Samsonite range out.