A bag for him: Sons of Trade

For the past couple of months, I’ve been searching for a travel bag for JB, one that could accommodate his laptop, magazines, and other carry-on necessities. Tired of using the messenger-style laptop bag I received gratis from a public relations firm where I briefly worked and the Eddie Bauer laptop backpack I’ve owned since the early 2000s, he had taken to shoving his electronics alongside mine in my Lo & Sons bag.

Now, The O.G. is sturdy tote, but no bag is meant to be overstuffed! So when it came time for our 10-day trip back east for Thanksgiving and our babymoon, I was concerned about packing. We were bringing a lot of carry-on items and probably each needed our own bag. (Also, I didn’t want to share!)

In the nick of time, Sons of Trade, a lifestyle brand for men, solved our problem by sending JB a Tactical Tote for our trip to St. Thomas. Ruggedly stylish, the coated canvas tote converts to a backpack when the top is folded over and snapped into place. JB mostly wore it as a backpack because he couldn’t comfortably fit the tote handles over his shoulder, and the bag nearly touched the floor when carried by hand. And it’s not like JB’s a short dude. The Tactical Tote is just one large bag!

But the bag’s large size was its greatest asset; it fit all of JB’s electronics, magazines, and travel essentials with room to spare. (Note: The bag is unstructured, so you’ll need to secure your laptop in a protective sleeve if using it as a computer bag. Sons of Trade also sells coordinating tech accessories on their site.)

And because he carried it folded over, JB felt confident that the bag’s plethora of pockets were inaccessible to pickpockets and other curious strangers. Obviously, that’s hugely important when traveling.

Although we won’t be doing any traveling for several months after the new baby’s arrival, JB plans to continue using the versatile Tactical Tote as a diaper bag. The pockets are perfect for holding diapers and wipes. All that’s missing is a changing pad, but we’ll just throw in the one from the now-torn diaper bag he used when Levi was a baby. (Although this portable changing pad is lovely, and, bonus, it’s machine washable!)