and another Baggallini hit?

I need a new handbag like I need a third eye (eye, because I could probably use a third arm…), but when I saw this Baggallini Town Tote, I really feel like it might be the answer to my wants in a tote.

  

It measures 12" (tall) x 10.5"(wide) x 6 (deep) and can be found for about $51.00 (on Amazon).  Before I get to why I think it’s so great, I should clarify my wants in a great work tote:

• not too heavy
• large enough to hold school work, but no so large that everything gets lost
• small enough to easily handle so I don’t feel like I’m holding a small child
• organized divisions so everything doesn’t get lost
• comfortable tote handles
• a pocket for a water bottle or umbrella
• a front pocket for easy access of things like keys / subway card / phone
• safe, but easily accessible place for wallet
• easy to access notebook for jotting down notes

So how does it stack up to my criteria for a tote?  Here they are:

Check	Criteria	Comment
X	not too heavy	Baggallini bags tend to be pretty light
X	large enough to hold school work, but no so large that everything gets lost	most reviewers seem to say that it holds a lot—I’m hoping that it’ll also be just large enough to hold binders
X	small enough to easily handle so I don’t feel like I’m holding a small child	(looking at the measurements, this seems like a decent size since most totes tend to be larger; for example the Baggallini Only bag is 10" (tall) x 15.5" (wide) x 7.5" (deep).  And laptop totes are even wider—closer to 17”-18” way to wide to comfortably carry on a daily basis)
X	organized divisions so everything doesn’t get lost	there’s a center compartment that seems to be have the usual small organized section
X	comfortable tote handles	(according to most reviews, the handles aren’t too long—some even complain that they might be a tad short—which works for me—I don’t want a tote that goes down to my knees!)
X	a pocket for a water bottle or umbrella
X	a front pocket for easy access of things like keys / subway card / phone
X	safe, but easily accessible place for wallet	(there’s a front zippered section that would be perfect for this)
X	easy to access notebook for jotting down notes	(there’s a back pocket that can be unzipped to out over luggage)

I’ve been using this bag (which measures 15” (Tall) x 13” (wide) x 2” (deep)) for awhile because I like how streamline it made things…

Of course, it also meant that things weren’t that easy to get to…so here’s hoping this Baggallini tote will suit my needs even better.