Lihit Lab Smart Fit ACTACT Bag in Bag A5 Horizontal Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

There are few things I love as much as pens and notebooks, but one of those things is bags. Especially bags that you can carry with other bags. Especially especially bags in bags that hold pens and notebooks. The Lihit Lab Smart Fit ACTACT Bag in Bag is the nesting doll of awesome. There are even pockets inside of pockets!

This A5 sized bag is made from nylon canvas and is available in a variety of colors. The main zipper compartment is water-resistant. The zipper has thin cord pulls with plastic tabs. The zipper is smooth, though it does struggle going around the corner when the bag is very full. It opens along the top edge and one side of the bag, to make it easy to fill.

Inside the main compartment is a fuzzy slip pocket that's perfect for a small tablet up to 8". It's perfect for my Kindle, even in its case. Outside of that slip pocket is the main compartment that easily holds an A5 notebook--even a chunky one, like my hardcover Hobonichi Cousin, also inside its cover.

On the outside of the bag are even more pockets! These don't close, so they're less secure, but still very useful. On the back side is one slip pocket that goes the full length of the bag. On the front, there is a low mesh pocket that goes all the way across the bag, and behind that mesh pocket is one slip pocket that's half the width the bag, another slip pocket that slightly more narrow, and a pen pocket. That's seven organizational compartments!

All those pockets are a great way to organize your gear inside a larger bag that might not have enough internal organization. It can also be carried solo. There are attachment points for a purse strap on this bag, so you can carry it without putting it inside any other bags. It's also perfect for carrying it around the office to meetings, or keeping in the car with a few essentials. It would make a perfect flight bag on a long airplane trip. Basically it's good for everything. I mean, when don't you need a zillion pockets?

This bag sells for $21.50 at JetPens, which is a very fair price. The strap does have to be purchased separately, and costs $13, though any strap that hooks onto an o-ring will work with this bag. An A4 size is also available for just a few dollars more, and that one could fit a 13" laptop.

Overall, this is well-priced, useful, practical, and a great way to maximize the number of pens and notebooks you carry every day. Pens in pockets in pockets in bags in bags! Living the dream.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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What’s in my Stationery Bag?

It’s pen show season early for me this year, so I’m thinking about packing. Not just clothes, but stationery. That’s the most important stuff, right?

Despite over a decade of experience wandering aisles and navigating crowds, I’ve never been fully content with what I’ve carried and how I’ve carried it. The key is to be agile, considerate to your needs, and aware of others. Hitting that Goldilocks spot is a challenge.

I’ll be the first to admit that completely hands and bag free is the best situation. No bag to wrangle, free hands to inspect products, and all else that comes with being unencumbered. That’s not my reality, though, as there is “stuff” I want with me when I might be on the go for a few hours at a time.

Let’s start with the biggest part of my kit: the bag itself. I’ve used them all - backpacks, messenger bags, totes, slings - you name it, I’ve carried it. They all have their pros and cons.

When I first started attending pen shows, I followed the “bigger is better” concept, primarily using a traditional backpack. Backpacks are generally large capacity, and offer hands-free operation - both good choices for shows. But size can be a backpacks downfall, one, for filling too much, and two, for general getting in the way.

The Rickshaw Banzai on top of a 22 liter backpack (left,) and large messenger bag.

Over the years I’ve gradually gone smaller and smaller with what I carry, and have benefitted with each transition. Two years ago, at the Orlando Pen Show, I stumbled upon what has been my show bag for all events since: the Rickshaw Banzai bag.

The last thing I’m usually in the market for at a pen show is another bag, and even seeing this one for sale at the show I was hesitant. But, as with pens I like, I kept coming back to it, and eventually made the purchase.

Why does it work for me? The size. At 8 x 10 x 3.5 inches internal dimension, it reminds me of a classic lunchbox. That boxy shape is a good thing for the type of products I’ll be putting in it, as you will see momentarily. The internal organization is just enough to sort and separate, and the two carry options - handles, or single strap - are befitting a bag of this size. The only downside could be carry style. When slung on the shoulder like a purse it can slide off, so I generally throw it over my head and wear it cross-body like a sling or small messenger bag when I don’t want to worry about it.

L to R: A5 Hobonichi notebook under a small Nock Co. pouch, Bungubox pen roll (empty), Rickshaw Sinclair-R.

Filling this bag is a breeze, and I’ve never overstuffed it to begin the day (don’t ask me about the end of the day!) I’ll carry one Sinclair with my inked pens, have one small empty case ready for something new, an A5 notebook for testing or sharing, and other small ephemera like stickers and washi. Add in my 20 oz. Hydroflask for beverages (coffee or water,) and I’m taken care of for the day, with room to spare.

So much room for activities!

This small setup works particularly well for me since I usually stay at the show hotel for a couple of nights. Any large or heavy purchases can be run back to the room, keeping my bag light and agile. If I was visiting for the day I would consider a bigger backpack, simply for storage reasons.

I’ll carry my bottle in hand when wandering, but it fits easily in the bag - even zipped - when I need a hands-free moment.

The great thing about the Rickshaw Banzai bag is that it is an excellent stationery storage and carry option when at home. It may not fit a laptop, but if you simply want your stationery collected together and portable, this is a great choice.

When full looks the same as empty you have a winner! I toss this in my suitcase (minus the inked pens, which I carry on,) to and from the show.

I’m always looking for carry solutions, especially as it relates to stationery. Small, loose, oddly-shaped, and sometimes heavy items can be difficult to manage. I’m glad to be settled in this area for the time being, and I wonder if you are, as well. Let me know your carry solutions, or carry challenges, and let’s see what other options are out there.

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Sun-Star Delde Tote Backpack Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

If I must leave the house, and unfortunately I often must, I take comfort in knowing I can bring a bit of my desk with me. I think that's why I like bags so much, and why I like experimenting with clever bag designs. Bags like the Sun-Star Delde Tote Backpack intrigue me with their engineering and versatility, so I'm always excited to take a closer look at how they function.

Bags with convertible carry methods always catch my eye because sometimes I want a tote! And sometimes I need a backpack! Get you a bag that can do both, right? This bag does do both, though not as well as I might like.

We'll start with the positives, though. The bag is made of a nice polyester canvas material that has some water resistance. The hardware is gold-toned, which looks great with the black. The zippers are metal and smooth. The interior fabric is a silky brown fabric that is well secured inside the bag, so it isn't floppy.

There are many glorious pockets! There is one zipper pocket on the front for quick-grab items, and while it shares some space with the interior, the front piece of fabric allows a surprising amount of space for storage. Either side of the bag has a water bottle/umbrella pocket, though these are quite narrow and won't fit larger water bottles. There is a hidden zip, with black hardware instead of gold so it blends in, on the left back side that allows quick access to the main interior of the bag. Inside the main compartment, there are two slip pockets and one small zipper pocket made of the lining material.

This is a great pocket layout, with all the essentials accounted for. The main compartment is quite large. It claims it can fit up to a 14" laptop, but my 14.5" did not fit at all, and it looked like it would need more than an extra .5" to be practical. For smaller laptops or tablets, though, there is some padding in the back panel and bottom of the bag that would help keep it safe. It may not be big enough for a commuter bag or a student, but for an afternoon outing, it's perfect. It would also be great as a diaper bag.

The bag looks good, and it's classy enough to go from the board room to the park and look like it belongs. The design is well thought-out and the materials feel like they'll last.

There are a few negatives to consider, however. The most critical negative is that the straps are not adjustable. To use the bag as a tote, you pull the full length of the strap fabric through the metal slots at the top of the bag, which retracts the backpack straps all the way. The drop on the handles is not very deep (about 7"), so if the bag is fully loaded and at its full width, there's barely enough room to fit an arm through the tote loops. It can be carried by hand, but not easily over the shoulder, unless you like your bag all up in your armpit.

The same issue applies when the bag is in backpack mode. To activate backpack mode, pull the straps at both the top and bottom to retract both handles, then slide the strap cushions to the top. The mechanics are clever, but without an adjustable strap, you get what you get as far as length goes. You can't make them shorter, as they'll just pull through the hardware to full length either way, and you can't make them longer. It fits okay for me, though I'd adjust it if I could. My spouse can't wear the bag at all in either mode. If you have a larger frame, this bag may not work for you, and that actually makes me a little mad. One shouldn't have to worry about size inclusivity when buying bags, of all things.

So that is my main criticism of this bag. The other issue is a nitpick--the top zipper is one of those that insists on going straight across instead of following the curve of the bag, so you get floppy zipper antennas on either side, along with a fairly large gap where water can get in and items can fall out. It does allow for the bag to be fully opened, but it's a design feature I personally dislike.

In the end, my final impression is that this is almost a great bag. If it had adjustable straps, it would be a very good bag. With its limitations, it's still very useful, but not for everyone, and that's a shame.

It is priced well at $64.75 at JetPens, where it's available in several colors. For the materials and features, I would have expected a higher cost.

And there's some bonus wisdom from Delde right on the front of the bag: "It's important to be yourself, how it looks and handy." It leaves us with much to consider.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!