An impossible challenge: a large bag that doesn't look it?!

[oxcat1]

I'm definitely asking the impossible, but I'm after a relatively large bag but nothing too bulky as I'm quite small and pathetic myself!

It needs to be able to hold rather a lot: one very bright bag full of epipens etc, insulin syringe, medication and tester, plus all the usual junk that handbags accumulate! What I don't want is to be fishing through it all in the pouring rain trying to find my house keys!

Ideally, I want a bag that I can essentially use every day, regardless of what I'm wearing or doing as I don't want to keep moving all this crucial stuff from one bag to the next and potentially missing something.

I have quite a relaxed style and tend to prefer over body bags, or certainly over the shoulder - none of this pouncing around with things in your hand! Any colour really, but not too formal, elderly or expensive!

Any ideas??!

Lonchamp les pilages

www.amazon.co.uk/Kipling-Womens-Shoulder-Orchid-K12969147/dp/B0063RYF3M/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?s=shoes&ie=UTF8&qid=1342121234&sr=1-1-fkmr1
I have one of these and it holds alot for a small bag and is reasonable light.
there are 2 large pockets plus a smaller front compartment and a few little pockets.
probably not the most stylish thing ever though but I am not stylish

I am loving this J Crew bag. Its in this months Red magazine and I've now fallen for it jcrewaficionada.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/jcrew-email-just-for-cardmembers.html

Those Kipling bags look lovely, I'm tempted but got fed up of all my stuff getting wet in this rainy summer we're having so invested in a barbour bag. Boring but spacious and should last for years, goes with everything as neutral/understated:

www.barbourbymail.co.uk/Womens-Barbour-Tarras-Waxed-Shoulder-Bag.html

Not impossible at all. I recently bought this PeonyandMooreMariella and I love it except I keep losing stuff in it cos it's so big. I've actually bought a handbag organiser to insert into it.

It really doesn't look big so this might be the one for you. There's 25 pounds off it just now...there's another thread on this subject which will give you the code.

I like the Mariella but it does look like it needs internal pockets, if it doesn't have them!

I had an amazing bag from Portugal once - made up of patchwork strips of leather, when it was empty, it was really quite small but because it was pleated (sort of) where the strips of leather joined the base and zip area, it held an enormous amount of stuff without appearing to. My best moment was getting a fat book and a pair of sandals into it along with everything else that was normally in there!

So, while I obviously can't give you a link to "it", it might be something to look for - soft leather with pleats, especially at the base.

My Mariella (last years) has one large zip pocket inside and 3 smaller pockets on the inside for stuff, plus 1 large and 1 small zip pocket on outside. No central dividing thingy inside tho but that makes it easy for me to carry all my gubbins about in :)

Not glam, but I have a North Face messenger bag. Big and waterproof with lots of internal pockets. I do have a baby and a three yo though. Might get something a bit more grown up when baby is older. It was better than a cutesy changing bag cupcakes and sparkles though!

I have le Pliage from Longchamp and it's a PITA! It's light and spacious but has no internal pockets- complete and utter pain to find anything in it as everything just lies at the bottom of the bag.

What about this H by Hudson bag. Have no idea what it'll be like but happy enough with boots I have from there and it really is a massive reduction (£165 - £33)

brown leather expandable bag

ooh - lots of good ideas! Thank you so much!

Will go and explore all these links.

thanks again.

Primark had handbag organizer things for a couple of quid. Quite useful if bag doesn't have pockets.