Summer bags - what to use

[Flightywoman]

I have a real problem with my summer bag choice!

I have a huge and gorgeous dark brown leather rucksack which is wonderful but quite heavy - in weight and appearance. It works well for being on the shoulders, but it isn't very summery!

I do tend to carry a lot around - purse, house keys, car keys, 2 ID badges (for different offices), large filofax-y diary/notebook, small make-up bag, spare charger, daily medicines, pens...and lunch!

I need suggestions for how to manage all this each day without weighing myself down - the obvious answer is to reduce what I'm carrying but I genuinely use most of it most days.

I have a short walk from the car to the office, no more than 10 minutes, and I'm not madly keen on crook-of-the-arm bags, they get heavy and uncomfortable.

I have a lovely leather tote but it's quite tall so everything falls to the bottom and it doesn't have a flat bottom so it falls over, which is slightly annoying!

Shall I go for a small handbag - keys, purse, phone - and then a medium tote for diary, make-up etc?

Or just a medium summery tote?

I just don't know what to opt for!

Hiya,
How about something like this:
www.gusti-leather.co.uk/studio-ashley-shopper-tote-shoulder-bag-2h46-26-54.html

It looks quite sturdy with long enough straps to wear on the shoulder? And it has a flat bottom. Looks like it should hold quite a lot.

I have one of those Japanese pleated bags it holds around 10 kgs and is incredibly light.

Longchamp le pliage? Have this one www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/longchamp-le-pliage-small-shopper_193-2001484-2605089NAVY/?previewAttribute=Navy and they also do a different style with a shoulder strap

Thanks! Cheesy I love Longchamps, though can't really afford one at the moment, but I think I might look at the shape and see if I can make something similar - I've got some vinyl fabric that would look slightly Mondrian-ish which would work well...

Bristol I love the leather tote but I think it would be too big and I'd get weighed down. It is gorgeous though.

And Zara, tell me more about Japanese pleated bags...I'm intrigued!

Today I opted for a small canvas shouder bag for keys, purse, sunnies and a larger Clarins freebie for diary, chargers, stuff. The straps of the freebie are long enough for shoulder use, and the strap of the other is one I can lengthen or shorten. It seems to have worked today, and I don't feel overloaded or weighed down.

It is making me review my bags though, I've got a number that started out really well but have revealed their significant design flaws later on and are consigned to the "won't use them, they're annoying" corner.

Flightywoman sorry on my phone but if you Google Japanese pleated tote they will come up. They come in all colours I have lilac for summer.

I would have a separate bag for the work stuff like lunch, with smaller handbag for the things you would carry to run errands. I'd dump the makeup bag too as touchup makeup like lipstick fits much better loose.

I use a Cambridge Satchel Cloud bag or Coach hobo for purse, kindle, keys, phone, charger and brolly with a foldable shopping bag for lunch.