Dear Handbag manufacturers, put a zip along the top!

[SilverHawk]

I know the little magnetic dots are cheaper but I want the security and the dryness. The UK is a pretty wet country most of the time.
I have not bought several options because of this and am now stuck

All the bags I ever see have zips. I don't look at high end designer ones though.

And put the zip the right way round for a change!!!

This. Having been pick pocketed in London a few times I'm super conscious of this, I turn my bag around so the zip opening is at the front which means any pretty design on the bag is hidden as it's always on the wrong bloody side!

Re the zip the wrong way round. Doesn't it depend on which shoulder you carry your bag? I have never had this problem.

Like a previous poster, I commute to central London and have to squeeze into packed public transport, so a zip is a must have for me. I hate seeing lovely bags which don’t have secure fastenings on them.

Having had my purse stolen from a bag with a clip top I now only buy zip top bags

Yes!
Such a basic thing that makes all the difference

I agree about magnetic poppers but not about zips. They always, always, break on me and I don't think they're secure enough. I want buckles, not fake buckles over a popper, real working ones. You have to be a highly skilled pickpocket to unfasten them before I notice and they also last forever, or if they don't, they're fairly straightforward to repair. Of course this is probably why they don't do them any more.

I also want a pocket on the outside of the bag, but on the side close to my body for my phone to slide in so I can feel it vibrating, and for my keys too so I’m not fumbling inside my bag in the dark, with who knows what predator is looking on toothily in the car park.

Also, I want versatile straps, and that they are wide (maybe even padded) and have suede on the shoulder side, so they don’t slip off. I hate being garotted by skinny straps, or having to keep putting the bag up on my shoulder as the undersides of the straps are polished like a mirror.

^^ THIS WITH BELLS ON^^

Agree on every point. Cant find a decent bag for love nor money. I’d love a soft grey leather bag thats big but with a zip or with a big zipped internal compartment like an inner pouch. Why is it so hard? Even looking to spend up to £200, there’s nothing. Lots of PU passing itself off as leather though. Urghh!

I want small internal zipped compartments too so my lipstick doesnt go shooting out everytime I break sharply in the car and my bag ends up on the floor —again—

I’m another person who always manages to break zips.

I totally agree about straps being too narrow though. So annoying

I have to say I agree, although only one of my bags has a zip, but it is my most used one. And the zip is indestructible it's so solid, as is the zipped compartment inside. But it was £££. So many bags are just big buckets and that annoys me, especially with more expensive bags, how hard is it to put some pockets inside it?!

I commute to london with a popper bag. Unsure how anyone can pickpocket one of those if you are carrying it as it’s visible ane they aren’t really designed to be carried via the shoulder strap.

For the PP who wanted a phone pocket next to the body- one of my favourite features of my work bag is just this type of pocket. It doesn’t have a zip but it’s quite deep and obviously ends up under your armpit so quite difficult for a thief to access, but easy for you when you want to grab your phone.

Mine is a tote bag from Knomo:
www.knomobags.com/uk/grosvenor-place-tote-black-3192.html

Expensive but I got mine significantly reduced in the sale a while back. Perfect work bag for me!

Ooh that is nice. I’m in the market for a work bag that my laptop will fit in.

Thanks internetcrazies never heard of Earth Squared before but just had a look and they've got some lovely items

Interesting. I bought a work bag from kipling which I absolutely love. It's massive, as my work has has to be. Waterproof with a full zip.

But I find the pocket configuration annoying. The interior and exterior pockets are both on the same side of the bag, which makes it unbalanced.

I hadn't thought that maybe it was a security thing.

I've just realised that being left handed, the zip always closes the correct way for me. Yay! Only time in my life where being left handed has been an advantage.

I bought a big make up bag, the same size and shape as my zipless bag, so that I could store my purse/phone safely. Was cheaper than a proper bag organiser but I might get one anyway, for the different pockets.

Absolutely!! I swear handbag manufacturers must all be men —or women who’ve never had to fit a phone, wallet, diary, nappy, snacks, water, dummy, wipes, toys etc etc in the bag—
I’ve got a healthybackbag which is not the prettiest bag but it’s got pockets and a zip that zips the right way and it’s got a comfortable cross body straps that means I have my hands free. It’s even smart enough for work - only downside is it doesn’t hold my Filofax (enormous!) or laptop.

"or women who’ve never had to fit a phone, wallet, diary, nappy, snacks, water, dummy, wipes, toys etc etc in the bag— "

There are an awful lot of us who are beyond that stage now. It will pass.

DD is 17 and carries her own stuff now

I would like a pocket to put a bottle of water where it won't spill out and I can access it easily.
The best bag I have is my baby changing bag. I'm tempted to use it as a work bag when mat leave finishes!

Seagull shit, too. I got splatted from head to foot, yesterday by one of the bastards and it was only through sheer luck that it didn't go into the bag I was rummaging through, at the time.

Must keep that zip shut, in future!

Zip yes please

Yes, my dream feature' in a bag would be a simple circle of fabric in one end that keeps a bottle upright. I've even tried to improvise this but the result was clumsy.

Have you seen this

www.monpurse.com/uk/design-your-own-mon-purse/

Miatui.com

I love their bags, they have zips and lots of internal pockets and are well made.