I have been on the perpetual hunt for a good daily work bag that can also travel well with a trolley sleeve. This Aquila Tote bag from White Elm is very close to checking all the boxes in my list of requirements! I just received my bag yesterday and am carrying it today for the first time. My initial impressions are as follows.
Pros- The bag looks very nice, with high quality materials inside and out. The hot pink lining makes it easy to see everything inside. It's super roomy. Today I am carrying my 14" laptop in the dedicated roomy padded pocket along with a smaller notebook. In all the other pockets I have- wallet, glasses, sunglasses, a small makeup bag, a Yeti coffee tumbler, the crossbody strap, and in the main compartment I have a change of clothes, and my lunch! It's full but not overstuffed or ridiculous looking and I can still zip it completely closed.
Cons- Even when empty the bag is heavy, because the nylon exterior and interior fabric are thick, it means heavy in weight. The pink lining on the water/coffee pockets on the outside is distracting to me- black would have been more polished looking. The White Elm label is also distracting- I actually used a black Sharpie to go over the label to tone it down and now it's visible but now looks more stamped than gold foiled. The key ring clasp could be bigger and I wish it also had a key leash. I will probably try to create something for this myself. Last, the tote straps are a about an inch shorter than ideal, and it would be good if there was a snap cuff to keep them together while using them to carry.
All in all, this is a good looking, solid bag and I am looking forward to carrying it and traveling with it for a long time!