Yo! Just so you know: North St. Bags provided the product to facilitate this review but as always all thoughts and opinions are strictly our own.

I’m gonna just go ahead and put this out there. This bag makes me feel a lot cooler than I am.

Do I still buy clothes at Costco and occasionally wear white socks with jeans? Sure. But this Flanders backpack from North St. Bags makes me feel like I have some serious street cred and ups my cool factor easily by ten points.

That aside, this bag has become my go-to nearly anytime I leave the house. I carry it almost daily into work, use it for travel and play and I shove a ton of extra clothes and diapers into it for a last minute diaper bag. In fact, I used it to bring the very laptop I’m using now to the hip coffee shop where I’m writing this.

But being hip isn’t why I love this bag. It’s just a nice side effect for a father of two who’s aging faster than I’d like. There are actually lots of well-thought out design functions that not only make this bag worthwhile but a good investment. From the padded backs and shoulder straps, to a compression buckle system that helps you secure smaller loads or expand with bigger ones, to the shear space available. It’s a bag that can easily handle all that dads can throw at it (and toddlers too.)

Let me share just a few of the reasons why I’ve come to love the Flanders Bag:

• Spacious - lots of room to store just about anything you need
• Easy access - with a large opening at the top its easy to get large items in and out
• Front pockets - the front pockets are deceptively big, with tight closing zippers to keep water out for all my travel accessories
• Waterproof - in the Pacific Northwest that’s vital and helps keep peace of mind for electronics
• Accessories - the customizable laptop sleeve is AMAZING, it hugs my device perfectly and keeps it safe during all the miles it travels. This is one accessory I wouldn’t leave the house without. Plus, North St. offers many more options to choose from!

Just a few of the challenges I’ve experienced:

• Wide open spaces - with only top access, smaller items can fall to the bottom and need to fish them out
• Roll top - the fun roll top buckle is awesome for easy access but can sometimes come lose and needs a little tightening to stay secure but it’s never impacted anything inside and a quick tighten fixes it right away.
• Price - at $189 it’s a hefty investment but the quality, durability and craftsmanship will no doubt last you (even with kids pulling and tugging on it every day)

As a Portland native, North St. Bags also speaks to me on a personal level. Supporting small businesses and seeing what local craftsman can produce is a passion of mine. I have a collection of backpacks that I’ve been accumulating over the years. This one has immediately risen to the top and has become a daily companion of mine. Not a single stitch has come undone nor has it seen any affects from the rain. That’s what Made in the USA can do.

The Flanders has been the perfect bag to get through the fall and now winter with. If you’re looking for a holiday gift that’s perfect for the professional who needs a daily work bag that can easily convert into a weekend getaway, the Flanders is the real deal.

Now, if only it could make me as cool as a I feel.