Whenever I am at events, someone always buys an On the Fly bag to use as a travel bag. I get told by people all the time, you should market this as a travel bag. In light of that, I thought I'd share my recent holiday with you and show you how the On the Fly Jasper Swag dog walking bag made my time at the beach convenient and hassle free.
Road Trip with the On the Fly bag
First things first, road trip or not, when I head out of my house there is a 90% chance I will be carrying a water bottle. I have a Swell bottle with a fairly wide base and I like that it is easy to slide my bottle into the water bottle pocket and it stays put. There are not a lot of handbags out there that have built in water bottle sleeves, especially for larger bottles, so that is a definite advantage with this bag.
As this was a road trip out of country, I had to carry my passport. My personal preference is to always have my passport on my person when I'm out and about in a foreign country. With the On the Fly bag I had lots of storage options. Initially, I stored it in the back pocket. This pocket is against my body, zips closed and feels secure. I kept it in this pocket for easy access when going through customs. Once I didn't need it on a regular basis, I stored my passport in the zipped pocket inside the central compartment. It felt more secure there as it was secured in an inside pocket by a zipper and then the main compartment also zipped close. No worries of losing the passport.
On the Fly Carrying Gear
Our main destination was the beach. When I get to the beach, I always have so much to carry. I have to be prepared for every eventuality. In this case, rain, sun and wind. This meant I had to have a hat as well as layers of clothing and had to be able to shed those layers depending on the weather. I do not like things tied around my waist so the dog bag came in quite handy. I looped my hat and tied my jacket and sweater to the shoulder strap and was able to adjust my clothing to the variable conditions. The bonus of course was I had my hands free to collect rocks and shells and take pictures - an absolute must for me.
The Workhorse
I also had to have my sunglasses, a drink (or two), my camera, my wallet, tissues, a book and a snack. The On the Fly bag carried it all with room to spare. We did a lot of walking and I found the bag quite comfortable to wear even carrying all my gear. This is a minor point but an important one for me. I use the front flap zipper pocket to store my keys. I love that my keys are stored in a zipper compartment which is covered by a flap. They are easy to access and I never worry about losing them. That little bit of security creates peace of mind. So valuable.
One day when we were doing a longer walk, as an experiment, I tried wearing the bag with both the waist strap and the shoulder strap simultaneously. I wanted to see if wearing both straps would reduce shoulder strain and give me a bit more support. It totally did. Wearing both straps was super comfortable. While walking, the bag was hardly noticeable and I could easily maneuver the bag to get at my phone or camera when I needed them.
A funny thing happened as a result of this experiment. I didn't bring a belt on the trip and while I was wearing the waist strap, I noticed my shorts kept sliding down. Well, I took the waist strap, slid it through the belt loops on my shorts and problem solved. I'm not kidding, I've worn the waist strap as a belt on these shorts ever since. It is the most comfortable belt I've even worn - in case you haven't noticed, I really don't like things around my waist! I think someone should market these waist straps as belts. Seriously comfortable
We left the beach to head to a Blue Jays ball game. Again, my On the Fly bag came in super handy. With changeable weather conditions, layers were necessary. We were taking public transit so I had to carry everything I needed for the evening. I had a sweater, a jacket, my camera, my phone, my hat, my wallet and more.
I was never worried I would lose anything as the bag held all my belongings quite securely. I felt I could walk in the crowd without having someone reaching in to help themselves. When seated, I could either put the bag under my seat or just hold it in my lap. It is small and lightweight enough that I just held on to it.
I hardly even noticed it was there. So handy.
We also went to a Vancouver Canadians ball game. Sitting in bleachers, pressed up against your neighbours makes for tight quarters. I really didn't have to worry.
My On the Fly bag, sat neatly in my lap and I didn't even notice it. Every time I had to stand up to let someone in or out, it was not an issue. Other women had big purses and they were banging people in the head as they tried to move around. Not me.
I had my compact bag and was able to move easily. I'm not kidding when I say I gave myself a pat on back each time I had to move. So proud of this bag.
The On the Fly dog walking bag is a great travel companion. Of course you could use any bag but this bag has some distinct advantages. The waterproof fabric keeps your gear dry so even if you head out for a walk in the rain, you're gear stays dry. The multitude of pockets enables you to sort your gear so you can find what you need when you need it.
The size is just right - You can only carry enough stuff. This is important or the bag is too heavy to carry or is cumbersome when you're trying to enjoy yourself. No one wants additional neck tension or sore shoulders when they're out gallivanting.
The sporty and durable nature of this bag helps it stand up to the environment. Despite sitting in the sand, on the ground, on bleachers, the bag is quite clean. Dirt just brushes off or is easily wiped off.
In the past, I have taken my bag on a cruise to Alaska. It was so handy to have my bag to cart my stuff around the ship - tea, book, tablet, camera, room key, etc. - leaving my hands free for holding handrails and opening ship doors. Heading out on excursions all I took was my bag. It was all I needed. Traveling light but with my necessities ensured I enjoyed myself without being over encumbered with stuff.
Flying? The On the Fly bag carries just what you need so you don't have a crazy bulky carry on. It fits easily under your seat so you can access your book, snack or coffee. So nice.
I may have mentioned that I don't like things around my waist. Ha. But if you happen to not mind things around your waist, you might find it really handy to wear the bag as a "fanny pack". The bag is generic enough that men could quite easily wear the bag and not feel too feminine.
Overall, I would say this bag makes a terrific travel companion. The size works for me - not too big but has enough space to carry my essentials. My gear is dry, secured in zippered pockets and is easily accessible when I need it. Having two straps gives me the choice of how I wear the bag, I can adjust the straps to best suit my activity. As the bag is quite durable I don't worry about it being on the floor or sitting in wet sand, dirt easily brushes or wipes off. This bag is my go to travel companion, not sure how I ever functioned without it to be honest!
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