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History of the Handbag
By the 1400's both men and women were wearing purses, and as times prospered and the little sacks got fuller, they were ornamented with gold or elaborate embroidery. A century later, the drawstring bag was a status possession. Paintings of that era show flat bags gathered by tasseled strings. By the end of the century, however, fashion went undercover, as women preferred to wear their pouches under their skirts. In 1670, breeches with built-in pockets came into fashion and men dispensed with their handbags. But they did continue to carry a little netted "purse" for money inside the pocket. In the 18th century, pouches for both men and women disappeared. After the French Revolution, however, the style of women's clothes was so delicate that it was impossible for them to contain a pocket. Out into the open came the handbag, then known as a reticule (and occasionally a "ridicule" by men whose idea that was of a good joke). Skirts became more ample, and pockets won the next round. Even when dresses grew tighter in the 1880's, handbags were slow to return. The real renaissance for bags came around the turn of the century, with the advent of the hobble skirt. A pocket was an impossibility, and very large handbags carried by long strings or chains became popular. In the 20's, as dresses got skimpier, handbags became indispensable, and have remained so until the present, both as a utility and as a fashion item reflecting a personal style. Now every fashion has its handbag and every woman can have a wardrobe of shapes and colors. In addition, a new chapter in handbag history is being written, as men's fashions become leaner, and more and more men discover the convenience of toting their belongings in a handsome hand or shoulder Twentieth century technology has opened up a treasure of textures and materials from space age synthetics to hand-woven straws. There are rain-proof bags for stormy day, sturdy totes for the beach, delicate fabric for evening, and squashy shoulder bags for casual wear. In short, a fascinating variety of handbags for every mood, every outfit and every occasion. When you sell a handbag, sell the color and fun of a handbags wardrobe. Remember; fashion is in the bag. How to Choose a High-Quality Handbag
Steps: How to Select a Handbag for a Job InterviewA functional and attactive handbag is a smart interview accessory. It's the most professional way to carry your resume, calling card and personal effects. Steps: RucksackAfter reading the sections below, if you decide that you do not already have a bag that is appropriate for your travels, then you will want to go out and buy one. It is an important investment, not only in money but in the future enjoyment of your travels; in this respect, a really good travel rucksack is an excellent value for the money. Consult any books you can find on the subject and shop around a lot! There are many models available, but most shops carry only a few brands. If you already have a good rucksack, it may just be good enough for traveling. It doesn't have to fit all of the criterion I list below, but if you want to save money, your old rucksack may be able to carry you through with a few adjustments. It also gives you that "well-traveled" look and makes you less of a target for thieves. Compare it to the features listed below and decide if you can get along with its shortcomings. Is it reliable enough? If your old rucksack is about to fall apart, it most certainly will at the worst possible time On the Road. Maybe it's time for a new one. Size Small! See Traveling Light. You will fill to capacity (and beyond) whatever bag you choose to carry. The size of the bag determines the amount of weight you will be carrying around with you for the entire trip. Buy the bag first, then decide what will fit into it. You can try to keep in mind that you will be picking up new items along the way, but you will still fill it to capacity. Several of the newer bags on the market are expandable, and I discuss this below. The best rule of thumb I can think of is "airline carry-on size". You may not, in fact, want to carry your bag on the plane, but if it fits under an airline seat, it is much more likely to fit somewhere inside of a bus or train. If you really (really!) need the extra space, use one of the travel rucksacks that are a size or two bigger than "carry-on", but don't just go for the biggest bag you can find! Officially FAA carry-on size is 22 x 14 x 9 inches (56 x 36 x 23 cm.) = 2880 cubic inches (ci) or (divide by 61) 47 liters (l). Some airlines define it to be a total of up to 45 inches (115 cm) for the sum of the three dimensions. Notice that the standard is a parallelogram, with no extruding pockets , dangling cups or bags, and no big bulges in the middle or top. That should also suggest to you a plain rectangular travel pack. Any good pack should specifically state its measurements and capacity in cubic inches or liters. Size is not the same as weight. A 50 liter bag could weigh 10 kilos, or it could weigh 20 kilos. Mine usually weighs a moderate 13 to 17 kilos. Although I carry a small bag, it is not exactly light, because I also take great pains to squeeze as much compact gear as I can pack into that bag. The benefit of small is that you can easily stow it in the bus with you; the benefit of light, is that it is easier to carry. With poor packing, you can have a huge bag that is lighter than my small one. It is as easy to carry, but impossible to stow. Note that many cheap air tickets allow you only 20 kilos (44 pounds) of checked luggage. If they want to be difficult, they can make you pay plenty extra for an "overweight" rucksack. Note that if you decide that you just cannot live without the convenience, or don't want to miss a single opportunity to camp out, and opt for a tent, sleeping bag, thermal pad, stove, fuel, and food, you are now up into the 80 to 95 liter category and above, and it is going to weigh in at 24 to 30 kilos (52 to 66 lbs!) If you think this is best for you, then by all means go ahead Travel AdviceWhat to take
Rucksacks: When buying a rucksack for backpacking you want to be looking for something in the capacity region of 60 to 70 litres, anything more that 75 or 80 litres is too much for the average person to carry around easily, and simply the bigger you buy, the more (unneccessary) things you will take. Look for rucksacks with a sturdy design and few pockets, these are weak points and are often not big enough for practicle use. A main compartment that can be divided into two and entered through a lower zip is also useful. A good rucksack will also have an integral raincover and a side carrying handle (which makes things a lot easier - trust me). Look for a rucksack with an adjustable back system of which there are many different styles, try the pack on and make sure that it is comfortable, most of the weight should be sitting on your hips, not your shoulders. Try to get hold a rucksack that has a ripstop mechanism in the material, this will make your bag more secure and less likel y to fall apart on you, and a bag with a 'floating lid' will offer more storage space for things that you pick up along the way. A couple of other nice features to look for are compression straps along the side of the bag. These allow you to pull the contents of you bag closer to your back and create a more favourable centre of gravity, also if you are planning on taking a tent or roll mat then strap on points are required on the rucksack. Getting the right rucksack for your needs is important so shop around and take plenty of advice. Expect to pay upwards of ?0 Daysack: You will want a daysack for carrying the things that you need on a day to day basis, I recommend a 25 or 30 litre size as this is big enough for the things you are likely to need and not to big to carry around in your hand (dont forget that when travelling you will have your main rucksack on your back) Because you are carrying this by hand for some of the time make sure the bag has a sturdy and comfortable carrying handle, prefrerably with a rubber or plastic reinforcement. Again try and pick a bag with a comfortable back system preferably with an airflow feature, and a built in raincover is always a bonus. Expect to pay between ?0 and ?0 Sleeping Bag: It is a good idea to have a sleeping bag when travelling, even if you are planning on staying only in hostels, as in many hostels only a bed and base sheet is provided. It you have a sleeping bag it greatly increases the number of options you have, you can go camping, sleep on beaches and it means that you dont have to use other peoples bedding or that provided by less desirable accomodation. Look for a bag with a synthetic filling as these can be washed, and it doesnt matter if they get wet. (Down filled bags are only really suitable for dry climates and tend to be more expensive) Make sure that the outer material is ripstop and that the zip has a baffler down it and an antisnag strip. You should get a sleeping bag with a good compression sack as this saves space in your rucksack. I recommend the Robens sleeping bag range if you can get hold of them, Vango and Carinthia are also good. When packing your sleeping bag away always stuff it into its stuff sack, dont roll or fold it as this can lead to the sleeping bag getting damaged from being stored in the same position, and start with the foot end first as this allows the air to escape through the top opening. Expect to pay between ?0 and ?00 Sleeping Bag Liner: It is a good idea to get a sleeping bag liner for a number of reasons, it will keep your sleeping bag clean, give you a little extra warmth in your sleeping bag or can be used on its own when you are to hot in your sleeping bag. I cant recommend strongly enough that you buy a silk liner, and not a cotton one. Silk is a lot lighter, packs down to half the size, doesnt cling to your body, keeps you cool when it is hot, and warm when it is cool. They cost about 3 times as much as cotton (around ?0) but it is well worth the extra money. Inflatable pillow Sleeping Mat: If you are planning on doing any camping then a sleeping mat can be useful, they are also good when you are sleeping on sand. Try to stay away for the traditional roll mats as these are bulky and not very comfy. I reccommend one of the self inflating types such as that offered by Thermorest or Artiach, these are lightweight, pack down small, are very comfortable and provide insulation from the ground, go for the 3/4 length variety to save more space and weight. Artiach 3/4 length mats cost around ?0, Thermorest cost a little more. Penknife: Useful for a variety of different things and something that you really should take, make sure that yours has on it a can opener, large and small blade, scissors, tweezers, and preferably also a bottle opener, corkscrew and pliers. Victorinox are the original makers of swiss army knifes, offer superior quality and cost upto about ?0. Torch: More specifically a Maglite torch, these are exceptional, very compact, provide superb optics, and are about all you could want from a torch. Go for the Mini Maglite which takes two AA batteries and expect to pay ?6. Maglite also offer an accessory pack for these torches with colored lens and other things, useful if you are involved in a conservation project where white light is prohibited. First Aid Kit: Take a first aid kit but dont make my mistake and take something big and comprehensive enough to sevice a whole army, then only use two plasters and a few paracetamol tablets. Something small and simply should suffice and it should be compact and take up minimal space, many people take large kits, half of which they have no idea of how to use. If you are travelling to a underdeveloped country you may want to take a sterile needle kit, should you need any injections whilst in country. A basic kit should cost less than ?0 Travel towel: There are a number of different travel towels on the market, choose a good quality one and it should last you well, try to go for something that large enough to be used as a beach towel, but compact enough to fold away almost as small as a teatowel would, these cost in the region of ?0, though lesser quality ones cost a lot less. Waterproof document wallet: For storing all of your important papers and documents, ziplock bags are cheap and do the trick. Mosquito Protection: If you are travelling to a tropical region then it is important to protect yourself from mosquitos as they can carry diseases. If malaria is prevalent in a region you are travelling through take some form of anti malaria tablets, consult your local pharmasist before you leave. Mosquito repellents such as deet and jungle formula are very effective to prevent the mozzies from biting you, and when sleeping it is advisable to sleep under a mosquito net. When buying a mosquito net ensure that it has a permathrin impregnation, a tightly woven mesh, and go for a box type design. A double capacity net is often better than a single as you run less risk of tearing it when trying to fit it to a bed, these cost between ? and ?0. Make sure that in your first aid kit you include and antihistamine cream to alliviate the itching from insect bites, there is nothing more annoying than not being able to sleep because you are itching. Wash Kit: You will need to take a wash kit with you, keep it simple and small and never take unneccessary cosmetics etc with you as they just add lots of weight and bulk to your bag. The Lifesystems wash-bag range are very good. If you are a bloke (or I suppose a girl!) go for a Gillette Mach 3 razor (very good shave, and widely available blades) and if possible have a short haircut, i.e. grade4 or less, this will mean that you wont have to carry haircare products or shampoo (normal soap will effectively wash very short hair) and you can wake up in the morning knowing that your hair is looking perfect. If you are going somewhere hot and sunny, dont forget to take some form of sunblock. Eyecare: If you wear contact lens you should also take a pair of glasses with you, you will also want a pair of quality sunglasses. Water purification: If you are in an underdeveloped country where water sources may be questionable then you should carry some form of water purification. Tablets such as puritabs or iodine can purify water in most cases. You can also buy a filter system which looks like a cyclists water bottle but has a filter in the top which the water passes through. This will render almost any water safe that has come from a moving source, and is fairly compact. To purify stagnant water you will need a pump action water filter, these are costly (around ?0) and fairly bulky and should only be bought if you are considering some serious cross country expeditions Water Bottles: You can buy aluminium water bottles such as those made by Sigg, these are good but take up a lot of space, instead I recommend buying a Flexiflask which can be stored flat when not in use, and are also good because you can freeze, boil and microwave them, and attach a drinking pipe system to convert it into a hydration pack. For your other water bottle needs, simply use bottled water bottles or pop bottles bought in country, which you can throw away if you dont need them for a while. Jacket: You will probably be travelling through many different countries each with its own climate and weather systems. Take a good quality fleece with you, this should be one that can be combined with a waterproof outershell to create a 3 in 1 jacket (see waterproofs below) The best type of fleece material to look for is Polartec, this offers a very good warmth to weight ratio and the 200 series is the most versatile if you are travelling through variable temperature regions. Also look for DWR (durable water repellancy), this will allow light rain to run off the jacket rather than soak in. Waterproofs: Buy a lightweight and compact waterproof jacket to go with your fleece. There are two main ways of making a waterproof jacket, the first is to laminate the material with waterproofing agent, this is effective for waterproofing but breathability tends to be lower. This is the cheaper option but the laminate will deteriorate over time and reduce performance. The second way is to fuse the jacket to a waterproof membrane such a Goretex, this produces a very waterproof jacket which is highly breathable and very lightweight, expect to pay upwards of ?00 for a membrane jacket. You should also invest in a pair of waterproof overtrousers, these are especially useful if you are working on muddy conservation projects as you can just wash them down with a hosepipe after work. |
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The ways in which people have carried themselves and their belongings throughout history have reflected the eras in which they lived. The earliest historically verifiable handbags-little sacks containing pomanders (scented oranges), flint and money-were carried by gentlemen and known as "pockets". These were hung by thongs from the back of the girdle and were often cut from behind by thieves who knew how to capitalize on a friendly pat on the back; hence the name "cut purse".
Whether it's a travel tote or a delicate evening purse, make sure your bag is well-made before you buy it. With little effort you can select a bag that's built to last and worth the money you pay for it. 
Taking with you the right equipment is one of the most important things you can do if your trip is to run smoothly and easily. The information in this section is targeted mainly at travel in temperate and tropical regions, and is not intended to cover travel or expeditions in colder climates, if you are travelling to colder destinations seek additional advice. Generally if you are backpacking then you will only want two items of luggage: A large rucksack and a smaller daysack.