Here’s something that we men never even knew our womenfolk needed; and I’ll wager that more than a few women didn’t know such a useful item exists, either. But – warning – now that the cat is out of the (coat) bag, they’re likely to want one, real soon now.
Billing itself as the world’s only luxury coat bag, and with a price tag ($200) that will prove how much your woman means to you, this is an interesting concept that at first seemed to me, from my male perspective, to be unnecessary (and expensive).
But after asking around, and getting consistently positive opinions from members of the fairer sex, it seems that perhaps it is indeed the sort of thing that women would find useful.
Sometimes when I’ve been packing in a warm place, to go to a colder place, I’ve foolishly packed my coat in my suitcase, and have shivered upon arriving at the destination airport – not only when experiencing the predictable ultimate exit from the terminal building to go catch a taxi or shuttle bus or whatever out in the cold, but sometimes also when suffering the ‘bonus’ of deplaning not through a heated jetway, but at a far-away hardstand (perhaps with the bonus of rain and/or snow) and then waiting interminably in a freezing airport transfer bus until the doors close and it takes us to the terminal building.
On the other hand, when traveling with a coat, it is uncomfortable to wear it in airports that are often ridiculously overheated, and you have to take it to travel through security. What to do?
And therein lies the concept of the Abrigo coat bag. It is a lightweight, attractive, well made and over-sized bag into which you can stuff your coat (or, if you’re not like me, a bag into which you can gently place a carefully folded coat).
Let’s think about these features. First, it truly is light and, in and of itself, not at all bulky. It weighs just under 12 ounces, and can be scrunched up into a bundle measuring about 6″ x 4″ x 3″ when not in use.
It is available in two colors (the image at the top shows inventor/designer Katie Grové with the two bag styles she offers) and is made – in the US, no less – out of imported jacquard woven fabric. Both bags look (at least to my untrained male eye) to be understatedly elegant and appealing.
The bags seems to be well made, and have a one year warranty on them. They also have a 30 day exchange (if you decide you prefer the other color) and/or money back guarantee on them. Good stitching, solidly hemmed seams, and some leather highlights/reinforcing makes it into a solid bag.
The bag measures about 22″ x 19″ and has a 3″ gusset at the bottom. It has no lining or stiffeners, which not only makes it easy to squash up when not in use, but also allows it to conform to whatever you put in it. To my slight surprise, it is also very capacious. I put my full length men’s boiled wool Austrian style winter coat in it, and there was plenty of space to add other things too – a feature which hints at the bag’s ability to fill multiple roles. You can use it not just to place your coat in when not needed, but also to put a book or two and other travel essentials in it too.
Oh – you can also clip your keys to a key lanyard inside the bag, and there’s a large 10.5″ wide by 6″ deep outer pocket with a full length zip running along the top into which you can securely carry your passport, boarding pass, and other documentation as needed.
Showing its well thought out design, there is also a loop which allows you to place the bag over the handle of your suitcase or roll-aboard (not obvious but sort of illustrated in the picture above).
So – there you have it. A simple seeming product, but with well thought out features, and which addresses an issue/need that many of us hadn’t even thought about before. If you’re looking for a new sort of gift idea for the woman in your life (and why not for the metrosexual or even ordinary man in your life, too?), or if you’re wanting something like this for yourself, maybe this is what you’re looking for.
The Abrigo Coat Bag is currently available only through their website, and costs $200. Shipping is, ahem, extra, although flat rate so you can buy as many of their bags as you wish without paying any more for the shipping.
