Archives for July 2017

Last week, we reviewed the first of two products Moshi recently introduced to kick off their Summer  2017 Travel Collection. With Summer in full swing across Europe and North America, what better opportunity than now to review their latest offerings, Costa and Vacanza. So without further delay, let’s take a closer look at the second of two recently released products in this Moshi Vacanza travel bag review.

Moshi Vacanza Travel Bag Review

Per the press release: “Moshi has announced two new bags, Vacanza and Costa, as part of its Summer Collection tailored for the modern traveler. Whether it’s for business or a short trip to the beach, the new collection combines Moshi’s minimalist style and thoughtful functionality to add a level of ease and sophistication to your journey.”

Forget name brands for a moment. If you saw this weekender travel bag on a store shelf or online, wouldn’t your first impression be ‘Wow?’

To present the proper perspective on the Vacanza bag, it must be compared to similar ones from other premium brands like Kate Spade, Michael Kors, and Tumi, just to name a few. Visit any of the brands’ websites listed below and you’ll see that the Moshi’s Vacanza stacks up well against these upscale brands. It turns out that the quality and craftsmanship of the product is a non-issue, and hardly worth mentioning.  Along with more features, what you’ll see is a much better price, and to the high majority of us, that’s a deciding factor.

To give you a comparison, I went through each of the stated websites and checked out their weekend travel bags and satchels. Here are three products worthy of comparison:

• Watson Lane Large Lyla from Kate Spade
• Jet Set Travel Large Leather Weekender from Michael Kors
• Double Expansion Travel Satchel from Tumi

Throughout each bag, you’ll see similarities to the Vacanza, and you should since they’re all weekender bags. In most cases, the materials of construction and the craftsmanship are identical; this covers both the exterior and interior of each bag. All four branded bags have quality shoulder straps, handles, pockets, zippers, lining, etc. Three out of four bags even have a double expansion feature, which positively adds to their appearance. Where the Vacanza leaps over the three is with its larger frame (in all but one case), crush-resistant pocket, weather-resistant surface treatment, and finally, price.

I welcome you to compare the Vacanza to those more expensive bags linked above. Only then will you know you’ve found the right bag and come to the right decision.

Weekend Travel Bag

As I’ve stated on numerous occasions while reviewing Moshi bags and backpacks, when I say this weekender bag looks great, it’s not an overstatement.

If you’ve spent some time looking at Moshi’s bags and backpacks, then you’ll have noticed that the exterior of the Vacanza is made from the same high-resilience polyester materials with the same weather-resistant surface treatment that appear on Moshi’s 2017 bags and backpacks. The similarities don’t end there. The Titanium Gray and Charcoal Black colors that grace the Arcus photography backpack also appear on this product.

Starting with its front side, the Vacanza travel bag comes with a crush-resistant compartment. It has two faux-adjustable straps with magnetic snap latches, and is sized at 12″ x 6.5″ x 1.5″. There’s a sleeve for business and identification cards and one pen within. Like you, as someone who travels around with a pair of glasses, sunglasses, and numerous mobile devices such as a phone and in-ear headphones, I often worry about their condition when stored. Now you can begin to worry less.

FYI The Arcus backpack and Costa satchel also come with a crush-resistant pocket. It provides reliable protection. There’s the now-standard square ‘moshi’ logo on the pocket as well.On the rear, there’s a trolley strap making airport transit less adventurous as well as three hidden pockets. These pockets are unnoticeable until you feel around the surface. My recommendation would be not to put anything beyond slips of paper so as not to change the shape of the pockets.

What you won’t see beyond the 22″ top zipper are any additional zippers. Both metal zipper handles have an embossed surface for better grip.

What differentiates Vacanza from Costa is its larger size, the addition of a water bottle pocket, and a double expansion feature. As stated earlier, the double expansion feature is a welcome addition which adds more class to an already impressive bag. Then there’s the adjustable mesh pocket for holding a bottle. None of the comparison bags nor the Costa incorporated this side pocket. It was so needed here.

Wrapping up the top are the vegan leather handles as well as the long, durable, adjustable, and removable shoulder strap with a well-padded, sliding, and removable shoulder cushion. This shoulder protection is identical to that on the Aerio, Costa, and Urbana bags. What you may not notice is the proprietary ViscoStrap™. This viscoelastic strap was designed to mitigate shoulder strain by as much as 30%. As someone who uses shoulder and messenger bags regularly, it’s good there’s a product which can alleviate some of that strain. The shoulder strap attaches via two points, one on each short side of the bag.

And finally, we come to the underside. Here, there’s a thicker, more durable padded surface to protect contents against drops. To protect the high-resilience polyester material from getting dirty, scuffed, or worse, the underside of the bag has four rubber feet.

As stated in the past Moshi reviews, “The zippers and straps are of high-quality, and the stitching is put together well.” As this is a new product, the weekend travel bag currently comes in two color patterns: Charcoal Black and Titanium Gray. I’ve seen both colors, and they’re equally attractive.

And Now For What’s Inside

The inside of the Vacanza is broken down into three compartments. The first is a thickly padded laptop compartment which protects your 15″ laptop in case of drops. Should the bag become upside down with the zipper open, you need not worry. The Velcro strap prevents the laptop from sliding out holding it in place. There are also three pockets with padding on one side.

The second is a 10″ zippered by 7″ deep section which can hold a smaller iPad or Android tablet. This pocket is padded on one side only. Our preference would be for padding on both sides.

On the left side, there’s a discrete pocket which you can use to store identification cards, wallet, passport, etc. Its other function is to store a reusable wet/dry bag. To our knowledge, like the double expansion feature, this is a first for Moshi.

The third and final compartment is the middle at 6.5″ wide at the bottom and 13″ deep. It’s able to hold plenty of clothing and footwear. It was surprising how much we could place in the bag while still maintaining its handsome appearance.

The lining of this Moshi bag is luxurious, and it’s throughout their 2017 lineup. It’s exactly like what you see on the stylish bags listed above. On both models, the lining is tan colored.

Like the Arcus and Costa, you get a large dust/storage bag with the Vacanza. If you’re not using the weekender bag for an extended period, store it, and prevent it from getting accidentally damaged around your home. Another use for the medium-gray colored storage bag would be to cover the Vacanza when placing it in an airplane’s overhead storage bin.

It’s these little things like a beautiful lining, and wet/dry and storage bags that set the premium brands apart from their rivals. It’s worth noting that none of the three comparison models come with both bags.

This bag weighs 56.4 oz and has dimensions of 19.69″ x 7.09″ x 11.42″. For you Metric System users, the weight is 1.6 kilograms, and its dimensions are 50 x 18 x 29 cm.

Conclusion

Let’s say it’s a Thursday and you’re set to take a 3-day weekend holiday to Seattle, WA, Montreal, Quebec, or The Hamptons in NY. Ask yourself one question, is this the ideal weekender travel bag for you?

The Moshi Vacanza weekend travel bag delivers much with its feature-rich, modern design. If you’re a weekend getaway traveler or someone who has a 2-3 day business trip and likes to accessorize with a great-looking product, then I believe you’ll be quite pleased with the Vacanza. When compared to those premium travel bags above, the sub-$200 price tag is most enticing.

Both colors (patterns) of the Vacanza travel bag are available for purchase on either Amazon (see link below) and the Moshi website.

Based on everything above, Moshi’s Vacanza is one handsome travel bag and our favorite in the Summer Travel Collection. If your travel needs steer you to something smaller, then I direct you to Moshi’s Costa.

What do you think of this Moshi Vacanza travel bag review? Do you agree or disagree that this is one of the best weekender bags for men or women in 2017? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

Don’t hesitate to head over to the Moshi press page to see their latest product announcements. To learn more about service and support, click here for their Support page. There’s a one-year limited warranty on all Moshi products. There’s also an extended warranty via product registration. We highly advise you take advantage of this.

FTC Disclosure: Moshi provided Beantown LLC with one (1) Vacanza weekend travel bag sample for review purposes. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own and not a paid product ambassador.

All photographs are the copyrighted property of Moshi © 2017.