REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

When I got a Kindle as a birthday present and no longer had to haul around multiple books to feed my reading habit, I knew I'd want to replace my backpack with something smaller. I wanted something secure for when I travel, with some sort of compartment to keep my Kindle from banging around, a water bottle holder, and plenty of organizational options. This bag satisfies all of those needs.

I looked at a lot of other bags before settling on this one - the Osprey Astro ended up being too big and poorly structured in person, the REI Chock bag ended up being too small, none of the Timbuk2 bags aside from the small tote had a water bottle holder (and the one in the tote was too small)... you name it. Then, while drifting dejectedly through my local REI store, I found the Natalie shoulder bag.

I got the grey bag, which is, as mentioned by other reviewers, darker than pictured online. It's lined with a subtly-patterned burgundy fabric, with more burgundy accents inside. From the outside, all you see is grey with black trim, though.

My favorite things about this bag:
- the main compartment is both zippered AND covered by a flap, which itself is secured to the main body of the bag by two strong magnets. I know my stuff is safe.
- the organizational section under the flap is perfect - it has a soft slot for a phone or iPod, a zippered mesh pocket, pen slots that aren't uselessly tiny, and a lanyard with clip.
- the water bottle holder on the side actually fits my water bottle - I carry a 0.7 L / 25 oz. Camelback, and it fits great. This bottle is about as big as you could go, however. No 1L Nalgenes. I like that the stretchy mesh can be zipped up when not in use to clean up the bag's appearance. I imagine you could stuff a compact umbrella into this holder instead of a water bottle.
- the main compartment has a slightly padded sleeve that fits my cased Kindle perfectly. I'm not worried about it getting damaged. I'm able to fit everything I need in the rest of the main compartment, such as a checkbook-size wallet, pencil case, meds, cased P&S camera, baggies of snacks, and even a paperback book.
- the zippered pocket on the back of the bag holds my 6" x 9" planner perfectly, as well as whatever paperwork I may find myself needing to carry. If you want to carry any 8.5" x 11" documents without folding them, however, you'll be hard-pressed to put them anywhere but in the main pocket, and even then it would be cramped.
- the grey fabric that this bag is made of seems very durable - as far as I can tell, it won't snag from daily use.
- the shoulder strap can be adjusted for either cross-body or one-shoulder use. There's a padded slider on the strap that works great (it has a small grippy strip in the middle that keeps it from wandering off my shoulder).

In short, this bag is bigger than a purse, smaller than a backpack, and rises magnificently to the challenge of serving as both.

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

Love this bag. One word of caution: There are magnets to hold the exterior flap in place. While in Paris riding the Metro, I put my ticket in the front pocket. The magnets voided the ticket! The French were understanding and reissued my pass and I placed my Metro ticket in another pocket. Life's mysteries should always be solved this easily.

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

First - I wasn't going to review this bag since you have to have an REI account, but after having it for a few days, I feel compelled to review this great purse.

My top two contenders were this purse and the haiku to-go shoulder bag. Super hard decision for me. I liked the look of the haiku bag better, but I liked the practicality of the Natalie bag.

After reading the only review of the Natalie bag, I decided to go with it. I am SO GLAD I did. Just like the previous review of the Natalie bag states, the charcoal gray color of the bag is so much darker in person. Which is a good thing. Its definitely a dark gray color with black trim. The embroidered design on the front is also black.

The magnetic closure is perfect. I can easily open it one-handed. The outer pockets located under the magnetic flap are awesome. It holds everything I need quick access to (cell phone, chapstick, keys, etc). It also has a zippered pocket under the flap.

The main compartment is the perfect size. It fits my pretty big wallet, a few packages of anti-bacterial wipes, my nook, etc. I love that it zips up.

I haven't used the side pockets yet, but I know I will find a use for them soon. With 3 kids - I can always find a use for pockets!

The straps are so comfortable. They do not twist. The padding is divine. I wear this purse strapped across my body and it lays perfect. The padding has a little anti-slip gripping piece that works great. I hate when my purse slips all over the place.

Anyway, if you're on the fence about this purse like I was - get it. You won't be disappointed!

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

When I first saw this bag on the REI website a month or so ago, I knew that I had to have it. I had been using an REI Annie bag for the past 8 months or so and LOVED it, but I've been looking for something a bit larger that could hold some more items.

I own the Natalie bag in the "coal" color, and I am happy to say that the gray color shown on the website is slightly darker in person. The bag has a fantastic amount of room inside and I am able to hold basically everything I need for work (ID, keys, etc), my Kindle, a moleskine notebook, makeup bag, large wallet, and more... with lots of room to spare. The front pocket makes it very easy to access my cellphone and car keys and the back zip pocket is great for carrying documents and letters. The magnets are strong and, unlike other bags I've had, actually keep the front flap closed. Furthermore, the pocket on the opposite side of the water bottle pocket is great for things like antibacterial gel and chapstick.

One thing I would have liked to seen is another zippered pocket or two on the inside main compartment. The Annie bag beats this one out in the respect of it having more pockets...however this bag definitely wins with it's larger size.

I would definitely suggest this bag and I am considered buying it in the taupe shade as well. Very happy with my purchase and I plan on using it for a long time. =)

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

I bought this bag for a 6-day visit to Vancouver, BC. It is small enough to not weigh my shoulder down (I wear it cross-body) and big enough to carry everything I need either on the plane or while roaming downtown Vancouver. The inner zipper-less pocket (padded) is great for holding tablets and my iPad with sleeve fits perfectly in there.

This bag kept me well-organized for my flights and made going through security a breeze. I had the following items in my bag for the flights:

- passport
- itinerary & boarding pass
- iPad with sleeve
- P&S camera
- 2 small beef jerky packs
- small bag of liquids/meds per TSA regulations
- iPhone charger, backup battery & earbuds
- 2 pens
- pack of gum
- bottle of water (in the zipped side pocket)

Yes, they all fit, and this bag did not balloon up like a bloated whale. Everything's easily reachable too so there's no fumbling going through airport security at all. While I was going around Vancouver/greater Vancouver area I had a small travel umbrella in the bag with me as well and even that didn't make this bag bulky. Another good thing about this bag is it isn't flashy but classy enough to walk into a good restaurant with without looking out of place.

If I carry bags everyday (not at the moment) I would use this bag as my go-to. Nothing is perfect but this is as good as it gets.

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

I have been on the hunt for a good bag to haul around my DSLR with a lens attached plus other stuff like my wallet, phone, etc. After trying a number of different camera bags that were never very comfortable on my tiny frame, I stumbled across this bag in an REI store. Even though it's designed to be slim for netbooks and iPads and such, it actually fits a DSLR with a lens attached (Canon XSi w/ Tamron 17-50mm lens) quite nicely! And the profile of the bag still looks pretty slim even with the camera inside, so you'd have no idea there's a camera in there! The camera even fits inside the slightly padded netbook pocket inside the bag for a bit of protection. The magnetic cover is also a nice alternative to the noisy velcro covers you tend to get on "real" camera bags (the magnets aren't very strong so I doubt they pose a threat to anything inside your bag unless you store it right beneath the magnet in the outer pocket).

The shoulder pad is nicely padded, and the bag was comfortable to tote around for hours. I think I may have FINALLY found the perfect bag!

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

I just got back from using this bag on a 12 day trip to the Galapagos Islands. It worked great as an organizer for all of my stuff. It carried my Panasonic FZ100 super zoom camera, pocket camera, small binoculars, iphone, ipad in the inner slightly padded pocket, water bottle, passport/money holder, maps, and did not look bulky!

It was small enough to pass as a woman's purse and I used it as my personal carry on in addition to having a carry on duffel bag. I also looked at the REI Boarding Bag but that bag looks like a travel bag, the Natalie bag was more stylish and I loved the dark cherry color. In fact, my husband even said that he would consider carrying it (in a different color of course!)

I am really pleased with this purchase and plan on using it on all of my trips. I may even use it as my every day purse when I want to bring my ipad.

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

I was looking for a shoulder bag / small messenger bag that would work as something in between a backpack and a purse. This is perfect! It does fit an 8.5x11 notebook, but just barely (and not in the padded slot - that is smaller). It won't fit a larger binder that holds 8.5x11 paper. This is fine for me because it helps minimize what I carry around - I only need one small notebook with me, but I need it to be full size letter paper so this is perfect. The foldover flap is something I really wanted because it helps protect from the rain. The magnets hold it in place really well. The key fob is a great idea because then I can keep my keys/small wallet there, and since its attached to the purse I'm less worried about it being easily accessible to pickpockets. The bag is lightweight and the strap is really comfortable, with a padded spot to go on your shoulder.

I don't agree with the other reviews that the steel colored bag itself is darker than in the product photo. Maybe they've changed the photo since then? The one on the main product page looks just like my bag. I like gray things since they won't show the dirt easily and they go with every outfit. The light blue accents on the inside are pretty too. The whole thing is very well designed. I hope they keep making more bags like this. For example I might like to buy a slightly bigger one for when I do need to carry more than one notebook.

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

I used this bag for an airplane trip to take my cruise. It was great for the plane, right underneath the seat with my Kindle, documents, phone, Ipod, passport, earphones (big), pens, paper, you name it I had it in there. The day trips at the islands was great with this bag, held everything I needed to a bottle of water on the side. Highly recommend this bag. You won't be sorry. Attractive too.Shoulder pad a plus.

Comments about REI Natalie Shoulder Bag - Women's:

I am so glad I broke down and purchased this bag! I love bags you can wear cross body because it is easier on my back and shoulders. I am a super organized person and this bag helps me to achieve that completely.

The main section of the bag is very roomy for all your essentials (wallet, lotion, medicine, tissues, etc..). I really like the zipper being almost inverted (like its the backside facing out) as it protects the zippered area from water better.

The organizer under the flap is great with a larger zipper pocket to stash nail clippers, small makeup or perfume. Then you have a see through zipper pocket, pen slots and a slightly padded phone/mp3 pocket.

The backside pocket is great for thin items such as antibacterial wipes, bandaids, etc... Plus it has a slot where you can put your drivers license or credit card and have it closer to your body.
There are pockets on each end, one with a zipper and elastic to hold a water bottle and another one where my cell phone fits snuggly inside. If I am ever out in the rain, I will probably move it to under the flap or inside, but its great going from car to office since its going to be laying on my desk.

The material feels like good quality and sturdy. I got this mainly for a travel bag, but couldn't wait to carry it so I'm using it as my regular handbag. I am so excited! I may have to visit REI this weekend regarding the backpack that is similar to this shoulder bag.