Tried It Tuesday {New Teacher Bag}

As I am writing this week's Tried It Tuesday on Monday night, my voice is just about gone after fighting this cold and a day of teaching.  I wonder what tomorrow will bring!   

My Tried It:

New Teacher Bag!

Sorry, to the guys who are reading this but you may need to shop for someone, right?
Let me start by letting you know that I have no affiliation with Vera Bradley and was never contacted by them (I wish!).  I just really love my new bag and searched for what seemed like hours last month for a new bag to haul all my junk teacher stuff and laptop.
Since someone else might be looking for a new teacher bag, I wanted to share what I tried for this week's Tried It.  For the past two years, I used the Vera Bradley commuter bag in twirly bird pink (discontinued).

I loved this bag too but, over time, it collected more junk than I actually needed and the bag didn't stand upright.  I like a bag that stands upright when fully loaded.
I needed a new bag and having a spot for my laptop (15" MacBook) was a necessity.
I found this Vera Bradley large laptop tote and am in LOVE!  This color is paisley meets plaid and is currently sold out on the Vera site, but there are so many other colors.  I bought this as a "sale color" (always looking for a bargain) and it was $66 vs. the normal $88.  If you have ever owned a Vera bag, you know how well they are made.  Even though I load this baby up, it is super sturdy and the weight distribution with the strap length makes it surprisingly comfortable to wear.

 The top has a toggle closure which I wasn't sure that I would like but then I remembered that I rarely zipped everything up in my commuter bag anyway.  Usually, I am in such a rush to get out the door that I just tossed my stuff in the bag and carried it out without zipping.  When it is pouring rain, I walk in the school with my umbrella anyway.

 The laptop sleeve is in the center, so essentially there are three sections to divide binders, folder, and paper into.  I even put papers in the laptop section with my computer.  As you can see, there is room for an even larger laptop than my 15" MacBook.  The one thing I was worried about was how many papers I could fit in here.  I was so surprised that I found I can fit more papers in this bag than my old commuter bag!  I have brought home as many as five sets of 50 papers each in this bag with my computer in there too!  In addition, I always keep the purple folder in there with some essentials.  Binders fit in the bag easily too because it is wide enough.

There are three pockets on the inside of the bag along one side.  In there I keep meds, lotion, gum and things like that.  Sometimes I wish there were more pockets, but then I would just stuff them full of other junk and not be able to fit as many papers in there (thus my problem with the commuter bag).

On the outside of the bag, there is a pocket on the front center and back center.  One pocket is just a slip in pocket and the other side has a zippered pocket with also a slip in pocket.  

Here is a picture of me holding my bag.  Sorry, I am such a dork taking my picture in the mirror but when I was looking for a bag, I had a hard time visualizing how large the bag would be when I was holding it!  I like the drop length on the bag.  I can also lean over to pick up something without the bag flopping over my back and dumping out.  Some bags have a tendency to do that.  See my little Porter (Shih-tzu) in the picture?  He's getting big!  :)

So, when I was writing this post about my new bag that I love, I saw that Vera Bradley has now come out with the Laptop Carryall!!  Whoa!!  This one does have the option of zipping up and there are large pockets on the outside (water bottle?!?).  Oh man!  This is twice the price at $120 vs. my on sale large laptop tote, but I may just have to add this to my Christmas wish list!!  

What teacher bags do you love?  Share in the comments if you can because you never know what teacher may be looking for their next new bag!  Hey, I think having a nice bag makes me a much more effective teacher! :)