WaterField VertiGo Bag

When I spotted the
VertiGo Bag on
the WaterField site, I immediately
thought it would make an excellent day bag for my then upcoming UK
trip. My much-loved

AK Taylor Tote is large enough for my daily gadget carrying needs, but it is not
something I would want to chance leaving on a
BritRail train. I figured that
it would be best to carry a shoulder bag on this trip, something that would keep
my hands free. Of course, I also had an ulterior motive in mind – if the bag
didn’t look too girly then it wouldn’t be a problem to con Steve into
carrying it for me when my shoulder got tired.

Over all of the other bags that I saw on the WaterField site, the VertiGo appealed because of its vertical orientation. Instead of
the horizontal width of a messenger style bag, which would make me more likely
to bump and bang into things, the VertiGo seemed more stylish and compact. Because of the
VertiGo’s height, I thought it would still be large enough to carry all of my
daily needs. Plus I would be toting a small camcorder, travel book, brochures that I would be
picking up along the way and all of the other goodies that I’d need while on
vacation in a place that required lots of walking with few opportunities during
the day to unload back at our rented flat.

The VertiGo comes in three sizes and there are a variety of trim colors
available to accent its black body, including the classic Waterfield
checker-board in black & blue, black & green, black & yellow and black & white,
as well as the newer green suede, black leather and orange leather. I was sent
the medium VertiGo with green suede trim, just like the bag pictured on the
site. The majority of the bag is composed of black ballistic nylon, which
according to the WaterField site is used in bullet-proof vests. The ballistic
nylon gives the bag a slick look with a waffle-texture. The green suede adds a
classy splash of color. Everything about the VertiGo’s composition shows off the
thought put into the bag, as well as the quality of the materials used.

Photo courtesy of the WaterField site – note the handy side
mobile phone pocket

The zipper that closes the top of the VertiGo is quite heavy duty, and it
features a plastic pull which is attached to a nylon cable.

The Medium VertiGo measures approximately 11" wide
x 13.75" tall x 3.5" deep and weighs approximately 1.5 pounds. I was surprised
by how big the medium bag turned out to be, as it is larger than the posted
measurements. This medium sized bag is actually large enough to carry my Fujitsu
laptop, so I’ll talk about that in a bit. Although the bag was a little larger
than I expected, it seemed like it would do nicely for the trip.

For reference, I am 5’10" and wearing 3" heels, so you can see
how large the medium bag actually is

Borrowing the handy diagram from the WaterField
site, let’s take a peek at the VertiGo’s anatomy…

Photo courtesy of the WaterField site

As pictured, the exterior of the bag has three pockets: a quick access open
pocket on the front which measures approximately 8" wide x 10" tall, a rear
magazine pocket which measures 10.5" wide x 10.25 tall and a side mobile phone
pocket which measures 3.5" wide x 5" tall. For the trip, I planned to use the
front pocket for plane and train tickets, as well as other items which needed to
be immediately accessible.

 

Since my i550 wouldn’t work over there, I used the mobile phone pocket to hold
my sunglasses. I would use the magazine pocket on the rear for its intended
purpose. since it is deep enough that it can hold several thick magazines.
Confession time: Once in the UK, I found that even their taller gossip magazines
(OK! & HELLO!) fit quite well.

 

The woven nylon shoulder strap is adjustable and long enough so that it can
be worn comfortably hanging at the wearer’s side, or across the chest bandolier
style. The strap is a generously wide 1.5" winches, and it reminds me of a car’s
seat belt. On the shoulder the strap is fairly comfortable as is, but once the
VertiGo is loaded it will begin to dig. However, there is no need to suffer –
WaterField includes their normally sold separately
Shoulder
Pad with the VertiGo bag. Attaching the pad to the strap is a simple matter
of opening the tri-fold and then folding it back over itself on the strap,
everything secured by the pad’s wide strip of Velcro. Once installed, the pad
can be slid up and down the strap’s length, but due to the grippy properties of
the pad’s underside, it will stay put on the wearer’s shoulder.

 

The shoulder pad is pretty substantial, and once installed it makes the
VertiGo’s strap quite comfy. However, nothing is going to make the bag truly
comfortable for hours on end if you are the type that tends to over pack just
because you have the space.

Moving on to the interior, we find the front panel, the one that had the
green suede accent, which is where the four interior pockets have been placed.
Those that are used to bags with the pockets on the back wall, or the wall
closest to the wearer’s body, might be a bit taken aback by the pocket’s
placement, but when worn it makes perfect sense. Unzipping the bag while it is
on the shoulder makes the pockets and their contents immediately accessible – no
matter what is inside the bag.

As I mentioned, there are four pockets. The upper left pocket is specifically
for cards or ID, and it can hold a stack of about 15 standard business cards.
The upper right pocket is approximately 2.75" wide and 5" deep. It is perfect
for a long skinny phone, but instead I used it to carry the
BoxWave
Battery Adapter for the MiniSync. The lower left pocket is 5" wide x 7" deep
and was perfect to hold my passport in its wallet. The bottom right pocket is
4.75" wide by 7" deep and is where my iPAQ resided for the entire trip, when it
wasn’t in hand.

 

You’ll notice that except for the reinforced black pocket panel, the entire
interior is composed of a golden nylon honeycomb lining, against which it is
easy to spot items sitting in the bag. Several years ago, Julie reviewed the

WaterField Cozmo Bag at which time we both received a Gear Pouch
and laptop Sleeve
Case with Flap. Although I didn’t carry the laptop case on this trip, the
case fits perfectly inside the VertiGo effectively turning it into a reinforced
laptop bag.

On the trip, I used the Gear Pouch to carry cables and other items that I
needed to keep handy daily. Since there are only four interior pockets in the
VertiGo, it definitely helped keep things tidy and organized.

As a laptop bag for a compact computer, the VertiGo excels. It comfortably
allows its owner to carry just about everything they might need in an organized
manner. As a day bag, the VertiGo is comfortable and I wouldn’t change a thing
about it – except possibly to add a few more pockets on the other interior wall.
This bag came in very handy while on vacation. It traveled with me everywhere,
even to the Edinburgh Dungeon.

If you have been looking for a versatile day bag that can double as a smaller
laptop bag, then you should definitely take a look at the
Waterfield VertiGo.

Price: $84
Prices vary according to size and options

Pros:
Extremely well made of quality materials
Comfortable vertical design
Large enough to hold a small laptop and accessories
Interior pocket panel is well thought out and handy

Cons:
I would have liked even more interior pockets – but then I am greedy about
pockets