Love Affair

Le huz travels regularly for work, so like it or not, living out of a suitcase is his thing. I, on the other hand, am a house-bound martian who gets a strange kick out of being faced with the challenge of editing my life (and my munchkin's) to fit in a carry-on-sized bag.

Seeing that we've been traveling a bunch with Olive - and will be traveling even more in the months to come (read: Taiwan and Iceland) - I began researching luggage. With a baby strapped to my front, a diaper bag in my right hand, and a collapsible stroller in my left, I'm left with no limbs to spare for all our other creature comforts. There must be a durable yet light backpack out there that one, doesn't make me look like, well, a backpacker; two, maximizes the amount of items a baby and sometimes fashion-conscious mommy would require; and three, functions as international carry-on. Imagine scrambling to purchase baby-necessities in a foreign country due to lost-luggage. Gawd. There's a nightmare I never want to experience.

Luckily, I found perfection in the Tom Bihn Aeronaut. My first trip traveling with the bag and baby was to Portland for a mere two days. Not a huge challenge. But this weekend, we're meeting up with le huz in NYC. Finished packing last night, and I was amazed to find that I didn't need to sacrifice outfit options for me or the munchkin. I was able to fit four outfits for me, six for her, plenty of diapers, formula, fruit pouches and extra bottles. The bag's smart design keeps me organized (all of Olive's clothes and belongings fit into the two side compartments (I bought two of their packing cubes), while all of my clothes, toiletries and gadgets fit in the center. The satisfaction of being able to comfortably fit all our crap into a neat little package is huge. And ooh, because I am able to carry the bag on my back, hopping on and off public transportation will be painless. It was painless in Portland!

I'm not alone in this love affair. This rad Seattle-based company has more rabid fans here. Can't wait to take this baby (and my other baby - Olive) to see more of the world!