What happens when you send us a bag for repair
From the first WhatsApp photo to the bag coming home: how a restitch or new strap is done in Topsia.
Satchel or tote: choosing a work bag you will carry daily
A satchel holds its shape and protects a laptop. A tote is quicker to use. Here is how to decide.
Most people who come to Free School Street for a work bag are choosing between two shapes: the two-buckle satchel and the open tote. Both carry a laptop. They suit different days.
The chestnut school satchel is built round a padded sleeve for a 14-inch laptop, in 2.2 mm buffalo leather that stands up on its own. The flap and buckles keep rain and a crowded bus out, and the shoulder strap adjusts so the bag sits on the hip or across the body. It is slower to open, which matters if you are in and out of it fifty times a day. At ₹7,450 it is also our heaviest bag, at about 1.6 kg empty.
The everyday tote at ₹4,650 is unlined pull-up leather with one inner pocket and a snap. It holds a 15-inch laptop, but without padding, so we suggest a sleeve. It drops on a desk and opens in a second, and it weighs under a kilo. The croc-embossed office tote at ₹6,290 sits between the two: structured, with a zipped middle that keeps a laptop apart from papers and lunch.
A simple test: if you commute by metro or bike and carry the same things every day, take the satchel. If you drive, change bags often, or carry files and a tiffin, take a tote. Bring your laptop to the store and try both with it inside.
