Hedgren Carina Shoulder Bag: One Travel Purse to Rule Them All

Join Vagabondish on Twitter and Facebook.

I spent a year searching, in vain, for that perfect travel purse. The one that could convert from a crossbody to a handbag. It needed to be stylish yet durable. It needed to hold all of the essentials, yet not be too big. I needed the Goldilocks of purses, and it seemed that just didn’t exist.

Then I found the Hedgren Carina Shoulder Bag — the answer to my travel purse prayers.

Hedgren Carina Shoulder Bag

Hedgren Carina Travel Purse @ Egypt’s Abu Simbel

The Skinny

Here’s what Hedgren has to say about this shoulder bag from their Diamond Touch line:

The Carina shoulder bag is perfect for daily use. Its compact shape makes it easy to carry around. Its design makes it suitable for every occasion. The adjustable shoulder strap makes it adaptable for every woman.

The Traveler’s Take

It’s no hyperbole when I tell you that the Carina is quite possibly the last travel purse I’ll ever buy. It has everything a gal on the go could possibly need. The adjustable strap lets you use it as a posh handbag for an evening on the town, or turn it into a crossbody to keep it close to you when exploring crowded markets in foreign countries.

The durability of this purse is unlike any other I’ve owned. The nylon and polyester blend means it doesn’t stain and wipes down easily. During a two-week excursion through Egypt — land of endless dust and some seriously questionable public restrooms — my Carina travel purse saw it all and stayed clean. A quick wipe with hand sanitizing cloths was all it took to get the grime off.

The Hedgren Carina is also the Mary Poppins bag of travel purses. When I first received it, I was in awe of the endless zippered pockets (it has four!). All of these pockets meant I was able to carry everything I needed for any excursion.

There are certain essentials I must have on me when traveling through a foreign country. In the past, this meant bringing a backpack in addition to my purse. With only the Carina, I was able to leave the backpack at home and still carry my emergency toilet paper and hand sanitizer, passport, money, credit cards, cell phone, camera, iPod, Poo-Pourri, mini notebook and pen, a case for my eyeglasses, lip balm, sunscreen, and still had room for the small souvenirs I picked up along the way. Seriously, it holds ALL the things!