Carrying your life around in a bag

Mobile workers love and need large bags, a survey has found, with most of them choosing a bag over a briefcase, a large portion of them carting around seriously weird items and some having embarrassing handbag stories to tell.

When asked by iHubbub – a new social network for the home business and freelancer community – how many bags were owned, the highest result was 50, with the lowest ebb at a quaint two.

Given a choice of bag, briefcase or rucksack as the type of bags preferred by mobile workers, 74 per cent chose bag.

Many confessed to their bag fetish or "terrible addiction", even admitting that they may buy a bag and immediately hate it – the item lounging its days out in the back of a dusty wardrobe, under the bed or in a charity shop.

Over the "polished and professional" look of a briefcase, bags were seen to be a little less formal and came in the best shapes, colours and sizes.

Some members commented that they liked lots of pockets and plenty of space for a spot of grocery shopping on the way home.

Eighty-three per cent of respondents chose a large bag size, because they liked to carry mobile working tools, with 53 per cent suggesting they use laptops and, surprisingly, only 18 per cent using an iPad.

One person said that a large bag made them look smaller while another aptly phrased what most women would say about their bag: "It's my kitchen sink in some ways, then it becomes my office and later in the day my shower room and then my chill-out spot."

There were varying preferences for shoulder strap, handheld strap, shoulder body strap and backpack strap.

When choosing the bag, colour and comfort ranked highest, cost came in third, with durability and space ranking fourth and fifth. Unexpectedly, style ranked only sixth with a bag having ample pockets coming in at seventh.

One member admitted: "If the bag doesn't shake its pockets and shout 'touch me', I'm not interested!"

When iHubbub asked the survey audience to spill their deep, dark handbag secrets, some of the more unusual items carried included an ice hockey puck, a picture of Johnny Depp and a loo roll.

All the usual suspects were there – cards, cash, phone, pens, lip balm, gum and glasses among them – alongside nail glue, a mini torch and fold-up scissors.

Some weird anecdotes were aired, including the time when someone had a bag with a magnetic clasp. After a business meeting, a secretary came running down the corridor after her because she had her boss's metal pen stuck to the outside of the bag.

One member told how they dug out their keys in front of a new client only to have a tampons swinging merrily on the end.

Another woman told of her embarrassment when, just prior to a gyny visit, she did a quick "douche-down- there" with the only thing she could find in a hurry – an old tissue buried in the bottom of her cluttered bag. After a few minutes spread-eagled before the doctor, he popped up and she was mortified to see he had retrieved a crumpled first class stamp from "down there".

Visit www.ihubbub.com

The Estados ladies' satchel handbag is handmade in Argentina from the finest, soft Argentine leather. The elegant and distinctive exterior features Estados' signature inverted curve with the Estados logo embossed beneath it.

The interior, meanwhile, contains special pockets for a Kindle or purse, business cards, travel cards, car park or train tickets, pens, and your phone. It also has a discreet zipped pocket for valuables, and a retractable key lead ensuring that your keys are always to hand when you need them. A4 documents and iPads fit in, too.

With a detachable shoulder strap, a spacious interior, and a discreet, powerful magnetic fastener, it is a versatile, chic handbag for every women who carries her life around with her.

Buying a present? Let Estados know and they will include your message, handwritten on a card.

All Estados leather goods are handmade in Argentina from the finest soft Argentine leather, often considered the best in the world.

Dimensions: W 14.5" (37cm) x H 10.5" (27cm) x D 3.5" (9cm)

Free UK delivery (fast and international delivery options are available at checkout).

All Estados products come with a one- year manufacturing guarantee starting on the day of delivery, and a 30-day no- questions-asked return policy.

Guest and Philips Jewellers will be stocking a range of Estados leather goods this Autumn in their Beverley, Pocklington and Cottingham shops, and we are also producing a range of custom branded leather wallets for Mullen and Mullen tailors in York.

The handbag costs £135. Visit www.estados.co.uk