My Favorite Art Bag and/or Pen Show Bag

I found a bag. I know you’ve heard that before. No, really. I found THE bag. When I wasn’t looking for one. Has that ever happened to you?

I know I’m not alone. I am a bag collector and it’s because I have so many hobbies and interests and the need to carry my artsy stuff with me when I leave the house. I think it’s fate that I happened to stumble across one at the DC Pen Show.

I was wandering around the main exhibitor hall and saw the Dromgoole’s/Rickshaw table. I already have experience with the Rickshaw brand and enjoy the quality and functionality of their cases. I was browsing their offerings and looking at their fabrics when I came across a cute and compact bag. Oh my, there were plenty of pockets on the inside as well as two large external pockets. Is that padding I feel on the bag? Yes!

Say “hello” to my new Rickshaw Bansai bag!

It’s a well made bag and doesn’t flop over

They had a few colors available along with the Bigfoot and Stationery Icons fabric pattern. I naturally gravitated towards the olive green looking color. It’s actually called Moss Green.

My Bansai bag looks like a compact bag, but it can hold a lot of my artsy things and some snacks. The internal size is 8″x10″x3.5″ and it’s amazing how much stuff I can fit into this bag.

I have my Funto 100% cotton watercolor journal in the outside slip pocket

I’m happy the interior fabric color is light and bright so I can easily see what’s inside my bag. Under the “Fresh Bags Made Daily” tag are two pockets. In one pocket I stored my business card case and a few blotter cards. In the other pocket I kept a few rolls of washi tape, an eraser and a small mechanical pencil. On the opposite side is one long slip pocket where I stored my art journal and a few pieces of art towels. In the center of my bag, I stored my pen cases.

There’s an included 1.5″ wide black strap that has an adjustable cam buckle so the strap length can be quickly adjusted. The strap also has two clips at each end for easy removal. I used the included strap for a few hours at the pen show and found it to be a bit uncomfortable. I wore my Bansai bag like a messenger bag and had to frequently adjust the strap around my shoulder.

Here’s my extra bag strap I had in my stash that works well with my new bag. I found this at a local shop, but I’ve also seen it on Amazon. This soft strap makes a huge difference and I hardly notice I’m carrying the bag.

My soft strap is not padded, but it’s thick enough not to dig into my shoulders

Before I forget, there’s also two short handles on the bag for those who just want to carry the bag like a small brief case.

On the outside of the bag is a zippered pocket that runs the length of the bag. I can place a thin A5 journal in the pocket. I tried to put my A5 Stillman & Birn journal in the pocket, but it was a bit too thick. This zippered pocket has two zipper heads or a two-way head to head zipper pulls which takes up a bit of space and only allows for a thin journal.

On the other side of the bag is an external slip pocket. Depending on how much stuff I have inside my bag, I could place my A5 Stillman & Birn journal in this pocket.

The top zipper also has two zipper pulls that work smoothly across the bag. All of the zippers are YKK brand. That’s the first thing I look for.

As a sewist, I do look at the seams, zipper quality, the interior finish, construction, and of course the fabric. I can say that Rickshaw Bags creates excellent cases and bags and I don’t have a problem buying one of their products.

I could have waited and purchased a customized bag at their online store. Personally, that would have taken more time for me to decide on fabric color options for exterior, interior, label color, and paracord color. I could not wait especially when the finished bag was calling my name.

Overall, this compact bag is not too large and not too small. It held everything I needed to take with me to the pen show. I did have a small backpack with me to hold my water bottle and to store my pen show purchases.

This is now my favorite bag to use for travel and when I’m sketching on the go. It holds everything I need to stay organized.

Bag: Rickshaw Banzai bag in Moss (exterior) with Sandstone 420D liner. Label in Sandstone. Paracord in Black.

Strap: Jen & Co Boho Vine Guitar/Purse Crossbody strap in Navy/Gray/Camel color