Review: Cuzo Weekender Bag

Remember my gamit na gamit blue Cuzo Anne Satchel? I ended up using it for days after I blogged about wearing it for a week. That's how much I loved that bag.

Last week, I was able to get my hands on another Cuzo bag, this time their aptly named Weekender carry-all in blue. It features a nylon body, striped black and white grosgrain cotton straps, and black leather accents. It also features a gunmetal zipper, with a leather pull, and silver studs to anchor the leather strips that hold the straps in place. It also comes in red.

I admit that I was hoping for a bigger bag. The Cuzo site gives the Weekender's specs as being 40 cm x 23 cm x 23 cm (L x W x D), with a handle drop of 19 cm. I would say it makes for a perfect gym bag, the nylon body making it easy to clean (just simply wipe down using an all-purpose cleaning spray and rag). However, I wasn't sure if it would hold the things I would normally pack for a weekend getaway.

I decided to give the Weekender a test run last week, as my friends and I had planned a short getaway to Bataan during the long weekend.  I was a bit apprehensive when packing for the two night, two day trip—would the Weekender hold all my outfits, toiletries, and a few extra just-in-case pieces tossed in? Surprise, surprise, it did! Here's a peek into what I packed:

I packed two tops, two shorts, a pambahay outfit of a loose tee and drawstring shorts, a sweater, a cover-up dress, a bikini, a regular Aquazorb towel, and their new amazing ultra thin Sports Towel, a freebie from Zalora. On top of that, I had a quart- and a storage-sized Ziplock bag of toiletries, another quart-sized baggie for my makeup, a small pouch for my electronics, and a pair of sandals. They all fit in quite nicely!

Amidst the mess that was our trunk, the Cuzo Weekender stood out like the pretty preppy bag that it is. 

 I was quite pleased at my packing skills. In fact, my friend Jeremy couldn't quite believe that everything I was bringing was in that bag—I don't exactly have a reputation for being a light packer! But yeah, the Weekender is deceptively roomy! I guess it helps that it's a no-frills bag. It has no pockets, or extra compartments. But the nylon material makes it exceptionally lightweight and pliant, and the non-stiff material means it's easier to squeeze in more clothes (even easier if you've learned the trick of rolling them up!)

Not exactly my best outfit, but it was a laid-back trip, so I pretty much wore my flip-flops the entire time. Sweater, H&M; shorts, The Landmark; hat, bought in New York; flip flops, Havaianas. 

There's enough length in the handles to be able to sling it comfortably on my shoulder. 

Today, Pat and I were supposed to go to Bataan again to check out a potential wedding venue (yes, we're already engaged! :D ), but our truck started overheating before we even got out of Manila. Big fat poopie. I bought along my Weekender for the ride though, so might as well share outfit photos of the day.

Tank, Topshop; skirt, thrifted; sandals, Schu; sunglasses, Mango; scarf, vintage from London; cuff, Get Happy, bag, Cuzo.

In the bag: my Macbook, charger,  and the hefty September issue of Vogue. 

Isn't this scarf pretty? Scored this (plus a couple more) at the Camden Markets in London. 

So, would I recommend the Cuzo Weekender? Definitely! I'd call it the perfect "stash" bag to replace those kinda-tacky-but-you-can't-help-but-use-them paper shopping bags. It's your best (and super chic!) alternative to hold the assortment of kalat that won't fit in your handbag. And it's well-priced at P1,500. But if you use my voucher, you'll get a P100 discount off the price. Here are the deets:

Voucher No: Katdyfinds0827012

Validity: Aug 27 to Sept 2, 2012
Minimum amount: P1,000

So go, shop na! Apart from the Weekender, and the Anne Satchel, Cuzo has a few other well-made styles that are worth your hard-earned peso. To learn more about Cuzo, you can also visit their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter @Cuzobags . 

Before I leave, let me share with you a few photos taken with my iPhone from that trip in Bataan. Some of them have been posted on Instagram, but the rest are here for you to enjoy.

Pigging out on junk food becomes instinctive on these road trips. How can you not? That mammoth Shell Station on northbound NLEX is a heaven/hell of calorific, cholesterolicious treats. 

The scarf with my yellow striped sweater dress. Nice way to mix prints. 

Amazing end-of-day landscape shot, edited on the Camera+ App on my iPhone. 

I volunteered to make my Banoffee Pie, a simple recipe, but didn't realize it would be quite difficult to make without modern kitchen tools on hand. Crushing a packet of Hobnobs turned out to be a callous-forming chore! Here I am patiently crushing the biscuits using a spoon and a sandok.

Biscuit-crushing turned out be a success! The pie was another story, heehee.

We were all amazed at Manong's agility when climbing up that tree to get our coconuts. 

Fresh coco water. Yum!

Pat and Jeremy, ever the resourceful Canadians, playing hockey using wooden sticks and a crushed can of San Miguel Beer as a puck. And yes, that's Pat using his straw hat as a "net," haha!

The unedited sunset. Bow.