BESIDE U: affordable bag with RFID- blocking technology!

I love functional bags as much as I love fashion bags (aka bags that are more for style rather than function); they're particularly useful to me when I go to the gym and travel. All of my functional bags are back packs, but recently, I've been looking for something that's wider yet light and I could also use additional features like more pockets or a certain technology.

I recently discovered Beside U, a California- born bag and accessories brand that specializes in travel and city bags. I think I've discovered another good functional bag brand and travel buddy!

Beside U has just arrived in the Philippines and aside from creating functional bags, they about safety as well. Beside U bags are equipped with RFID- blocking technology that works at a certain distance to prevent hackers and thieves from stealing your personal information through RFID devices. I don't really have any first- hand experience relating to the efficacy of this bag's RFID- blocking technology, but at the very least, it gives me peace of mind.

This style that I have is called Lockearn; it comes in various colors, but I went for black for practicality reasons. I got this style because I've been looking for a wide cross- body bag that can also be hung on the shoulders. 

The material of the bag is like Jacquard: lightweight, sturdy, stylish, and pretty much water- resistant; it's also pretty easy to clean; I just clean it with a dampened towel and I'm done.

Every Beside U bag comes with a brand key chain that doubles as a lock as well; pretty convenient when you are commuting.

The best feature about this particular style? It has a lot of pockets! Yay to pockets! It has about 11 mix of open and zippered pockets so you can keep important things away from prying eyes and out of immediate reach. The zippers are also thick and of durable quality.

Here's the inside of the bag. Not too keen on the pattern, but function- wise, it works because it lets me spot things right away.

As for durability, it is durable! I brought this with me to the USA and filled it to the brim; I was worried that the main zipper would pop in the middle of luggage transfer, but it didn't!

Lockearn is around P2,000+; pretty affordable considering the price and the fact that there's RFID system embedded in the bag. Other bags in the same size that feature technology such as PACSAFE are already in the P4-5k price range.

Here are the latest styles from Beside U:

Brannan

Larrabee

 Moulton

Ronda

Tomey

Which of these styles do you like?

Beside U is available in Landmark TriNoma, Makati, Festival Supermall; Robinsons Department Store, Cebu; SM North EDSA, Megamall, Cubao, Bacoor, Cagayan De Oro; Metro Gaisano Alabang. Online at Zilingo and Lazada PH.