eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior 25″ Wheeled Duffel Bag & Packing Cubes Review & Give Away

I have had the same suitcase since I was in high school. It’s a plain, regular one compartment, one zippered pocket piece of luggage. It was nothing fancy but it served its purpose. It survived trips to Walt Disney, TN, and the many other places I have been. Old reliable was beginning to show her age. She was falling apart and getting some battle scars of being such a seasoned traveler. While at Reviewer’s Retreat 2012 I won a set of eBags packing cubes. I was all set to use my packing cubes with old reliable when eBags sent me the Mother Lode TLS Junior 25″ wheeled duffel bag to use with my packing cubes to make traveling back and forth from the hospital with my step dad easier for me. I was touched that a company cared enough about little ol’ me to help ease my travels back and forth the best they could.

As I mentioned, at Reviewer’s Retreat I won the eBags 3 pc set Packing Cubes in the color Tangerine. The packing cubes are made of TechLite Diamond Nylon with top mesh panels. I used my packing cubes to help reorganize my stuff in ol’ reliable to help make room for all the fun extras we were given at the retreat so I could get it all home in the least amount of bags as possible since I was riding with another blogger to and from the retreat. Once I got my stuff and cubes home I knew there were many possibilities for the uses of my packing cubes. Usually I either had everything all crammed in to the suitcase all together or I would use plastic bags to separate items. Or I would try and get all different sized bags to jigsaw puzzle in to my suitcase with no such luck on having enough space in one piece of luggage. In the large packing cube I fit: 1 skirt, 1 pair of pants, 2 pairs of shorts and 6 shirts and still had space to stack and get it zipped up. In the medium packing cube I had my Spanx, 2 bras and 6 pairs of underwear with plenty of leftover, usable space if I needed it. The small packing cube held all of my toiletries that I usually carry around in my Thirty One bag. I didn’t want to overload my post with all the photos I took of my packing cubes and bag so you can view them all easily with the slideshow below.

Now that I have the eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior Wheeled Duffel (25″, mid size model in color blue yonder) I have no trouble with packing- organizing or storage wise. I fit my 3 packing cubes full of clothes for a week and all my travel size toiletries, a set of hot rollers, a hair dryer, curling iron, 6 pairs of summer shoes, my netbook and netbook accessories and a box of Cinch shakes and meal bars all inside and still had room to spare on my last trip. I love how spacious the Mother Lode TLS Junior 25″ duffel is and that I have the dividers to keep things like my shoes from touching anything else in the bag. There are more pockets, compartments and storage on this bag than I knew what to do with on my first trip using it. I mean look at all the zippers on this bag. Using the 2 rods that came with the Mother Lode TLS Junior helps keep it sitting upright and keeps it from falling over, even when it’s full to the point of having the expandable zipper unzipped for even more depth for storage. You can use the duffel bag as 2 separate compartments (top and bottom) or unzip the pocket on the bottom of the top of the bag and roll it up and clip it to have 1 large space to use. I like the options that this duffel bag offers for storage. A mama that travels with kids needs the options. I have come to realize that for our monthly trips to WV instead of having a suitcase for myself and one for each of the 2 boys I can get 2 more sets of packing cubes and get all of our stuff for a weekend in this one bag. How awesome is that to travel for 3-4 people out of one bag and still be organized?

*Giveaway*
A Mama Bee Does reader will win a 3 pc. set of packing cubes thanks to eBags! Use the rafflecopter form below to get entries in to this giveaway. This giveaway is open to US residents only. Giveaway will end 7/30/12.

a Rafflecopter giveaway