Living For the Weekend

I have been on the search for the perfect weekender for the past decade. After finding and buying at least 6 bags, new and used, brand and no-name, that I thought would be the "one" and being disappointed each and every time I have come up with the following criteria for the bag. It must be large enough to hold 3 days worth of clothing including an extra jacket or sweater, 1 pair of dress shoes, 1 pair of trainers, my toiletries and a book. It must have compartments to separately house each of these items but not have so many sections or pockets that I have to label them just to find my way around the bag. The weekender must be clean of all oranmentation, structured and shaped so that it can fit into the plane overhead while still being small enough not to outsize me. It's handles must allow me to carry it comfortably in my hands as well as allow me hoist in onto my shoulders in case I need to run to make a connection. It must be non-seasonal so that I can use it all year around and I have come to the conclusion that it should be black so that it doesn't show dirt and matches almost everything I wear.

I cut a number of photos from magazines in hopes of manifesting this bag. Of course I manifested all the bags I had photos of but still no ideal bag. I guess I will just have to make the bag. Since it will probably take me another 5 years to select fabric, lining and findings and test sizes I'll have to carry my weekend supplies in a recyled Whole Foods Bags. Now the question is paper or plastic...