Imago vs. Id?

[lynnehh]

Hi all,
I am a total TB newbie, contemplating my first purchase (I can already tell there will be more), and am hoping for some advice. I am looking for an everyday work bag, that also gets lunch, gym clothes, and toddler daughter's flotsom and jetsom shoved in it from time to time. I commute by car and sometimes, but not always, carry my 13" Macbook Pro. I have been poring over the forum, reading reviews and watching videos. What a thorough bunch this is! Anyway, I have narrowed it to either the Imago and the ID. My questions are these:
1) Is the ID really big for a personal day-to-day sort of bag? The dimensions don't seem to be too big to be practical, but the photos of the ID hanging on one woman in a review looked HUGE. I am 5'6" and slender-ish. Don't want to get swallowed by a bag or look like I'm carrying luggage.
2) I tend to carry file folders around alot for work and am concerned that the Imago won't hold a Freudian Slip and that the bag itself is sort of soft structured. I like the Zephyr's built in file holders but am not crazy about the whole briefcase thing. Seems more limiting. Is it a bad idea to carry files in an Imago? Would the larger, and more structured ID be a better choice?
If it helps, I usually carry 3 sets of keys, an iphone, 3 small notebooks, several files, books, a chunky wallet, a checkbook, lipstick, loose papers, pens, lunch and/or breakfast, and other stuff I can't think of right now. Not a ton of stuff. But it all badly needs organizing.
Any advice you have is most welcome. I am kind of leaning towards the ID right now for practical reasons but like the Imago's size better.
Thanks!

[Ken]

Welcome! I own both bags, and while I like them both for specific reasons, I would recommned the Id based on the criteria that you sited above. I do not think the Imago is a good bag for file folders. It is very unstructured as you have noted. The Id is not that big, especially in relation to the Imago. I think that it should serve your needs well, but, YMMV. The only down side to an Id is that it might not easily hold everything on a "heavy" day like a bigger bag such as the Ego might. If you go "heavy" a lot, you might want to give it some thought.

--Ken

[lynnehh]

Thanks. That's helpful. Just out of curiousity, since you have both, when do you use the Imago and when the ID? Also, I really like the water bottle/umbrella cinch pocket feature on the ID. Do you find that is useful?

[Ken]

Well, I just typed you a long response, and the forum software decided to eat my post.

I will try my best to recap my thoughts. I currently use the Id as a laptop bag with a brain cell. It was briefly used as a brief, and I initially purchased the bag for travel in 2005. It was a great travel bag. It was pretty comfortable, even when worn all day long. The only problem was the bag was a bit too big and "structured" to fit comfortably in my carry-on bag.

Thus, I purchased an Imago which I now use extensively when traveling by air, or when I just want a day bag. It holds a lot of stuff, but I would certainly choose the Id if I had to carry papers or files on any routine basis.

I cannot comment on the water bottle pocket because my Id is an older design that did not have this pocket, or the Ultrasuede pockets. I do like my Ultrasuede pockets on my Imago, though.

IMHO, the Id is the largest of the small to mid-size bags. Bags like the Zephyr and Western Flyer just seem to be a whole class size larger than the Id. It is structured enough to function as a brief, it holds a brain cell if desired, yet it easily doubles as a messenger bag and has the grace not to bounce off of your body as you walk.

--Ken

[Akilae]

I also have both bags, and based on your needs I'd say go with the ID. You have a lot of small knick-knacks which would really benefit from the extra organization an ID + Freudian Slip would offer. Ken pretty much nails down how I use the Imago. It is really a miniature messenger bag and offers little in the way of true organization. Not to mention, the Freudian Slip won't fit into the Imago anyway...

The water bottle pouch is really useful if you carry the ID slanted towards your right hip. It places the pouch right where your hand is so you can just reach out and pull your bottle out.

I've seen several girls on the streets of NYC with IDs, around 5'5" or shorter, and they're hardly swallowed up by the pack. Personally, I'd say if you go heavy a lot, start thinking about doing your back and shoulders a favor and get a backpack.

[timarelay]

I own an Imago and not an ID, and I'll have to agree with the others that it sounds like you want an ID. I'm a skinny 5'3" and from what I've seen of the ID, it would not look too big on even me, so you should be fine.

[lynnehh]

Thanks for your responses. It seems like the ID is the way to go for me. I am thinking of the Black/black/cayenne along with a small and large organizer pouch and the cache for my laptop, since I don't do a lot of travelling with it for work. I can hardly wait to get it and start organizing my stuff! I have a leather bag right now that is like 12 years old and falling apart.

[DQBunny]

I'm probably the woman you speak of, and you're actually taller than I am by a couple of inches. It's really not that big on me, I just had it stuffed really full. I love my ID and it's going to be my gym bag at work with the Brain Cel removed.