I'll dive in with the photos to start with:
Top left: Two new Luminaries! Luminary 12 in Burnt Orange/Cloud and Luminary 15 in Nebulous Grey/Island
Top right: My cat wondering if these are for him
Bottom left: My cat being pretty sure they're for him
Bottom right: My cat demonstrating that although I joke about his color being Burnt Orange, it really is a very different shade of orange
Top left: Top view of L12 packed with my EDC stuff
Top center: L12 and the things I pack in it--I'll list them below
Top right: L12 with my EDC stuff, six cans of soup, and a pastry!
Middle left: L12 minus the pastry, showing off the six cans of soup (no, I didn't eat the pastry in between those two photos, I saved it for the next day)
Middle center: Top view of L15 packed with the things I usually carry in it
Middle right: L15 and the things I pack in it--I'll list them below
Bottom left: L15 with everything including the Large Shop Bag
Bottom center: L15 fully packed
Bottom right: L15 padded back pocket with my MacBook Pro 13" inside
What I normally carry in the L12 right now
As I mentioned in another post recently, I've been using the L12 like a really big Small Cafe Bag. Logically a big Small Cafe Bag would be a Medium or a Large Cafe Bag, but no, for me this is a big Small. It makes sense in my own head. :) What I mean is that I carry exactly the same things in it that I normally carry in my SCB, but I have extra room for adding other things on the fly (like six cans of soup and a pastry).
The top left and top center photos above show my usual L12 load:
* a SCB Freudian Slip in Cloud with all of my usual purse stuff (key straps wrapped around the top loop of the FS lead to my wallet, first aid kit in a mini Halcyon organizer pouch, and mini Q-Kit with lipstick and lip balm)
* folded Original Large Shop Bag in Northwest Sky
* sunglasses in neoprene pouch
* sometimes a bottle of something to drink, usually water but in this case Vitamin Water
* mini Clear Organizer Pouch with my transit pass in a plastic holder from the Globe Theatre in London
The mini COP with my transit pass is on one of the newish split ring key straps, with a house key on the split ring. I clip the other end of the key strap to the O-ring inside the left front pocket of the Luminary.
The sunglasses case has a clip on it which I attach to the O-ring in the right front pocket of the Luminary.
The FS and LSB go into the main section of the L12, along with the drink bottle which I drop into the open-bottomed mesh pocket designed for it. I like that that drink pocket can zip to the back wall, but I like even more that it can be unzipped from it. I normally leave it unzipped.
Adding Soup
I took the L12 with me when I went out to supper the other night, packed with everything mentioned above except for a bottle of water. Before heading home I stopped at a nearby grocery store to stock up on my new favorite canned soup (Amy's Golden Lentil) and added this 2" apple tart as an impulse purchase. At checkout, it was a little bit difficult to slide the second and third cans into the bottom of the Luminary (the stuff in the bottom pocket of the SCB FS was getting in the way) but they did go in, and the second layer of cans fit in easily after that. The apple tart sat on top of it all, and the L12 zipped up easily and was still very comfortable to wear home.
I didn't try adding a third layer of soup cans, but @moriond has and said that a third layer of soup cans fits fine!
Digression: the Small Cafe Bag Freudian Slip
I finally recently started using my SCB FS, mostly because I had bought one in Cloud (because Cloud!) and I needed to justify the purchase by using it. The pocket layout isn't ideal for my use, but I made it work for me. Ever since then I've been easily switching from bag to bag, using my Cloud/Viridian SCB some days and my L12 or L15 on other days; last night I dropped the SCB FS into a Little Swift and it worked easily there too!
I confess, I've had an SCB FS in black for over a year and never got around to using it, probably because (as I mentioned) the pocket layout wasn't ideal for me. Having one in Cloud gave me the push that got me past that, and now I'm finding the FS is just as useful as everyone says it is!
What I normally carry in the L15 right now
I'm in grad school, and this semester I have class on campus one night a week. The L15 has turned out to be perfect for that! I have other bags that also work, but for this particular use, the L15 beats all the others for me. Part of the reason is the shoulder straps, which are really comfortable. The size is also just right--not cramped, but not a lot of extra room to tempt me to bring along more than I want.
So far I've been packing the L15 with everything that I usually put in the L12, plus the stuff I only need for class. Here's the full list:
* a SCB Freudian Slip in Cloud with all of my usual purse stuff (key straps wrapped around the top loop of the FS lead to my wallet, first aid kit in a mini Halcyon organizer pouch, and mini Q-Kit with lipstick and lip balm)
* folded Original Large Shop Bag in Northwest Sky
* sunglasses in neoprene pouch
* sometimes a bottle of something to drink, usually water but in this case Vitamin Water
* mini Clear Organizer Pouch with transit pass
* a MCB Freudian Slip with school things, including pens and pencils in a Ghost Whale Pouch in Canyon
* a notebook of quad-ruled paper (I like that kind best for note-taking)
* a folder
* 13" MacBook Pro, or else an iPad Air in a keyboard case
The mini COP with my transit pass goes in the same pocket as on the L12, as does the sunglasses pouch. The main section of the L15, front to back, gets: drink bottle in the open-bottomed mesh pocket, SCB FS, MCB FS, notebook, folder. The laptop or iPad goes in the back padded compartment.
With that load, the bottom of the bag is full but not stuffed, and there's room on top for a folded Large Shop Bag. The whole thing isn't very heavy and it's quite comfortable to wear.
The small pocket inside both Luminaries' main sections
You may have noticed that none of my lists mentioned putting anything in that pocket, but I do use it frequently. So far I've been finding that pocket very useful as a short-term holding place for this and that--for example, if I need to take my watch off I'll drop it in there. I'm glad this pocket was added!