Sherpani Verona Review
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The Verona has quickly become a life saver in my transition from grad student to working professional. I used to tote all my must haves in a backpack and have thankfully traded in my heavy pack filled with books and a laptop in for Sherpani’s stylish Verona shoulder bag. The Verona is a generous sized shoulder bag, measuring 15” x 13” x 5”, yet does not look supremely over-sized when carried on my shoulder. The Verona comes with a detachable strap, that is also adjustable, that allows you to carry the Verona like a messenger bag across your body or over your shoulder. However, even with my Verona packed for a full day, the permanently attached strap, as seen above, remains comfortable to carry the load.
The Verona features plenty of zippered pockets and compartments to keep you organized. Behind the printed artwork there is a small zippered pocket that is perfect for carrying my smart phone and pager (yes, pager’s still exist). I typically carry the bag with the art work facing outwards, for more than the obvious reasons, so that when I unzip the main compartment I can easily retrieve my wallet which is stashed in yet another zippered compartment on the same side. The interior also features a wall organizer on the opposite side that can house up to 3 pens-pencils-or lip glosses if you are inclined to use it that way. Two larger organizer pockets can accommodate most phones. I use one of these slots for my sunscreen, which I take everywhere and the other for my car keys once attached to the key clip so that I don’t have to dig around the bottom of the bag. There is also a elastic pouch that helps to keep a water bottle upright when placed in the bag; this compartment fit my Camelback bottles and my to-go Stanley coffee mug perfectly. I believe previous models of the Verona lacked this feature, with the simple addition of a little fabric and elastic your drinks should stay upright and relatively secure. The remainder of the interior compartment is up for your use. I typically place my iPad, a few papers, snacks, and a light jacket inside with room to spare. If you still need a little more organization, there is one more zippered pocket on the opposite side as the artwork; this generous sized pocket may come in handy for other personal items.
Now that we have the organizational features covered, let’s talk about the fabric and style features. First off, the Verona comes in 4 different styles and colors with 4 unique designs courtesy of artist Cathy Nichols. The artwork has a polyurethane coating over the top and ties into the color scheme of each bag. My favorite is “Falling Tree”, featured below. The artwork makes each bag unique and adds a little more style to the Verona.
Each bag is made from 100% natural canvas and features recycled aluminum for the fasteners and straps. The Verona is well made with tight stitches between the honeycomb lining-faux leather along the top and corners-and extra reinforcement over the padded bottom. My only beef with the design is that I wish the faux leather was at the bottom as well to help prevent the canvas from getting dirty so quickly. I have the Verona in “Song for You” and the light canvas dirties easily on the bottom, perhaps Scotchgard would do the trick. Like all canvas, the bag is prone to collecting fleece and other fabric particles. If this is a big deal to you, simply select one of the darker color options.
Overall, I have been very pleased with my Verona shoulder bag! For more info on the Sherpani Verona, visit www.amazon.com.
