Beside-U Handbags #RFID

Like the song says, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! And it truly is. But, as festive as the holiday season is, there can be issues. Shopping for gifts can be challenging, especially if you leave it to the last minute. This delay usually means patiently inching your way through long lines of traffic and sidestepping through crowded stores only to find that they’re sold out. Argh! Some people are easy to buy for, but what do you get that person who really has it all, but is always on the go and loves to travel? A Beside-U handbag — and you can purchase them online!

BESIDE-U has been in Canada for almost 5 years now, and their stylish wares are sold across the country in stores and online. They have something for everyone on your holiday shopping list. Beside-U bags are great for all walks of life, moms, students, professionals and even travelers. 50+ million people travel during the holiday season — some by car, and the rest travel by plane — unless they have access to a sleigh and eight or nine reindeer of course.

Being in an airport can make you a target for electronic pickpocketing. Card-skimming thieves can read information from RFID-enabled credit cards carried in pockets and purses, and make several fraudulent purchases without you even knowing it until you get your hefty bill. Here is where a Beside U safety feature is beyond beneficial — many of their handbags are fitted with RFID protection.

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification, and any credit/debit/ATM cards containing embedded RFID chips can be accessed by these culprits. The RFID-blocking feature is designed to help insulate you from electronic pickpocketing, called RFID skimming. Some credit cards, passports, and driver’s licenses now come with embedded radio frequency identification chips, and savvy criminals have devised a cheap wireless way to steal this information. Using a Beside U handbag will give you peace of mind and you’ll look snazzy too. They have lots of fashion-forward styles to choose from. Here are two of my favorites.

The Grenada

If you like pretty colors, pockets, pouches and zippers to store, stash and organize your treasures, then the Grenada handbag is for you. It’s the perfect midsize crossbody handbag that measures 27cm L * 23cm H * 5.5cm D. It comes in two neutral colors, Black and Grey Excaliber and three stylish bright, bold and beautiful colors, Purple, Ocean Blue and Savvy Blue.

The Grenada is lightweight, waterproof and made from nylon twill webbing and durable 40D ripstop nylon fabric with touches of leather. The zippers match the color of the handbag and flow smoothly. The zipper pulls are sturdy and there’s also an attached whistle. If you’re a solo traveler, this whistle can alert people you are in danger; I love this feature. It also comes with an adjustable drop length strap (25″ – 48″), so you can either wear it over the shoulder or across your body.

Opening the main compartment of the handbag first, the zipper glided effortlessly. At the other end of the zipper there is a click hook so you can lock your zipper in place. The inside of the bag has their trademark light pinstripe material with two pouches for your cell phone, notepad, hairbrush, etc., and an RFID-guarded zipper compartment for your RFID-chipped cards. These zippered pockets vary in size depending on the size of the handbag itself. The Grenada’s RFID pocket is fairly large, so I’m able to put my whole wallet inside. The main area of the handbag has plenty of room for your daily necessities — makeup bag, headphones, hand sanitizer, planner, tissue, hand lotion and other personal items.

The exterior of the Grenada just keeps giving. The back has one shallow zippered compartment ideal for lip balm, keys or other quick reach items you don’t want to dig through your purse for. The sides have one elasticized pouch for a water botter and a zippered compartment that would be great for a small camera or sunglasses.

The front of this handbag has two zippered compartments that are deep; they go all the way done to the floor of the purse. The smaller zippered compartment is a single pocket that could be used for your cell phone, tissue, and lotion. The larger zippered compartment is quite spacious. It has the main area plus a pouch and two pen holders.

My mom loves this purse. First, she loves the color — purple is her passion. Being a senior, she loves how lightweight and sturdy the bag is. She’s able to organize her essentials into the various pockets and loves its versatility.

The Jodi

The Jodi is a smaller crossbody handbag that’s perfect for people who like to keep things reasonably simple, like me. I don’t like to carry a lot of stuff around — just what I absolutely need, so the size is ideal; it measures 28cm L * 23cm W * 7cm D. The Jodi comes in four fabulous flashy colors, Black, Orion Blue, Viola Purple, and Zinc Grey.

The main zippered compartment has a click hook so you can lock your zipper in place. It also has an attached whistle as a safety feature, in fact, many of Beside-U bags are stocked with this bonus detail. Looking inside the main compartment you’ll see an RFID zippered pocket, one large pouch, and two pen pockets. In this handbag, the RFID pocket is smaller so my wallet doesn’t fit. I have a small credit card wallet just for the occasion and it fits in nicely in this space. I keep my cell phone in the open pouch and the rest of my needs in the main area — wallet, hand lotion, notebook and pen, but there’s more room if I need to add anything else.

The exterior is made of the same material as the Grenada, so it’s very durable, sturdy, lightweight and waterproof. I did splash a few drops of coffee on the handbag and it washed off very easily. But, if you get grease on the fabric, it will not wash off and it will leave a stain.

The zippers glide easily and the adjustable drop length strap (25″ – 48″) can wear over the shoulder or across your body. Personally, I like to wear my bag across the body – no one can grab or attempt to snatch your bag this way.

The back of the handbag has a large and deep compartment where I like to keep tissue and energy bars. The front of the bag has a fairly nice-sized pocket with a snazzy zipper pull. I keep my keys, lip balm, and other quick-access items in this pocket. I love the Jodi, it offers me freedom from the heaviness of an average purse and I can adapt it to my needs.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary products to facilitate a review. All opinions are my own, yours may differ.