Back To University: A Student Recommends Their Ideal Leather Satchel Or Bag

At this time of year we have a lot of people asking for recommendations and asking questions about leather satchels and bags for uni and college. So we thought we would ask a local university student to come in and see all our bags and answer a load of questions about themselves and our leather satchels and bags. Q. What's your name and how old are you? A. Hi! My name is Eilidh and I’m 19 years old. Q. Where and what are you studying? A. I’m studying at the University of St Andrews, doing an MA in Psychology. I’m just about to start third year – the first of two honours years. Q. Describe St Andrews? A. St Andrews is a small university town on the east coast of Scotland, overrun by students! It’s very beautiful and has a lot of interesting history, which makes it a lovely place to study. There are lots of little boutiques and locally owned shops, like Scaramanga, which I think adds to the character of the town. Q. What have you been doing this summer while on holiday? A. It feels like summer has flown by even though it’s been almost 4 months. I’ve mainly been catching up with school friends who went to other Universities, spending a lot of time with my family and trying to prepare for next year. I had a short break to Portugal which was lovely, and I was also a leader at a week long Christian camp for young people. Q. Where is your favourite place in St Andrews for something to eat and why? A. There’re so many nice restaurants – it’s always a dilemma trying to pick somewhere! I’d probably say my favourite at the moment is The Grill House. My favourite thing to eat there is the fajitas and they also have a very reasonable early dinner menu, which is always good as a student. They slao have very nice frozen margaritas! Q. What’s your favourite bar or pub? A. Again, there’re so many! Aikman’s is nice for a cosy drink to catch up with friends, and I like The West Port too, although it can be more expensive because apparently that’s where Prince William liked to go for a drink! Q. What is your favourite shop (apart from Scaramanga of course!) and why? A. I really like Bonkers, a gift shop on Market Street. They have so many different gift ideas and I rarely go in there without buying something. Q. What are you hoping to do when you finish uni? A. At the moment the plan is to specialise in an area of Psychology but I’ve no idea what that might be yet! Definitely more studying. Maybe I’ll just be a student forever… Q. What do you typically carry in your uni bag? A. On a normal day I’d have my 15 inch laptop, charger, purse, an A4 notebook, a small pencil case, my diary, a water bottle, and maybe a textbook as well. Q. What extra stuff might you carry? A. If I’m going to be out all day I’d have some food with me, an extra jumper or a scarf, my calculator and textbook for statistics. Q. As a student having a reliable and sturdy bag to carry your books and stuff for the day is quite important. Would do you look for when buying a uni / college book bag? A. Something that’s comfortable is very important, as it’s hard to know exactly how long I’ll be out for. Also something that’s hardwearing, as I don’t want to be worrying about my bag breaking with all my things in it. Of course due to the unpredictability of our weather it’s important to have something that will last in the rain! And obviously a bag that looks good as well. Q. So Scaramanga have over 30 leather satchels and bags. Which would you recommend as an ideal leather satchel / uni book bag if you had a £80 budget what would you choose and why? A. Am I allowed to go £5 over budget and choose the 16 inch leather satchel?! ( men's 16 inch leather satchel ) I think it’s the right size to fit in everything I need without being too bulky. It’s wide enough for most laptops and has two zip compartments for keeping pens and keys safe. Also it’s really nice that it comes in the tan polished leather and the distressed leather. Q. If you had an unlimited budget, which bag would you recommend and why? A. I think I would go for the Medium Overlander ( women's Overlander satchel and men's Overlander satchel ). It has so much space so could easily be used for a day when I have lots to take to University, as an overnight bag or even as hand luggage on a flight. The different pockets and compartments would make it easy to keep things organised. Q. Did any other Scaramanga satchels or bags take your fancy when you visited their store? A. Well I’d definitely have one of the leather travel holdalls! They look the perfect size for a long weekend away and very reliable. I’d also probably choose a Mini 11 inch leather satchel because I think they’re really cute but also practical – the perfect size for a small handbag. Q. Some of our bags have a more even polished tan finish and others have a distressed leather finish. Which do you prefer and why? A. I think I prefer the distressed leather finish. I like the way that it makes every bag look different and you can see the grain of the leather on the bag. I feel it adds that little bit more character to the bag, knowing that every one looks different. Q. What would your top recommendation be for a satchel accessory? A. I think the leather iPad covers are brilliant. They look great and feel very sturdy and protective. I’ve noticed that you offer a laser engraving service and I think it would be nice to have the iPad cover engraved with initials. Q. Would you use a Scaramanga leather journal as a notebook, if so which would you use and why? A. Yes, the journals are gorgeous! I like the Medium Embossed Leather Notebook. Especially around exam time I need something with me that I can scribble thoughts and reminders in, make lists and so on.