Mismo M/S Everything :: Road Tests

Mismo nudged us to take a look at their new collection. We chose to explore the M/S Everything, which is based on a lot of research for the perfect size to do just about anything. Can it keep that bold promise?

The Mismo M/S Everything obviously boasts that it's for everything. That's no small challenge for a bag geek. So I had to put my four-year-old daughter in it (which she did not particularly like) and my six-month-old son (who slept right through the experience). Both fit perfectly by the way. The M/S Everything came along on a two-week trip to Portugal and on various weekends away, ranging from campgrounds and friends' places to upscale hotels.

Mismo as a brand launched its first styles in December 2006, after spending three years sourcing the right suppliers and manufacturers while developing the first designs with prototypes going back and forth. Mismo is based in Copenhagen, Denmark, its fabrics are mainly from Italy and the bags are produced in Turkey.

Design

Looks

Sure enough, at Carryology we review lots of camera bags, urban bags, outdoor bags, waterproof bags and so on, and most of the reviews are based on functionality. In the luxury segment, several other factors come into play. And Mismo is definitely in the luxury segment. It’s about iconic details, materials, craftsmanship, the story and history of the brand; it’s about the experience: the store experience, the packaging and unpacking experience, the events the brand supports, the people it’s associated with. Of course it’s about visual brand identity and how it shows in every item in the collection and every expression of the brand. It might take generations for a brand to reach iconic status and it can all be destroyed with a few screwups.

"It’s about iconic details, materials, craftsmanship, the story and history of the brand; it’s about the experience: the store experience, the packaging and unpacking experience, the events the brand supports, the people it’s associated with."

Mismo's unpacking experience was a blast. The bag comes standing up in a huge box, filled with stuffing, wrapped in a cotton sleeve and bubble plastic with complementary cards. We love the M/S Everything's design; it's well suited to high-class venues but the materials are such that it holds its ground in less glamorous circumstances.

Specific about the design is the fairly high shape. As you stuff it, it gets higher and not wider, which helps a lot in carry comfort and looks.

Materials

The body of the bag is made out of double-bonded, lightweight nylon and ballistic nylon (weatherproof), with trimmings in black, vegetable-tanned, full-grain bridle leather. The lining is in gray cotton. The outside nylon can easily be cleaned.

"We love the M/S Everything's design; it's well suited to high-class venues but the materials are such that it holds its ground in less glamorous circumstances."

I found myself wondering if the outside material will hold against serious scratches or tears. Luxury bags aren't really meant to be thrown around like, for example, military gear, but durability is nevertheless a requirement. I recommend using a flight bag when checking in the bag on flights.

Construction

There is no structure in the bag to keep it standing, which means it can be easily folded and stored. Sewing was all done neatly. The bottom is made out of ballistic nylon and reinforced with leather patches, which really helps for durability.

"As you stuff it, it gets higher and not wider, which helps a lot in carry comfort and looks."

Hardware

Hardware is all gunmetal or solid brass with varnish protection. The bag comes with YKK Excella zippers.

"There is no structure in the bag to keep it standing, which means it can be easily folded and stored."

Features

The M/S Everything is a big bag and it kind of prides itself on being big while not having a lot of features (that is: features that no one uses anyway). A few details deserve attention however.

Lock

The bag comes with a small padlock. It won't keep the seriously bad guys away but at least it's a stylish accessory.

Adjustable shoulder and hand straps

The M/S Everything comes with an adjustable shoulder strap, but also the hand straps are adjustable. The latter we don't see that often and it makes how you carry the bag customizable to your own preferences. You can choose to keep the hand straps short like briefcase handles or you can lengthen them and use them over your shoulder and ditch the separate shoulder strap.

"The M/S Everything comes with an adjustable shoulder strap, but also the hand straps are adjustable. The latter we don't see that often and it makes how you carry the bag customizable to your own preferences."

Details

Nice details further include the Mismo logo pin, a leather patch on the bottom and the hardware altogether.

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Performance

Comfort

The M/S Everything, like all weekenders and handheld travel bags, is not made for long hauls. The straps are comfortable enough, and it's a huge plus the hand straps can be adjusted as well (Mismo's designer suggests you can skip the shoulder strap because of the adjustable hand straps). The shoulder strap has some padding.

Space and Access

Now here's where the M/S Everything shines. And it should if it wants to live up to its name! The bag has one big compartment with a few side pockets and zippers. The YKK Excella zipper opens a long way so access to the main compartment is fine. I've filled up the bag as much as I could and still didn't have any trouble closing or opening the zipper.

"The bag has one big compartment with a few side pockets and zippers. The YKK Excella zipper opens a long way so access to the main compartment is fine."

Inside the bag there are open pockets left, right front and back. If you don't use them, they won't get in the way; if you do it helps to compartmentalize stuff. There's a zippered pocket on the outside.

On weekends, I'm out of town a lot, along with my girlfriend and children (with all their stuff), cycling or other sports gear. This bag allows for all of that and a bit more. I found myself literally throwing stuff in when packing; there aren't many bags where you can do that. You can stack everything neatly or just stuff it in the bag, the Mismo doesn't really care about that. Although it lacks some kind of formal structure, the bag fills up nicely.

"I found myself literally throwing stuff in when packing; there aren't many bags where you can do that."

Because of the fairly high shape the bag allows for a more natural draping of the fabric when not fully stuffed - it suits the bag well - and that’s always the tricky part with weekenders. There's obviously a difference to the draping depending on the fabric used.

"Because of the fairly high shape the bag allows for a more natural draping of the fabric when not fully stuffed..."

Weatherability

We reviewed the nylon version of the M/S Everything, which is probably more weather resistant than the canvas versions. This bag should not be standing in the rain for hours on end, and neither should you if you're dressed good enough to match this bag.

"This bag should not be standing in the rain for hours on end, and neither should you if you're dressed good enough to match this bag."

Value

You can probably buy a decent bag with the same kinds of pockets for one third of the price, so what makes the Mismo bag worth over 590 (EU)/472 (non-EU) euros? It's the materials, the details, the style, the story. So is it worth it? In our view Mismo comes in at a good balance between price, functionality and style, compared to similar brands.

Others to Consider

Mismo itself offers a few bags for weekend getaways.

Billykirk has a nice collection of travel bags in the same price range.

In the cheaper but still stylish section I find myself drawn to Suitsupply or Sandqvist's line of bags.

And if you're here to spend serious money, Serapian is a nice alternative.

"In our view Mismo comes in at a good balance between price, functionality and style, compared to similar brands."

Verdict

The Mismo M/S Everything is a luxury travel bag that has no problems in less favorable circumstances than five star hotels. The sheer size, lack of structure and easy pocketing makes it usable for many different traveling preferences. As long as you stay in human-friendly conditions and away from torrential downpours in the backcountry, the heroic "Everything" label might just hold its ground.

"The sheer size, lack of structure and easy pocketing makes it usable for many different traveling preferences."

Mismo as a brand is elegant, distinguishes itself from the big brands and, for a luxury brand, has a reasonable price/value balance.

By the way, you can check out some Mismo products in the Carryology store.