REVIEW: Apera Bags (& GIVEAWAY)

A few weeks ago I was able to connect with Stacy at Apera Bags (SUPER sweet by the way). She offered to send me a bag of my choice for a review (and... wait for it.... a GIVEAWAY... but you will have to read the review before you can enter ;)).

I was sooooooooo excited, but knew I wanted to take my time and select the PERFECT bag for me. I think I looked at the website for a good hour and a half before I could finally make my choice. (I even asked my hubby to weigh in to help me decide.)

Drumroll please....

I finally was able to make up my mind and choose the Performance Duffel (in Fuchsia of course).

There are quite a few reasons that I ended up selecting the Performance Duffel, which I will be sure to elaborate on further. Thankfully for me, during the selection process, I was able to watch the quick videos on the different bags' pages to give an overall idea of the bag and its features.



Some of the reasons that I LOVE the Performance Duffel - it has two padded pockets on the top of the bag. I have been using one to store my phone in, and the other to store sunnies, as well as bobby pins and hair ties (because I always seem to misplace mine when it comes time to run or workout).

Another thing that I was super excited for was THE SPACE! The bag is FULL OF IT! I was beyond thrilled when I received the bag and saw that my foam roller could fit in it! PERFECTION!

I can also fit a pair of shoes in each end of the bag! This will work out GREAT for racecations or race weekends (especially when the race weekends have more than one race or I'm not sure which shoes I will feel like wearing the morning of a race). This will definitely be my GO-TO bag for travel from here forward. It's great that I can pack everything (and then some) in the one bag and even take it as a carry-on (that way I don't have to worry about the airlines misplacing my belongings and me having to frantically search to replace my running gear before an event - which would be DISASTROUS!).

The Apera bags are actually healthy as well! The material is treated with antimicrobial product protection which helps prevent the growth of bacterial odors in the bag (so no more smelly gym bag - YAY). The compartments are also vented, meaning the material is breathable and allows for airflow, helping to keep things dry and less stinky. The bag is also lined with wipeable fabric, that way if you get dirt, sweat, or other unwanted "stuff" in the bag, you can just wipe it away with mild soap and water to keep the bag fresh and clean. The Performance Duffel even has a waterproof base, that way if you accidentally set it on something wet it won't soak through into the bag and all of your gear. So not only can you use this bag while you are getting and staying healthy, but the bag itself will keep you healthy!

As you should be aware of by now, I LOVE when companies give back. Apera's cause is simple - to inspire all athletes. Apera donates one bag to a Special Olympic athlete for every three bags they sell. And Apera has been kind enough to offer up one of those same bags, the Sprint Pack, as a GIVEAWAY to one of my lucky readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**EXCITING NEWS** - I was told by Stacy this morning that they are offering 40% OFF their ENTIRE BLUE line of bags! Any style of BLUE bag will be 40% off, INCLUDING MY FAVORITE, THE PERFORMANCE DUFFEL. Also, all of the Duffel Packs {ANY COLOR} are 40% OFF too! THIS IS A HUGE SAVINGS!! So even if you don't win, you should still take advantage of this AWESOME sale!!