Well, hello there, Declan.
I want you to know that I truly appreciate -- nay, I truly LOVE you for -- your post. You see, the subject of amenity kits is one that fills up my senses like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain, like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean...well, you understand.
As for the shoe bag war, in which many have died but none without honour, there are endless opinions. For me, the whole concept of shoe bags is one of almost endless fascination -- but, alas, the reality of either the BA or VS product falls a bit short.
Verily, I don't need shoe bags provided me by an airline corporation. As the vast majority of my city and country footware is produced by hand by the lovely gentlemen at
John Lobb, I am provided with shoe bags by them. Likewise, my trainers -- typically from Paul Smith or Prada -- are also attended by a shoe bag.
Even if I did not live amongst such trappings of luxury, and must needs depart the aeroplane with a -- gasp! -- giveaway item, in the one or two bags that have impudently found their way into my possession I do not find the quality of either the VS or the BA shoe bags to be unassailable. The material is a bit shoddy (something like compressed dryer lint) and the pull thread has torn through on two of mine (mind you, I was trying to close it around a pair of Doc Marten Triumph 1914s, on my way to a BNP rally). I prefer the lovely thick bags from shoe makers and purveyors of finer footwear bits and bobs.
Perhaps my satchel-centric soliloquy is a distraction -- after all, the contents are what counts. For me, the Elemis products are preferable to the Cowshed products provided, although I believe Cowshed's Bullocks soap gel to be one of the finest cleaning agents today manufactured.
I hope my thoughts have provided you with some assistance, and I, again, thank you for allowing me to revisit a topic that is all too rarely discussed on these fora.
Amenity kitly yours,
GJ
