Gardening / Tool Box: Looks good, works well - a bag for all reasons

CLASSIC examples of good design range from the Zippo cigarette lighter to the original Jeep and the multi-purpose Swiss Army knife. All of them are simple concepts that both work well and look stylish. Much the same can be said about the Holdall Plus from Town & Country Garden Products.

This can be mistaken for a small shopping bag until you realise that the main compartment is surrounded by umpteen pockets. The brochure refers to eight, but I counted a dozen.

They are shaped to take items as small as a pen or as big as a flowerpot. Velcro fasteners and elasticated retaining cords are good features.

The Holdall Plus is made of strong, light, washable nylon. Rivets reinforce the padded, close-stitched handles - which run right down to the base of the bag - and also strengthen each of the main compartment's four corners.

Making the pockets of nylon mesh, which lets soil escape, is typical of the thought that has gone into this commendably practical product.

Price is the main drawback of the Holdall Plus. A straw poll suggested it would cost something less than pounds 20, but the recommended retail figure is pounds 31.95.

Town & Country Garden Products, Wimbledon House, Wimbledon Street, Leicester LE1 1SN (0533 629281).