My first Everlane review of the year folks and it’s for a gift I received in December. I apologize for the delay since now you’re only left with pastel baby colors (baby blue or baby pink) if you’re interested in getting this ReNew Traveler Tote. Not that there’s anything wrong with pastel colors, but the “toasted coconut” color really is a lovely neutral tan color. Hopefully they re-release this bag in better colors in the future because guys…this is a really great bag. I might even say, one of my top favorite bags Everlane has ever made. And that’s saying a lot because I’ve tried pretty much every one of Everlane’s bags.
But let me preface the rest of this review by saying I probably love this bag so much because I’m in full on mom-bag-mode. I need a practical, lightweight bag to carry all the stuff. Plus it needs to be able to be tossed around and put on the floor every once in awhile. And this bag fits the bill. It’s super light and the recycled nylon is fairly thick and durable. And dare I say, maybe even a little bit better than my Longchamp Le Pliage tote?
But don’t get me wrong the Longchamp tote is also great and has been one of my most used bags in my closet. I’ve also had it for almost 10 years now. I bought it back when I used to like the color red lol, and now it’s the only red thing in my closet that I’ve kept. But I love the Everlane tote more for these key reasons: 1) The outside zippered pocket is the perfect size to fit my iPhone (though I don’t think plus sized iPhones would fit); 2) The inside pocket is also zippered (unlike the longchamp flat pocket inside which is not that useful); 3) the thick flat handles are nice and sturdy so the straps never fall off my shoulder (unlike the Longchamp tote with the rolled handles); 4) And I like the length of the handles which is a touch shorter than the Longchamp ones. And when I hold the tote handles in my hand I don’t have to worry about the bottom of the tote touching the ground. The Everlane tote probably works better for petite gals.
As you can see the handles are a different length but the actual size of the totes are the same (this is the Longchamp large tote).
As for the nylon canvas quality, yes, the longchamp one does have more of a texture and feels more luxe. Longchamp nylon doesn’t feel so slippery. But if used often it’ll get holes like in the photo below.
So we’ll see how Everlane’s recycled nylon does in the long run (I’ll update this and let you know if/when this tote develops holes). For me, the only thing Longchamp beats Everlane on is the foldability:
The Everlane tote is supposed to fold like in the photo below but it’s not easy. I also didn’t try very hard, but I never do with my Longchamp one. But I don’t really plan to fold up this Everlane tote and travel with it since it’s my daily tote.
So should you buy this bag? Yes if you want a recycled nylon tote that functions well and has shorter handles. But no if you already have a good Longchamp since it’s pretty much the same bag (unless you want to keep your Longchamp looking nice and have a daily tote you can throw around). Currently at $88 it’s a tad steep. But I could see this bag being a really great deal if it ever gets to Everlane’s CWYP (choose what you pay) sale—especially since the colorways that are left are harder sells.
Anyone else manage to snag this bag last year? And are you a fan?