Compare the Top 6 Travel Totes
I recommend more travel totes
Longchamp Large Le Please Tote for $180: : This bestseller is the equivalent of a classic white tee: timeless, versatile, and built to last for generations. Inspired by origami, Le Pliage shrinks down when you need to pack it down, but it’s also spacious enough to double as your personal item. I can fit all the essentials in here – laptop, Kindle, my airport toiletries, snacks, and then some. With its minimalist design and zipper closure for valuables, it is also the ideal work bag for business trips. My one complaint with this travel tote bag is the lack of interior compartments (besides two impractical flat pockets), but if you’re the kind of person who has small pouches and tech organizers for your gear, you won’t miss this.
Sincha The Vegan Leather Go-Tote for $130: This vegan leather bag is deceptively spacious. The base is 7.5 inches deep, so it doesn’t look that big in photos, but it holds a surprising amount of stuff. I’ve packed enough clothes in it for an entire weekend trip. I’m usually worried about wear and tear with using vegan leather, but Sincha’s soft pebbled fabric clearly doesn’t look or feel like plastic. This is the tote bag I took on a several-week trip to the Philippines, and the leather stood up to rain and being kicked around airport lounges, ferries, and train depots. However, it is more than 2 pounds heavier than the Longchamp Le Pliage, so that’s only for if you can stash it in your carry-on. -Adrienne So
Vera Bradley Original Duffel for $105: If there was ever a product I would call “ol’ reliable”, it would undoubtedly be the Vera Bradley bag. The bright patterns, durable materials and washable cotton structure have performed remarkably well for over a decade of travel. Even when I’ve packed it completely and taken it with me on airplanes, trains, and car trips, I don’t detect stress on the stitching of the handles. It doesn’t have any interior pockets, but you do have four exterior pockets around the sides of the bag for easy access (or last-minute additions to your planned outfits). —julia forbes
Baublebar Large Custom Icon Tote for $98: What sets BaubleBar apart is its playful personalization. Your chosen icons (up to six depending on size) are embroidered directly onto the canvas tote. The process is super user-friendly, with predefined spaces to help you visualize your selections. Choose from zodiac signs, beautiful food, initials and more. Just keep in mind that this is final sale, so be sure of your design before ordering. The large size fits everything you need for a day trip to the beach, and the medium and small options are better for light shopping or exploring the city. It closes with just a snap button, which isn’t the safest for crowded areas.
Air Simple Tote for $139: Have you ever held a nylon or leather bag in your hand and felt like slung it over your shoulder would instantly give you scoliosis? Then you’ll want Er’s extremely lightweight, simple sailcloth tote, which weighs less than a pound. Its 15 liters felt surprisingly capacious. I fit two jackets inside for walks with my kids and the 3-inch-wide bag hides neatly under my arm. The two exterior drop pockets fit my Nalgene and Kinto mugs, and my phone fits nicely in the exterior zipper pocket. This is a great upgrade if you’re tired of carrying everything in your canvas tote from Umami Mart and want a bag that won’t get drenched in something suspicious if you misplace it on the subway. it Is However, a little more expensive. -Adrienne So
Cuyana System Tote 16-Inch for $378: The Cuyana System Tote is a modular gear-hauler that changes size with your itinerary. Designed to survive the era of fast fashion, this travel tote starts out minimal, but the genius lies in its add-ons. A laptop sleeve or insert organizer creates structure on the go, with dedicated slots for your computer, water bottle, and other essentials. A system flap bag insert works as a clutch or in-bag organizer, and a detachable, adjustable crossbody strap (also available in the wide model) converts the tote, perfect for a hands-free airport sprint if you’re inadvertently trying out the airport theory. Instead of stitched straps prone to wear, the System Tote’s handles are cut directly from its leather body, reducing points of wear. The main compartment closes with a snap rather than a zip, something to know if you’re the spill-averse type.
avoid this tote
Calpack Diaper Tote Bag with Laptop Sleeve for $195: This bag was indeed puffy, but felt heavy, and there was no room left for the layers of the bag to appear puffy. It was somehow too big for everyday use, but not so big when I needed a lot of stuff for a day trip or long walk. It also didn’t really feel diaper bag-centric; The only thing “diaper” about it was the baby wipe compartment on the outside, but I would have preferred an outside pocket to keep actual diapers with it. You can stuff a few diapers in the front flat pocket, but it’s not as ideal as other designs I’ve tried. The insulated bottle pockets are useful if you travel with bottles, but feel useless when your baby runs out of bottles (which they run out of diapers much sooner than they do!) It’s not a bad bag, but I would recommend a different design for both parents and travelers. —nena pharrell
To determine the best travel tote, I put each bag through real-world travel scenarios to see how it performed. That means packing it with a laptop, charger, clothes and toiletries, testing comfort when worn over the shoulder or carried by hand. I would overfill the totes to check durability, organization, and accessibility. I will evaluate how it fits under airplane seats, protects technical gear, and resists wear and weather. If it’s supposedly water resistant, I would take it out in the rain to determine if it would survive without getting its contents soaked.
I check every pocket, compartment, and zipper for usefulness. When it comes to design, I pay attention to the details: interior fabric options that make contents easy to see, convenient pocket placement, and hardware options like zippers and zipper pulls. I also like to pay attention to key design elements, like handle length and overall structure.
I prioritize quality and sustainability, and I include eco-friendly brands for eco-conscious consumers. I also made sure to include a range of clothing for stylistic variability. Finally, I consider how each bag stacks up against its price point, making sure the quality is commensurate with the cost.
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