I have a problem. I am a FIEND for Instagram shopping, especially when it comes to bags. CalPak, Dagne Dover, Poléne, Freja – I have them all. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my designer bags, but you really can’t deny good quality at an attainable price. One brand really stands out to me that I’ve always gone back to for their bags. CalPak.
What do I love about CalPak bags? I love how they think of how people use bags. When it comes to bags I always look for 2 things, multiple interior compartments and an exterior pocket for putting my phone in and taking it out easily. CalPak definitely hits the mark on both of those things and more.
The obsession started with the original Luka Belt Bag. At this point in time, the Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag was quite literally everywhere and I wanted something different (and it was sold out so I couldn’t even buy it anyways).
The inside has 3 compartments – a small mesh pocket maybe for keys or chapstick, a main compartment and the biggest for catch all stuff, and a last compartment for a more secure spot for a small wallet or tampons/pads. The exterior has a back pocket that can zip which I love. I appreciate an easy access exterior pocket that I can throw my phone in or take out if I need it.
As much as I loved the easy access back pocket, the cute puffer design, and the fact that it can fit both all of my daily things and Eric’s wallet – it seemed really big on me. I’m just under 5 feet so I have to be really careful that my bags don’t completely consume my entire body. The Luka Belt Bag pretty much takes up my whole torso as you can see, so after a while I found myself not reaching for it as much. And then…they released a MINI.
This bag always leaves the house with me. Everything I loved about the original Luka Belt Bag was now in a more compact size! It still has all 3 compartments on the inside and the exterior pocket.
It really is the perfect bag for daily use. Grocery shopping, going to the gym, beach days, hiking, concerts, brunch, it does it all. Eric even took it with him to jury duty for a week 😂. I would repurchase this bag in every color if I could, the original not so much, but only because it’s ginormous on me.
Another bag from the Luka line I got was the mini backpack. This thing is CUTE. Although it looks like a regular sized backpack on me, I really do love the size. The first time I used it was a day at Disneyland. I brought a light sweater and my Fuji XT3 camera with me and they fit perfectly with room to spare.
The inside has FOUR pockets 2 mesh, 1 zipper pocket and the main catch all compartment. The outside has 2 side pockets for small water bottles; think of a small Aquafina or Nestle Pure Life water bottle. And the front pocket is pretty spacious as well. I usually put things like tissue or hand sanitizer in there. It also has a pass through sleeve for luggage.
I love this backpack, but I will say the first time I used it the zipper track thingies had issues. You know what I’m talking about, when you go to zip up your bag and it just opens back up, or even when you get it zipped up you pull on the bag a little and it opens up again. It might’ve been a one off defected part, but I’ve used it enough where it works now. I will say though, that was not a great first impression.
SURPRISE another Luka bag! I can’t help it, I love a good puffer bag.
This is a great weekender bag plain and simple. I’ve taken this on many short trips and it serves its purpose. Yes, it looks like it’s wearing me and not the other way around but again, short people problems.
This bag has 5 internal pockets, an external side pocket for a water bottle (I can fit my 32 oz hydroflask perfectly fine), a giant external zip up pocket and a compartment to fit a pair of shoes. I’ve never had a bag that had a pocket just for shoes and I can say that I’m a fan!
The only “issue” I had and it’s not really an issue, but I thought it was a little annoying, was that when you put your shoes in, it kind of takes up space in the main part of inside of the bag. Other than that, it’s a great bag to take on trips. I wish it came in a smaller size so I can take it to my workout classes. It does come in an even larger size though!
Listen, I am not an expert on luggage. I’m not really big on traveling for long periods of time, but this carry on is SO good. When I bought my first “adult” luggage I bought the carry on from Away. It was a cute color and I still have it to this day, BUT this has definitely replaced it and Eric uses the Away one 😂.
Again, I’m in love with all the compartments CalPak adds to their bags, even their luggage. I bought this one during one of their sales and I also bought the packing cubes along with it. I’ve never used packing cubes before and I will never be without them! The convenience of it all! The wheels on this luggage are buuuutter. They move so smoothly and 360-y in a way that my Away one wasn’t hitting.
I think when I eventually want to start traveling internationally I’ll definitely get the bigger luggages.
Ok so this was a long one, but we’ve made it to the end! These were all of my CalPak bags I have in my collection and not going to lie, I’ll most likely get more! They truly think of how people use bags and I can’t wait to see what else they come up with. I hope I covered everything you would want to know about these bags, if I missed something, let me know! Which bag brand do you want me to review next?