I Accidentally Bought a Diaper Bag, and It's the Best Travel Bag Ever

I was on the hunt for a new travel tote — one for all the things you need easy access to in transit. Standing in Bloomingdale’s, I picked up a black carryall.

“Is that for you, or is it a gift?” the Bloomingdale’s salesperson asked as I inspected it.

“Um, it’s for me,” I responded. The question struck me as odd, because believe me, I’ve bought plenty of bags in my day — several at Bloomingdales — and I’ve never been asked that before.

As I was looking in the bag to determine if my computer would fit inside, I pulled out an odd, flat, waterproof-ish looking doohickey. “What is this for?” I asked the salesperson.

“That bag is a diaper bag. It’s a pad for changing the baby,” he said.

Ah. Now I understood the gift question. Baby-free, I’d never had a reason to buy a diaper bag, so I had no idea they were so chic and non-diaper-baggy-looking. I found myself not wanting to put it down.

It had everything I was looking for and having trouble finding. I wanted to find a new bag so that it could be my “personal” item allowed on the plane in addition to my carry-on luggage. The rules say it just needs to be smaller than a carry-on (generally 22” x 14” x 9”), yet I wanted it to be big enough to fit my computer, with tons of pockets for organizing. It wasn’t so easy to get in a cute bag.

I found my travel bag soulmate. (Photo: Courtesy of www.bloomingdales.com)

The Marc by Marc Jacobs Preppy Nylon Eliz-a-Baby is the perfect size at 14.5” x 12” x 7”. My computer slid right in (which is kind of my baby, after all). It has pockets everywhere — one on each inner corner, a perfect phone-sized inner pocket, another great pocket for metro cards and lip gloss, and a big zippered pocket for a wallet, keys, and other safe-keepings. There’s also a water bottle-shaped pocket on either end on the outside of the bag, plus a big outer snap-closure pocket for papers. The bag is convertible with handles and a removable, over-the-shoulder strap, and there’s even a handy dandy little name tag attached (Not sure why you need that for a baby.). I sort of didn’t care that it was a diaper bag. But was that weird?

Apparently not.

“Are you buying that one?” asked a 20-something woman pointing at the bag I was holding.

“It’s just a floor sample. Here, you can look at it,” I said handing it to her.

“What’s this?” She asked pulling out the changing pad.

“It’s a diaper bag. That’s something for changing the baby,” I explained. She clearly had no children either.

“Really? Wow, it’s so cute,” she said. “I thought it was a weekend bag.”

Precisely.

Encouraged that it really doesn’t look like a diaper bag and that I wouldn’t look like a crazy person carrying such a piece without a tot in tow, I bought the bag.

Related: The Perfect… Travel Jacket

I have been carrying it to work for a week now, and I’ve gotten many compliments and no strange looks, at least none that I’ve noticed. I even asked my one co-worker with a 2-year-old, “What do you think this looks like?”

“A black bag?” she said.

Is it a diaper bag? Is it a travel tote? You decide. (Photo: Courtesy of MZ Wallace)

When I revealed my secret, she replied, “Oh, this is a diaper bag, too. It’s great.” Her diaper/day/travel bag of choice? The MZ Wallace Kate bag. It’s supercool, black and 17” x 13” x 8”, and it retails for $395. “There may be a little bit of a stigma, but… ”

Why would there be a stigma? “I think it’s the poopy-diaper connection,” my boss chimed in.

Silly diaper associations aside, I’m pretty much in love with the Eliz-a-Baby. It’s a bit heavy, especially with my MacBook Air (and usually a pair of shoes) inside. And it wasn’t cheap ($348 normally, but I got 20 percent off thanks to a Friends & Family sale). But after packing it to go to the U.K. for a week, I can officially say it rocks.

In fact, one night recently, I was out to dinner with another no-kid pal who said she loved my new bag. “It’s a diaper bag,” I laughed, recounting how perfect it is for nondiaper related things, especially travel.

“Oh my god. I once bought a Kate Spade diaper bag by mistake,” she said. “I loved it.”

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