Ode to the Kavu Bag, A Perfect Bag For Travel
Amy and her daughters walking in Paris with their Kavus. It really does make a great bag for traveling. It has been in city centers, on a bike ride, on multiple hikes, and so many planes, trains, and automobiles. Still going strong years later with near daily use.
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A Review Of The Kavu Rope Sling Bag
The Kavu is a perfect bag for traveling and at home because it is spacious, comfortable to carry, has handy pockets, and is durable.
I love gear. Let me just state that first. I am a gear collector who can browse an outdoor store looking at gadgets I will probably never need but just look cool. If I am looking for something I need, I will research for hours until I find exactly what I want. I love a well- designed object that does what I need it to do without extraneous and usually useless gimmicks.
I finally own a suitcase and large, carry-on bag that I am happy with, but I still couldn’t find a day bag that I liked for traveling. Specifically for spending a whole day away from your lodgings exploring a city like New York but also for day trips exploring a new area with maybe a stop on a beach or a hike in the woods or even a bike ride.
My laptop backpack was too big for what I wanted and a purse either didn’t hold enough or hurt my shoulder when it did hold everything I wanted because of its thinner straps. I felt like Goldilocks, nothing was just right.
What I Wanted In My Perfect Day Trip Bag
A bag big enough to carry a large water bottle, a light jacket, money and credit cards, cell phone, and a small toiletry bag with essentials (like band- aids, contact drops, and wet wipes), and some snacks like granola bars. It also had to fit my large Nikon DSLR camera. I wanted it to carry all of this without leaving a permanent indentation on my shoulder so I wanted a wide strap.
What I Didn’t Want in My Perfect Day Trip Bag
I didn't want another backpack or purse as I have plenty of those. After all, I am a self- admitted gear junkie. Plus, many museums and other tourist sights are starting to restrict backpacks and large totes. You really need a single strap bag to be considered a “purse” and therefore allowed in.
And in many cities, I like to keep a hand on my bag, especially its zipper. I know it is possible to carry a backpack on your front but that is not super comfortable for me (besides looking very odd). So a purse that can be worn cross- body works the best here but all of my purses are too small to carry everything I want for a whole day out on the town.
Enter The Kavu Rope Sling Bag
I was looking for this magical “not a purse nor a backpack” bag for about a year and nothing was it. Until I kept noticing people with this sling bag. I saw them hiking but also shopping around town. I saw them at music festivals and at playgrounds.
Then I saw the bag at my local hiking store and tried it out. A few times. And then I tried out its nearest competitors. And like Goldilocks, I believe I have finally found my “just right” in the Kavu rope sling bag.
Why I Like It My Kavu Bag
The Kavu Bag Has A Comfortable And Adjustable Strap
It’s a one- shoulder sling bag, but the strap is wide so it distributes weight well. And it works over left or right shoulder so I can switch shoulders when I really have the bag full of heavy stuff.
You can also wear the bag cross body which helps even more for weight and to make it a little more secure.
The strap is easy to adjust which is nice when I bike ride and like to wear the bag a little tighter. Or to make it looser when I wear it cross- body.
Every Kavu Is Spacious And Has Zippered Pockets
My older Kavu bag (yes, I have 2 - walking the walk here) has 2 main zippered pockets that each hold about half of the bag's 660 cubic inch capacity. All together they can hold a water bottle, ipad, DSLR camera, a few bars, and a light jacket. There are also 2 small exterior pockets- one with a zipper that’s a perfect size for a cell phone and a slightly smaller pocket with a velcro closure that’s good for chapstick, tissues, sunscreen, etc.
My newer Kavu bag has 1 really large zipper compartment and 1 small zipper compartment as well as a mesh pocket on the side. The large compartment holds most of the stuff while I put things like my cell phone, chapstick, and sunglasses in the small zippered pocket. The mesh pocket is really too shallow to keep a water bottle in place for long but works great as a quick stuff sack for gloves, candy bar wrappers, gum, etc.
I can fit my big DSLR camera in both of the bags and still be able to carry wallet and phone and some small stuff.
My Kavu Bags Have Been Very Durable
The Kavu bags are sturdy enough to hold a bottle of wine or a quart of milk if walking home from the corner store. (Done both of those several times now.) So far, my older canvas bag has been very durable and stain resistant which I worried a little about with the canvas fabric. I have set it down on many a dubious park bench and restaurant floor and come away okay.
My newer Kavu bag is a more stain resistant black neoprene material. I got it to protect my DSLR a little more than the canvas bag. It has also held up great and it a couple of years old. I am just now starting to notice some wearing of the neoprene around where the strap is sewn into the bag. (They seem to have discontinued this model which is a shame because I really liked the padding of the neoprene material.)
I use my Kavus as daily bags at home and they are still going strong years after purchase. Some worn bits on the bottoms but no holes and the straps are still in great shape. And they get carried everywhere- grocery store, Home Depot, soccer games, basketball practice, etc. They have been on gym floors and bleacher seats and grass fields and park benches. And that’s not including the traveling where they have ridden around Central Park in NYC, been to numerous beaches, and stuffed under a hundred plane seats. An enthusiastic 2 thumbs up for durability.
The Kavu Bags Are A Perfect Size
The Kavu Bag is still small enough to still pass as a purse (especially if I don’t stuff it full) which is helpful at places that do not allow backpacks. And I have a tendency to fill the space I am given so bigger bags mean I carry more stuff but not necessarily stuff I really need.
The Kavu is just big enough to hold everything I need for a whole day but not so big I am tempted to bring along extraneous stuff. Like I said, its my Goldilocks bag- “It’s juuust right.”
And the size is fine for museums and other venues where backpacks are prohibited. I just came back from a trip to NYC where my Kavu visited MoMA as well as several Broadway shows.
The Kavu bags fit easily under a plane seat too.
Because of their perfect size, I find my Kavu bag to be great for plane travel. Unlike my backpack that I sometimes have to wedge under the seat in front of me and is a pain to get stuff out of, I stick my big backpack in the overhead compartment and put my Kavu under the seat. It fits easily and leaves room for my actual feet. I can put my headphones, Kindle, phone, and paperback book in my Kavu for easy access during the flight.
Some of the things I usually stuff in my Kavu Rope Sling Bag- kids ipad, big DSLR camera, my phone, and a water bottle. This is my older bag with 2 main zippered compartments about the same size and a smaller zipper pocket on the front big enough for a cell phone.
The Downsides To the Kavu Rope Sling Bag
The pattern choices are loud for almost all of Kavus
The choices of patterns are all pretty loud. I wanted a bag that could carry over to dinner in a decently nice restaurant if needed. They do offer a basic black option but the canvas material seems to attract lint. At least the black bag I saw did.
My first Kavu was a deep gray, abstract pattern over a tan background and I was very happy with it. My second Kavu was a black neoprene material with a small white pattern on it. It definitely shows less dirt and is a little more subtle. I would go for the black Kavus unless you want to make sure you can be seen in a crowd.
Final Thoughts About The Kavu Rope Sling Bag
So there you have it, my Ode to the Kavu and the reasons why I love it. I have had mine for about a couple of years now and have now added a second one to my collection. I use them everyday and twice on Sundays. And they are still my go to bag for travel.
If you have been looking for a great day bag like I was, go try one out at your local outdoor store or order off the Kavu website, which often has the best prices. Or, you can always order one off Amazon (like everything else on the planet).
Happy trails!
Amanda
My nieces and Amy’s daughters in Paris. A little Kavu collective.