I’ve been using the same denim tote bag on repeat for my hand luggage that’s the perfect size to keep all your travel essentials safe and close at hand – and it’s under £60
When it comes to travelling, I want to make my life as easy as possible. That means hand luggage that’s easy to carry, practical, and lets me get to everything without having to completely unpack it on the plane.
For my last three flights now, I’ve taken Roka’s Portobello Denim Tote Bag (£59.95) as my carry on bag, and it’s proved to be everything I needed. Plus, it looks effortlessly chic and cool, which is always a nice bonus if you’re having to haul it everywhere.
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I’ve managed to fit multiple changes of clothes, a pair of shoes, a water bottle, a laptop, two makeup bags, headphones and a spare jacket into the bag at once with room to spare, making it ideal for long weekend breaks or overnight trips away. But it’s been a lifesaver on long haul flights, giving me plenty of room to pack essentials to see me through the flight without being so tightly crammed that I can’t get to anything.
Having taken backpacks in the past, there’s nothing worse than realising your book or headphones have slipped to the bottom of the bag and you need to pull everything else out to get to them. Whereas the Portobello Denim Tote Bag is long and wide, which makes it easy to rummage around with minimal disruptions.
It is slightly too large to fit into budget airlines “personal items” criteria, but it still fits neatly inside the hand luggage specifications, measuring 48cm x 10cm x 40cm. For reference, Ryanair’s cabin bag size limits are 55cm x 20cm x 40cm, whilst the personal item measurements are 40cm x 20cm x 30cm.
However there are multiple other options of the Portobello bag, including smaller sizes, ones with additional pockets and in a range of colours, so if you want one that’ll fit your flights specifics you can find one on the Roka website. My large denim tote has multiple compartments both inside and out for keeping essentials like passports, money and tickets to hand, not to mention a designated laptop slot for computers up to 15”.
I also love that the Portobello Denim Tote Bag fastens with a large sturdy zip at the top, so you don’t need to worry about anything spilling out. One thing I will mention is that when it’s full, it can get heavy, and as it only has top handles (rather than a cross body strap) it can make it a little tricky to carry around.
You should also watch for the denim dye rubbing off on light coloured fabrics if it has a lot of contact – like when I had my feet tucked under it for almost eight hours on a flight and realised it had stained the toes of my shoes! But popping it through the wash should help get rid of any excess dye if you want to make doubly sure you won’t get any transfer.
There’s also other great travel-friendly totes to shop instead, like Antler’s Essential Tote Bag which you can pick up for £65. It comes in both navy and white, with plenty of pockets and a strap to fix it over your suitcase handle.
You could also shop Lulu Guinness’ Nylon Macy Tote Bag, which is available in both green and navy for £119. The nylon material means it’s easy to keep clean, with a travel-friendly size and straps to slot over your suitcase.
However, my Portobello Denim Tote Bag has proven to withstand just about everything thrown at it, and the denim is so thick and such good quality that it’s never once stretched, snagged or become damaged. Therefore it’s a no-brainer for me; I’ll continue taking it everywhere with me, although it might have to go in the overhead lockers every once in a while.