Review: Petunia Pickle Bottom Touring Tote

Feb 19, 13 Petunia Pickle Bottom Touring Tote

I can’t tell you how happy I was when I purchased this Petunia Pickle Bottom Touring Tote (in the Peaceful Portofino pattern) for just $49.99 from Wittlebee. These diaper bags normally sell for $149. I was even more estatic when it arrived and I realized it was glazed! Glazed PPB bags are made of a water-repellent material, so it’s much easier to clean than the organic cotton ones.

If you’re looking for a medium size diaper bag — something that’s not terribly large, yet can still hold a lot of items, this one is just right! I packed this cute little tote up and took it out and about with my little baby last weekend. Here are my thoughts:

Straps = 3 Ways to Wear it

It comes with a set of three different type of straps so you can change up the look of the bag. The Hobo strap is a short strap that hooks on both ends to give the bag a hobo purse look. You can carry this on your shoulder, on one hand, or on your arm (near your elbow). I personally think it looks great for taller women. I’m more on the petite side, so it looks really large if I carry it on my hand or arm.

The shoulder strap is a longer adjustable strap that hooks on both sides of the bag as well. You can adjust it to the length you like. With this strap, you can carry it as a messenger bag, or cross-body bag. I personally like carrying it as a cross-body bag and let it hang near the side of my hip.

And lastly, there are the stroller straps. They’re two short straps that hold the bag to each side of the stroller. Whether you can use these straps or not will depend on the type of stroller you have.

What I really love about the straps is, no matter how you snap it on, it’s always snaps on correctly. The ends of the straps will turn to turn it right side up of needed.

Compartments

I really love the large zipper compartment on the exterior of the bag for the changing pad. It’s very handy to always know where the changing pad is instead of digging inside of the purse for it. It’s just one of those items that you need to find right away, especially when you have a very young infant.

There’s also a smaller lined front pocket that has a magnetic enclosure. This is where I like to put my phone! It’s very easy to put in and take out.

On the interior are two sippy cup/bottles compartment. They have a stretchy top so the bottles/cups stay in place. These are on the two ends of the purse. These compartments fit water bottles and soda cans as well. So even if your babies are all grown up, you’ll probably find yourself still using this bag in the future. Imagine having space for a change of clothes, drinks, snacks for your next yoga class!

In addition to the sippy cup pockets, there are also four spacious interior pockets as well. There are handy to hold all of your baby’s items such as bibs, snacks, creams, etc. One one of these pockets is a small pacifier pocket. Very handy when you have a young infant.

Hidden on the two exterior sides of the bag are small zippered pockets. They’re made mostly for cellphones, keys, or an iPod, but I find putting my little bottle of anti-bacterial there works best.

Fabric – “Glazed”

I mentioned the bag was “glazed” earlier, but what does it really mean? The exterior of Petunia Pickle Bottom bags are made out of one of these materials/styles – Certified Organic Cotton, Glazed, Polyester, Embossed, Lazer Cut Leather, Italian Cut Velvet. My favorite is Glazed, which is a matte coated-canvas fabric is wipe-able, water-repellent and combines delightful designer touches with unique hand embroidered accents. This coated canvas is also PVC-free. Anything that is easy-to-clean makes me extremely happy, especially if a baby is involved!

Pros

I love, love, love the material on the outside of the purse. I always clean my diaper bags when I get home, and this makes it so much simpler.

I love the versatility in how you can carry the purse too. Although there’s no backpack option, carrying it as a cross-body bag works well for me. I love the look of carrying it as a Hobo bag, but I’m petite, so it seems too large on me.

Cons

There are two side zippers near the strap meant to put your phone or keys in. For me, they’re not very practical because I carry too many keys and my phone is more on the large side (I have an iPhone 4s), so they don’t fit. The phone will fit if I stretch the bag out as big as it can be, but I find it more convient putting in the front magnetic pocket.

No backpack feature. This isn’t a big deal, since I knew this before buying it. If I really wanted a backpack option, PPB has two other great bags to choose from — the satchel and the boxy.

Overall

CoderBaby with Petunia BagThis bag is great if you want a medium size diaper bag to go out for a few hours. It has Petunia Pickle Bottom signature of beautiful array of patterns. My daughter (and her friends) seem to like the purse, so it’s sure to be a hit with the toddlers. And for any accidental bumps and spills, you can be sure that the bag will be fine with just some wipes. I’d highly recommend this bag in any of the beautiful patterns. When we go out, my daughter tries to stuff it when all of her toys. And surprisingly, they all fit!

The Spring 2013 collection was just announced and I’m eyeing the lovely new Touring Tote in Flowering Firenze. I can’t help it! The PPB patterns are all so beautiful. You can’t just have one. :)

Where to Purchase

The PPB Touring Tote comes with the bag, a PPB-monogrammed black plastic wipey case, a matching removable changing pad, three types of straps — hobo, shoulder, and valet stroller clips. You can purchase one on Petunia.com or Amazon.com, or maybe from Wittlebee’s Weekly Sales.

Disclosure: This was a personal purchase I made through Wittlebee. As a paid subscriber of Wittlebee, I received a discount on this purchase. The honest opinions expressed in this article are my own and are not influenced by Wittlebee or Petunia Pickle Bottom.

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