Bellroy Tokyo Wonder Tote Review
An EDC variant that gets you away from the the backpack look. Can it handle the every day organization needs rather than being just a “dump pocket”?
Bellroy Tokyo Wonder Tote Review Introduction
Bellroy - they’re really into every day carry. Truly. They’ve been making awesome wallets, key holders, pouches, and backpacks for years now. Another thing they’ve expanded upon besides their travel bags - is totes. Who doesn’t love the flexibility of totes? Packable, beefier, and more. So today we’re going to be talking about one of their newer, higher-end totes.
The Tokyo Wonder tote has a bit of a highbrow name - so we’ll see if it comes through with highbrow features, too. It’s an EDC tote that is meant to have the organization that a professional commuter needs rather than just being your “I’m going to the local market for some food” collapsible, nylon tote. Or the “two handles and a dump pocket” tote.
This is my review of the Bellroy Tokyo Wonder Tote. We’ve had this for months now, since before Christmas. I say “we” because in an Always Wander first - my wife has been the daily tester. She’s a fashion designer by trade and doesn’t always love backpacks from a “look” perspective. She loves the utility of them but doesn’t like wearing them to clients. While this tote isn’t high fashion either (it’s not meant to be) - it’s a form factor she enjoys using more for her day to day. So it made sense for her to be the tester. It’s not actually a form factor I’d personally use. But with her background in fashion design and production, she has good input on the quality and build as well. Let’s see what we found together!
Also of note - while writing this review Bellroy launched two new versions of the Tokyo line - the Tokyo Messenger and the Tokyo Laptop bag, which provide similar organization but slightly different form factors that might suit people who don’t want the tote. See the entire lineup here: Bellroy Tokyo Collection.
As always for full transparency, I did reach out to Bellroy to see if they had a unit for review and they were nice enough to send one my way. That said, I had no interaction with them for the review itself and this is not sponsored. I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so and there’s no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Bellroy Tokyo Wonder Tote Overview
As mentioned in our opening the Tokyo Wonder tote is meant to be an EDC powerhouse in the form of a tote bag. Honestly, it’s something I don’t see offered a lot by manufacturers. So Bellroy is using the ease of carry of a tote bag but giving you the organization of a backpack here. Dubbed the “workday wonder” by the designers. I see what you did there, Bellroy.
The bag is feature packed so we’ll get into that in our next section. But, for now know that this is a standard tote carry. You know what you’re getting.
The bag is offered in both 12L and 15L. Those can fit a 14in and 16in laptop respectively. Though, please keep in mind your laptop model. A 16in gaming laptop is not the same as a 16in Macbook.
The materials we get here are the typical Bellroy high standard versions. The Wonder tote is made from their Baida ripstop nylon. Quick macro offered further down but for a few details, check out Bellroy’s fabric page. I actually really like that they offer this for folks that want to dig a little deeper. Bellroy Fabrics Deep Dive.
Stats from the site:
Capacity
12L or 15L
Dimensions
245 x 350 x 100mm
290 x 350 x 100mm
Materials
Made from durable, water-resistant recycled fabric, with eco-tanned leather accents.
The 12L retails for $159.00 USD as of Feb ‘24. The 15L is only $10.00 more, which I think is a great value if you need it. The Tokyo Wonder tote comes in Raven, Storm Gray, and Deep Plum.
Bellroy Tokyo Wonder Tote Features
This bag packed a lot of features in, so let’s go ahead and cover those off here.
First, as noted already the 12L has a true laptop sleeve that fits a 14in laptop. We used it with a Macbook Air M1, fit like a glove. Pictured here is a 14 inch MacBook Pro
In terms of pockets, the tote is segmented into 3 areas. The main area (zipper closure), one outside organization pocket with a gusset design that helps it to expand (zipper closure), and a second outside pocket that’s best for things you need quickly but that are also not valuable (snap closure). The pockets themselves offer a ton of little mini pockets and slots, so you’ll be able to figure out what style works best for you. The main pocket has an additional zippered pocket in it.
Another huge feature to note in the main pocket are the vertical slip pockets. These are designed for water bottles or small umbrellas. We used them mostly for umbrellas on days with potential to rain.
Additional features on the tote include a key leash in one outside pocket, a luggage pass through that’s very handy, and handles with nice seatbelt material that are rounded for in-hand comfort. Further, those handles also have a grip-pattern on the side that rests on your shoulder and helps to work against slipping.
Lastly, the bag features YKK zippers, which us bag nerds always like to see.
The Good
This is going to be blended from my thoughts and my wife’s - and I’ll call out some of her specific quotes, too.
“Bellroy”/”Materials”/”yada yada yada”. I know, I know. But honestly it’s just true. I really love the materials Bellroy uses and so far I’ve never reviewed a product of theirs that wasn’t thoughtfully designed with fantastic function. The Tokyo Wonder tote is no exception to this precedent. The storage in this bag is SO well thought out and for a bag so small, Bellroy has really made great use of space. Totes tend to just be giant dump pockets. I know - my wife was using a more fashion focused one before. She was always faffing about trying to find whatever she put in it. Now, even though she doesn’t go nuts with organization like me, in her own way she was able to find a place for each important thing, and it made it so much easier for her to grab it. That includes her little pouch, her keys, her metrocard, etc. Really good org options here.
The details. Sometimes the little details are what sets one product apart from another and raises it up just a little bit more. Bellroy does that with this bag. The little grips under the shoulder straps (Chef’s kiss!), the rounded edges of those straps, the vertical slip pockets inside the bag for umbrellas, the barely there luggage passthrough, the copper colored zipper runs for some subtle pop, even some of the reinforced stitching and gusset pockets. Just really good stuff.
This might sound simple - but I love that it’s zippered. Being in NYC, unfortunately it’s gotten a bit rougher since COVID. And it isn’t a great idea to have an open tote with a Macbook or iPad clearly visible while riding trains from Brooklyn to Manhattan. But even more - my soul would die a little bit every time it would rain and I’d see my wife’s MacBook open to the elements. Now the user can protect those kinds of items much better than a normal tote. Nice.
But building on that, having organization more akin to a backpack makes me feel this bag is much better for the EDC professional. Designer, tech worker, legal, financial, etc. There’s no reason now that you can’t have a nice set up when you prefer the carry style of a tote, which is admittedly easier to “grab and go” than a backpack.
The color options are great for urban carry as well. In fact, while the Storm Gray was more utilitarian, we both agreed the Deep Plum and Raven were classier colors in general.
Some quotes from my wife:
“Very good dividers and organization.”
“When I carry it, the organization seems to make it feel lighter because it’s better balanced instead of everything being heavy at the bottom in one place.”
“The size is VERY good.”
“This bag has grown on me more and more as I’ve used it. The design is very Japanese, in fact, based on the color and material.”
The Bad
Frankly, Bellroy made a very good bag here yet as you know - no bag is ever perfect.
From my point of view, one thing to consider is having even more weather resistance than the natural resistance of the fabric itself. It lacks aquaguard zippers which might help at least for the main compartment since this is where your laptop goes. That said, it would make it slower to use because those zippers tend to be slower in operation. (Note: Some of the other Tokyo models DO now have aquaguard zippers - something worth thinking about.)
From my wife, her only real complaint was around the “fashion” side of things - which makes sense given her background. She said:
“In the winter, I think it’s great. The Deep Plum or Black would be a little more fashionable for sure. But in the summer, it’s hard to see myself wearing this bag with a nice dress or open shoulders. It just doesn’t fit together.”
Pretty fair points, I think. Use-case depending of course.
Final Thoughts On My Bellroy Tokyo Wonder Tote Review
There you go - the Bellroy Tokyo Wonder tote. A bag that I could see the utility in right away, but had to convince my fashion-forward wife to try at first. Luckily, she’s always supportive of Always Wander!
But with that said - I think the biggest compliment I can give it is that by now, she said that over time she liked it more and more for her daily work usage in fall and winter. With casual clothes, she will grab this every time. And admittedly, she’s picky. So that’s a really good endorsement.
For me, it’s the typical Bellroy things that have shown through. But more than that - I like that they brought backpack-like organization (which all of us bag nerds love) and transferred that into a tote instead.
The details are awesome here, it’s got a nice utilitarian look in the Storm Gray (again, as noted by my wife, the Raven and Deep Plum would be more fashionable) for those that want low-key.
I think for something this well made and in Bellroy’s typically high-end fabrics - the price is really fair. You don’t need to spend $250.00 USD on a bag (which is important) and something that all too often is the case for a well made, independent brand commuter bag.
If you’re looking for a tote that’s better made for EDC and professional commuting - I think you need to put this at the top of your list to check out. Give it a go and see if the utility and color options work for your look.
As always with the indie brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service.
Wander more - and wander smarter everyone.
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