After about a month of hemming and hawing, I finally took the plunge and bought some luggage. I’m sure it’s no surprise that I got the Saturday Weekender.
While I was doing “research”, I could barely find any real life (non sponsored) photos or reviews of this bag. Very curious. Did no bloggers buy this bag? So I thought I might as well do a review.
I was torn on which size to get as the dimensions had me stumped for a long time:
- Regular size: Height: 16″ Width: 19″ Depth: 8″
- Small size: Height: 14.75″ Width: 14.75″ Depth: 7″
The small looked rather wimpy in the online photos, so regular size it was. Shipping was fast, and I was really pleased with the packaging. Like previous Kate Spade bags I’ve bought everything was carefully packed and protected, from the zippers to the straps. I’m sure I pissed off my coworkers as I was doing my very loud and very lengthy unboxing. I couldn’t help it- the bag was just so well packaged!
It’s pretty big on me. Side note: I think the only time I see myself in a decent full size mirror these days is either shopping or in the work bathroom. This explains a lot.
When I took it home, I did a test packing run. WHOA NELLY. This thing holds a ton when fully loaded! And yep the straps really do stand up.
What I Fit in the Bag:
- 3 pairs of shoes (bottom zone)
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 8 shirts
- 3 dresses
- Underwear
- Toiletries
- Canvas jacket
- Swimsuit
- Water bottle
And there was still space for more. But to be fair, it was heavy as hell. Oh right, that’s why I don’t like duffles 🙂
Pros:
It’s a fairly lightweight bag.The bottom compartment is going to be awesome for storing my shoes and dirty laundry. The inside organizer is well thought out and detachable. The bag holds a TON. The zipper pulls are leather, which seemed strange to me at first, but then I realized that they don’t clink. Heaven. Minus points for the plastic zippers however.
Cons:
I knew this from reading the handful of reviews from the website, but it’s not completely obvious due to the dearth of photos- this is a floppy bag with NO structure whatsoever. It will never look like a cute half circle unless you stuff it to the heavens, and then it will probably be be too damn heavy.
While the bottom shoe/dirty laundry compartment was the seller for me, you have to have something in there or the bag collapses upon itself. UGH. Also, two of the side pockets are a bit too shallow to be useful. The only thing that I could think of to put in there is trash. I’m not so sure how comfortable this bag will be in handling real weight. This is probably nitpicky, but when I use the shoulder strap, the two handles hang very awkwardly upright since they are so stiff. I imagine this will lessen in time.
Looking back and knowing my personal packing patterns (minimalist), I should have gotten the smaller bag. Because no doubt that that bag could have held a ton too.
Verdict:
Despite all the cons I posted, I’m still smitten with the bag. Why? I have no clue. Love is strange like that. It’s just such an easy cheerful bag. Looking forward to taking it for a trip soon, perhaps this Saturday?
I just picked up a weekender bag on sale in the raspberry color. I’m excited to get it in the mail. If you can fit three pairs of shows I think I may be able to fit my snorkel set in the bottom compartment. I live on Oahu and so it might be my perfect bag for traveling to the other islands 🙂
Thanks for the review
Hi Erendira,
Hope you like the bag. I took it for a spin to Santa Cruz and it was a dream.
-Tracy
I’ve been looking for reviews of this bag & your’s is the first to pop up on google! Great review. I think I’ll get the smaller version.
THANK YOU for this review!! I couldn’t find any non-sponsored photos either (even now!), so this was SUPER helpful–and I loved hearing your packing list. I think I’m going to shoot for the smaller one based on your review–thanks again 🙂
Glad I could help. Hope you love your bag!
I had been wondering about these bags since I can’t see them in person (no store where I am) and I’m not crazy enough to splurge on one sight unseen. Thanks for the review and the IRL user pics 🙂
Awesome review!! I’ve been searching for real life pics of the bag and ypurs are excellent! I do have a question about the color though. Did you order the weekender in “Garnet” or was it another color that has since been discontinued? Also, I am not a fan of pink, so is the bag more red or pink in person? Thank you!!
Hi Tori!
I took a quick look at the Saturday site and wow they change their bag colors fast. My bag is in “True Red”, a very classic lipstick red that has since been discontinued. Now they’ve got Spring pastels. I’ve found the colors on the site to be mostly true to life, so hopefully you find something you like.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Hi! So glad that to find that someone wrote an extensive and useful review on this bag!! I’m going abroad in the summer and will be travelling for 10 days while I’m there so I’ve been looking for a weekender or carry-all to use instead of a suitcase. How do you like it thus far?
Thanks! 😀
Hi Tarene,
Gosh, I’ve had it almost a year. Time flies! I still like it a lot, and it has held up on my domestic trips.
If you’re somebody that doesn’t mind rewearing the same things a number of times during your 10 day trip, this would work. But I think this bag works best as a weekender, for overnights – 3,4 days. It gets heavy fast!
Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂
-Tracy
Thank you so much for this review! I had trouble finding real pictures of the bag and had trouble deciding between the small & the regular weekender. I opted for the smaller one in the end and loved your review. It helped me to pick the size I was really in need of – which is a small carry-on size bag that I can lug around the airport WITH a Longchamp le pliage on my arm too.
I kind of feel like the free shipping is the least the brand can do since the sttrear kits are among the most expensive on the market. However I do really like my Cirrus II so to be fair the lower priced brands may not live up to the same level of quality. Just be aware of the price and know there are cheaper brands out there.AverageOverallPresentation & PackagingFlavorFlavor VarietyVapor VolumeBattery LifeValueShipping2 people found this review helpful.Was this review helpful to you?/