Eddie Bauer vs Lands End vs Other Diaper Bag

[puppylitomom]

Hi! I am just beginning to figure out diaper bags (first baby due in one month), and heard good things about Eddie Bauer and Lands End diaper bags/diaper backpacks.

ANY advice on what one likes, what features, are useful, etc. would be very much appreciated!

Julie
(due 12/25/02)

[mama2be]

I'm sure you'll get a lot of responses, but if you don't there has been a lot of activity on these bags on these boards of late...if you scroll thru the recent posts you'll see a lot of info. I too was looking at these bags they sound super!!! but have decided on a back pack, or side bag made by onestepahead (there is a great review of it done about two weeks ago).

I doubt you could wrong with either brand that you mention!!!

[egoldber]

Both EB and LE make very nice diaper bags. You get a lot of bag and features the money. They are not real big on style, which bothers some people. Check out Combi diaper bags as well. They also ahve a lot of great features, and they offer a bit more style also.

Most people end up with two bags, a small one for quick trips and a larger bag for longer outings. Here are some things to think about.

Are you a light packer or a heavy packer? If you tend to pack light in general, then a smaller bag will probably be your preference. I find somehting like the LE Do it All to be enormous, but many people happily use it as their everyday bag.

Do you carry a purse or will you also carry a purse? If you don't plan to carry a purse, then you will need a bag that has easy accessibility to things you use all the time like keys, wallet, cell phone, etc.

Are you using disposable or cloth diapers? Cloth diapers take up a but more room.

HTH,

[Shirale]

I love my lands end back for weekends away- the Deluxe do it all. I tried the regular do it all and found it too bulky for everyday use. I have heard great things about the little tripper- I think they are on sale on the overstocks page of landsend.com...I end up using a regular purse/tote most of the time with the inside stuff (changer pad, dirty duds bag) from my other bags, I also have the Combi tradtional, great but again somewhat bulky for everyday use, and a backback bag by babies alley which I liked, but not too much since it didn't close well and I had too many experiances with it falling and dropping everything everywhere...plus a messenger bag which I didn't like...anyhow- Lands End is great, high quality, great reurns policy...can't really go wrong! I am just picky...;-)

[Shirale]

Great advice as always- we must have been answering at the same time!!!

[mamahill]

I have the Land's End Little Tripper and adore it. It's the only bag I've got, but then we don't travel a whole lot (just day trips here and there). Pre-baby I was anti-purse. I preferred something slung over one shoulder and across my body, or just carry a wallet. So when faced with having to carry a bag, I wanted it small! Plus, DH wanted something that didn't scream baby. The LE bags definitely aren't going to be modeled on any runway, but they are very functional. And both LE and EB have lifetime guarantees, which means if something breaks/rips in the next few years, send it back and they'll send you a new one. And with a price like theirs, it really can't be beat!

I usually have about 5 diapers, a case of wipes, tube of diaper rash cream, an extra outfit & onesie, a couple toys, a board book, a pacifier, a baggie of snacks, and a couple burp cloths in the bag (have definitely noticed you can pack much more in there when it is organized!). It comes with a changing pad and in the front pocket I stash my keys, wallet, sunglasses and whatever other small things I need. We BF, so if I had to pack more than one bottle, I'd have to have a bigger bag. But for the times when we'll be out and about while she'll eat cereal or whateve, we have a very small vinyl case (it came with the "diaper bag" they give you in the hospital) we call her lunchbox that carries that stuff.

Mine is a dusty sage (almost gray) which I love, but I think I saw in the more recent catalogs that the colors are much bolder right now. That would turn me off, as I don't favor the vibrant blues/reds/purples, but maybe the overstocks page would have the older colors. Unless those are colors you like - have at 'em! HTH

[heatherj]

We have the LE Little Tripper (used by my husband) and a black microfiber backpack-style diaper bag made by Motherhood Maternity (used by me). The LE bag holds everything we need (a few diapers, a change of clothes, burpcloth, small toy, wipes, etc.). I tend to pack just the bare necessities so there's always extra room in this bag. The strap is also adjustable so it works well for both my husband and me. I don't think it's particularly stylish though.

The backpack from Motherhood, on the other hand, has been a disappointment. I like the styling and it holds a lot, but I feel like I always have to dig to the bottom of the bag to get what I need. And even though the straps are adjustable, they don't stay in the position that I need which is SO annoying. I also have to make sure that the opening of the bag is cinched tightly otherwise things fall out. I'm looking forward to summer when I think I'll just buy a big purse/ tote bag and use that as a diaper bag.

By the way, I still haven't figured out the best way to deal with the issue of having a purse AND a diaper bag or just a diaper bag that I put a small purse into. Right now I carry both a purse and a diaper bag which gets kind of tedious.

[brubeck]

When I was pregnant with my first baby (more than 2 years ago) I splurged and went with the Baby Bjorn diaper bag. It was kind of pricey, but I justified it to myself because I knew it would be my purse for YEARS. I don't think most women want to carry a purse AND a diaper bag, you just need a diaper bag big enough that it has a small place for you to stash your wallet and keys.

I am still using the BB now with my second baby and plan to keep using it until he is out of diapers (another 2+ years). One thing that's great about it is that it has 2 sides (one for 'input' and one for 'output') so you don't have to open up the entire bag when you only want one thing. But the best part is that if you open the bag up, it remains standing. Yes, even if you open both sides of it so the entire contents are displayed, only the four metal pegs on the bottom touch the ground/counter. This is sooooo useful when you are in an incredibly gross washroom trying to clean off mountains of poop. This 'display' function also means that if you open it up you don't have to rifle through the bag (also useful when your hands are covered in poop). :-)

It is super sturdy, completely waterproof and still looks great (after 27 months of use) with no tears or bangs. It holds 4 extra diapers each for 2 kids, a plastic wipes travel box, diaper cream, two cloth diaper burp cloths, a changing pad (included with the bag), Bibsters, breast pads, paper towel, snacks, a sippy cup, a bottle (with ice packs) and emergency juice/fruit bars along with my wallet, keys, brush, toys and a pile of first aid items (Tylenol, Neosporin, bandaids, sunscreen packets, nasal aspirator, Purell, etc.).

I guess my only real complaint about it is that if you don't want to carry a ton of stuff you can't make it smaller because it has a semi-hard surface. Also, it's an over-the-shoulder style so if you like backpacks it is not for you (although BB makes a good backpack one now too I think).

Mamahill also has a good point that you don't want a diaper bag that is embarrassiung for your husband to carry, otherwise he WON'T. The BB is a plain black bag, it looks like a futuristic airplace carryon (because of all the curves).

Anyhow, enough about this bag, sorry I went on. I am just really surprised that no one ever mentions it!

[Zansu]

When you ask about EB bags, do you mean the ones sold by EB, or do you mean the ones sold under the EB license at places like BRU and Target?

The bags sold directly by EB (catalog only) are very nice. I bought the Diaper Daypouch
http://eddiebauer.com/eb/product.asp?product_id=20493&nv=5|209&cm_cg=C209&tid=&c=&sc=
which I thought was a great small bag, but it didn't meet my needs (purse/diaper bag combo), so I returned it.

I'm going to order the Tote
http://eddiebauer.com/eb/product.asp?product_id=20494&nv=5|209&cm_cg=C209&tid=&c=&sc=
the next time I'm in the store, and I'll try to post a review.