A few years ago, I had never heard of Bellroy, which is funny to me now, because the brand is one of the best-known travel bag and accessory companies. Bellroy started in Australia and since its founding, has become renowned for designs and functional products, all while also becoming certified as a sustainable B-Corp.

In this review, you’ll see all the Bellroy products I’ve got to test, try out and experiment with. I’ll also tell you about some things to know as you shop, and why I think Bellroy stands out from other brands.

View our existing reviews!

Let’s get started.

What is Bellroy?

This is completely my own words, as I’m not referencing anything except my own experience: Bellroy is a travel and lifestyle brand that makes an assortment of functional products from bags to wallets. All the Bellroy products I’ve tried have great features, excellent quality and unique looks to them.

Pros and Cons of Bellroy products

Again, here is my short take on the pros and cons of products from Bellroy. These are just my opinions!

Pros

  • Great sleek designs: My Bellroy backpack doesn’t look like any other backpack I own, and it’s unique for a few reasons. My Bellroy Venture Sling is a classier version of other sling and belt bags I’ve tried and owned. That’s just the beginning.
  • Sustainability: Bellroy calls their environmental practices their “responsible business.” They’re working on better treatment of animals involved in the supply chain, and making products that are crafted as well as possible so that they don’t get churned in fast fashion.
  • Features and function: In my Bellroy Tech Kit alone, there are loads of functional features packed in to a product smaller than a tablet. From stretchy interior pockets to smooth-slide zippers, Bellroy’s products are a breeze to use.

Cons

  • Some higher pricing: While I tend to think that most of Bellroy’s products are priced right alongside the competition, there are some products that just seem “expensive.” Seems to me that most pricing is built off the B-Corp status: Bellroy is doing a better job than the average company to be sustainable and responsible during production.
  • No female-specific backpack sizing: **I know this is a lot to ask, but I’ve seen more and more woman-specific versions of backpacks being sold in the travel market, and for someone with narrow shoulders and a short build, it’s important to me. On the bright side, Bellroy does make some slim and narrower backpacks for petite women to try.
  • Limited colors: This doesn’t really bother me because I like everything in neutral colors, or Black, when it comes to my travel bags and accessories. But some shoppers may want to see more than 2-3 colors for a given backpack. (Note: some products do come in 12 colors; it’s just not all products).

Products I’ve tried (a review)

I’ve tried products from several different Bellroy categories. As I mentioned, Bellroy makes Bags, Wallets, Accessories, Tech products (think phone cases, earbud cases and smart watch bands) Travel Bags (duffels, toiletry bags, tech cases) and travel sets/”value sets.”

Read on to see what I tried and what I thought.

Transit Backpack Plus 38L

The first Bellroy bag I ever tried out and took on trips was the Transit Backpack Plus. You might know that I’m really into backpacks, and I was keen to have Bellroy’s famous travel backpack on my list of the best travel backpacks for women.

What was outstanding to me about this backpack was the durable exterior material. It almost felt stiff, but that felt good, because it protects my stuff I’ve packed inside. I like that it opens clamshell-style, which meant when I got to where I was staying for the night, I opened it up to see everything inside all at once. This is one of my favorite styles of travel backpacks.

Then there’s the pockets: there are LOTS of them. There are pockets all over this backpack, including hidden ones on the outside, and maybe even on the inside. Some are handy for storing a phone while I’m on the go, and some are good for storing valuables I won’t be using every second, like a passport.

For more details on one of Bellroy’s well-loved travel products, head to my Bellroy Transit Backpack Plus (30L) review for more photos and more travel experiences while using it. I also named it one of the best gifts for travelers if you’re looking for something standout that’ll last forever.

Tech Kit

The Bellroy Tech Kit was the first “smaller” Bellroy product I tried. It’s a travel accessory, sure, and we talk a lot about how it works in our Bellroy Tech Kit review.

This product is simple, yet on par with what I expect from Bellroy: a minimalist design, and high-quality materials. It’s also totally timeless: I can see myself using it in ten years, and I easily could’ve used it ten years ago.

If you’re not familiar with what a tech case or tech pouch is, it’s a smart way to carry and travel with all those electronic accessories that have nowhere else to “live” in your luggage.

For us, we always use a few tech bags when we travel, to hold our phone charging cords, wall plugs, extra phone charging cords, laptop chargers, other types of chargers for other types of electronics and rechargeable batteries for whatever we’ve brought with us when we take a trip.

It has a wrap-around zipper, a small “Bellroy” tag at the center and smart pockets inside, including a “daisy chain” for keeping rolled-up cords neat and tidy.

For all these reasons, Bellroy’s Tech Kit made it into our list of the best travel tech bags.

Venture Sling 6L

I have a lot of experience trying out some of the best sling bags for travel, and the Bellroy Venture Sling in the 6L size made the cut without any hesitation from me.

It’s a bag to sling around my back when I’m traveling, and what makes it stand out is how it’s designed, which makes it a true Bellroy travel bag. It has a quick-release buckle style that’s new to me: it feels elevated, and modern.

Instead of its zippers heading out from the center in either direction, it actually has two zippers that start on either side, and meet in the middle. While it takes getting used to, it’s cool! I don’t have any other sling bags or belt bags that work quite like the zippers on this one.

Then there’s the stretchy pockets inside, which are useful for little things like my lip balms or camera memory cards. And on the outside, the material is timeless, strong, durable and chic. This is a sling bag that’s totally unisex, so I can share it with Dan, or anyone else we’re traveling with. I find that this is another useful thing about all Bellroy’s products.

Cinch Totes & Bucket Bags (Cinch Collection)

As soon as it launched, I got my hands on the Cinch Tote in Oat, and the Cinch Bucket Bag, in Denim Blue. I was describing them to Dan, saying I don’t own anything like either of these totes, and I can use them in place of using a simple canvas tote that doesn’t have any smart pockets and certainly does not “cinch.”

The “cinching” in the Cinch Collection is simple: these bucket bags and totes (and messengers—I did not try this one) can be carried un-cinched, or cinched-up, meaning the drawcord is pulled in, to the center of the bag. This helps keep stuff inside, if you’re on a bumpy car ride, a day at the beach, a picnic in the park or even, using it as a personal item on an airplane.

For me, my first thought was that I’ll use both these bags for day trips and road trips, now that we travel with our toddler. They’re great for packing in some snacks, some upright bottles of drinks for the family, souvenirs or even apples that we pick at an orchard (we did this recently).

The Cinch bags are also travel-friendly, with trolley sleeves for stacking neatly on rollaboard luggage, and exterior stash pockets for things like sunglasses cases or a drink bottle.

My favorite thing about them, though, is that they’re a “crunchier” (this is the word I feel like I have to use) than other Bellroy products, which are structured and sleek, like my Venture Sling and Tech Kit. The Cinch products have more of a campy feel to them, like I should be wearing them on a summer trip to Upstate New York or down at the beach in Florida.

Other Bellroy products to know

There are definintely more Bellroy products I want to try. I’ve done my research on the brand, and I’ve located the Patty Mills Duffel, one of the best duffel bags for travel in my list, and the Lite Sacoche, which I included in the best travel crossbody bags.

I’ve read a lot of hype around Bellroy Wallets, so I look forward to owning one of those, as well as a RFID-blocking passport case.

Is Bellroy a luxury brand?

People sometimes ask this, and it may be based on the Bellroy products that are priced in the $300+ range. If you ask me, though, I own one of those, and I wouldn’t consider the Transit Bag Plus to be a luxury product by any means. Rather, Bellroy bags at this price point are well-made, highly functional bags for life that are priced based on their size, materials and details.

A lot of Bellroy products fall below $100 and even $50, like phone cases, earbud cases, AirTag cases, pencil cases, laptop sleeves and travel pouches. Bellroy products like these instead make Bellroy an approachable brand that most consumers can afford, whether it’s for stocking up on travel-friendly accessories or for great gifts.

Why is Bellroy so expensive?

So, here’s the question. Why is Bellroy so expensive?

If you’re coming from the perspective that Bellroy’s bags are expensive, here are a few things to consider.

First of all, Bellroy is far from fast fashion. Fast fashion is something I have experienced in my earlier years, with shopping at large brands like H&M and Forever 21. Those products are made a dime a dozen, without much effort in making them last for decades.

Bellroy is the opposite; in fact, part of Bellroy’s responsible practices that have certified the brand as a B-Corp are that the craftsmanship, sustainably-made materials and fair supply chain make Bellroy’s products last a l-o-o-o-ong time. When I receive a Bellroy product, I expect it to last so long that even my kids might get to enjoy it!

And so that’s a bit about why Bellroy seems like an expensive brand. Reading more into Bellroy’s Materials, it’s clear that the company is producing materials in an environmentally-conscious way, and this sometimes packs up the price tag of the goods.

Nevertheless, by shopping Bellroy as opposed to other brands without the B-Corp certification, you’re shopping greener for what you’d be buying anyway for your travels!

Is Bellroy worth it?

I really think so! My reasoning is that Bellroy makes unique products you can’t find from many other brands, and their environmental practices make me feel better about having Bellroy products than those from competitors in the space.

The functional features on Bellroy products continue to surprise me, and newer releases like the Cinch bags make me think, “Oh wow, that’s cool and useful.”

Plus, the quality is supposed to last a lifetime on Bellroy products. You could even give your Bellroy bags to your grandkids for their travels.

Where to buy Bellroy

At the Bellroy website, of course! It’s where you can get free shipping, and get refunds or exchanges within 30 days of delivery (keep that in mind).

If that doesn’t do it for you, try shopping for Bellroy products on Amazon. One thing to know is that the prices are “actually” the same as the ones on the Bellroy website! (The caveat is that there may be limitations on products available, as well as available colors. I’ve often seen this while shopping for specialty travel goods on Amazon.)

For some fun inspo, I recommend following the Bellroy Instagram, which is full of action shots with their products and some colorful pizzazz of new releases.