Loving this little hip Babymule....

Image: Babymule.co.uk

Sometimes, when I get sent a travel product for review, I just get a real 'wow' moment, and this was certainly one of those. My good friend, Jacqui, (who I have to say knows a good thing when she sees it), was with me when I opened this particular parcel, and she, immediately "offered" to test it our for me! 

So, without further ado, I hand you over to Jacqui, who has returned from a trip overseas with the very very hip Babymule (oh, and family) in tow. So, here we go...

" .....I must admit two of my favourite things in the world are bags and travel gear.  So when offered the chance to test drive the Babymule nappy bag on a recent trip to the UK I jumped at the chance.  OK… so my kids are 5 and 7 and no longer in nappies but since one of its (many) selling points is its longevity I thought why not!

Image: Babymule.co.uk

As it turned out the nappy bag “extras” were perfect for our trip.  The nappy wallet was the perfect size for a change of clothes for each child for the plane, and an additional wash bag whilst in the UK.  We even took the change mat as an emergency seat cover in case of spills or “accidents” on the plane (which thankfully we didn’t need).  Similarly, the dirty bag/wet bag was a good backup in case of wet, dirty clothes whilst travelling and also as a makeshift “sick bag” whilst in the car.  Again, thankfully uses which were not required but it was a close call a couple of times.  

The bag itself is surprisingly spacious and seemed to swallow everything we threw at it.  The waterproof material came into its own on a trip to Legoland when it rained non-stop all day long.  I had conveniently forgotten why they call them “April” showers.  The silver lining to the rain meant we had no queues for the rides and had a fantastic trip to the park and our belongings stayed safe and dry within the Babymule.  Despite the slightly “girlie” fabric DH had no problem carrying the bag so win win on fabric design as well as durability.

I had been particularly excited by the fact that the bag turned from backpack to messenger bag – thinking this would be great for the airport so I could have easy access to passports etc without having to take the bag off.  In reality I felt it was simply more comfortable as a backpack (and narrower for walking up the plane aisle on boarding) so kept it as that – but I can see how the messenger mode with buggy clips would be good if you were using a stroller.

My only complaint about the bag would be that because of the dual functionality as backpack/messenger bag the zips only open on 2 edges (top and one side). I imagine this is so that you don’t risk losing your contents when using the bag in messenger mode.  This annoyed DH more than me and I expect after a few weeks use you would get used to this.  Oh, the other complaint is how many pockets there are – normally this would be a good thing but not so much when you get stopped by security leaving Heathrow airport as you forgot to take the juice boxes out of your bag – doh!  I think the customs officer was very impressed (or just annoyed) at just how much this bag holds!"

In summary:

Loved:

Pattern – it’s really cute but not too much

Waterproof

Deceptively spacious

Really comfy to wear

Lots of pockets and accessories to stay organized

Not so much:

Zips only on 2 sides

Additional things that make it versatile (messenger bag straps, waist straps for backpack) also add weight and bulk.  

Whilst I would have loved it when I needed a nappy bag, better late than never I say. The Babymule has now become my new go to daybag.