The Great Case Review

Lately I realized I’ve accumulated quite a few little cases/pouches. I’ve had a general thing with these for a while now, but it only got worse once I had kids. I love them! I use them all the time. And I am a huge sucker for cute/useful designs. In the past few months, I added quite a few, and thought I should finally do a review.

Above are the cases I’ll be reviewing, just to get an idea of relative size. All right – onwards!

Longchamp Le Pliage Coin Purse, $45: I’ve actually had this one for a little while, but realize I’ve never reviewed it. This pouch looks smaller than it is, and it fits a deceptive amount. I originally got it for holding quarters (since my son likes those little rides at shopping malls), but realized that it can actually hold like, fifty quarters, and was getting too heavy. So instead I use it for hair clips, ear plugs, random jewelry that I want to keep, chunky car keys, etc. And there’s still room! And the same great Longchamp  quality, with a sturdy zipper (I hate a pouch with a cheap zipper). Love this one.

Tom Binh Travel Tray, $25 (large), $22 (small): These were recommended by a reader, Jess, and since I couldn’t decide which size to buy, I ended up getting both to try out. These are really cool – they are meant to act as a little “tray” when you travel, so you can dump all of your misc goodies in them and they won’t get lost. When you’re ready to check out – just grab the tray! It can pack totally flat, and pull up into a drawstring bag with cord to keep everything in place.

When they first arrived, I was surprised – they were, for lack of a better term, “flimsier” than I thought. But once I played with them, I can totally see their appeal. They’re the sort of item you don’t get thrilled over but once you travel with them, you don’t want to be without them again.

The large is great for stuff like sunglass cases, notebooks, etc. If I could only get one, I’d probably get the small, since I like to travel with teeny tiny things and have lost too many hair accessories. But there’s honestly room for both in any frequent traveler’s wardrobe. And you can also use it at home.

From my experiment so far, both can take some weight along their sides without tipping over (not a ton, but a Kindle/wallet type item, you should be okay. And they’re really light.

Cuyana x Marie Kondo Cases: A friend sent me a link to a video of these, and once I saw it, I had to try. I’m an unabashed Kondo fan. I love her! And these cases are so adorable, no? I’d love to imagine myself unpacking them just like she does in the video. Ahh…I’m such a zen traveler. My items are so adorable. 

That being said…I want to give you a full review. And I have to say, that even though my heart finds these so cute, that these aren’t that useful. They are without a doubt lovely,  but at the same time I kind of give my hero Marie a bit of a question mark for this collaboration. I mean…is it really that useful? Wouldn’t clear containers with an easier to snap lid be even better (not to mention cheaper)? I adore the idea of using all three of these together all the time but I know that eventually I’d get annoyed about having to constantly unzip and rezip, especially if I couldn’t remember where I stuck something. But they do “spark joy”. So it’s all about what matters most to you.

The quality is great, and though the zipper is tight at first, it loosens up with use. I would say that these might be slightly more form over function though…just my opinion.

Are you a case and pouch addict?