Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! I'm not sure why, but my face just looks annoyed in almost all the mod shots. 😅 I was frowning all morning. The top photo was the only one that was passable enough to post. 😂 For today's review we have the new Cactus Material Saddle Crossbody Bag in 2L. This material is vegan leather and partially made from cactus. Which sounds pretty cool. I needed to see how it felt in person.
For reference I'm 4 feet 11 inches tall.
The crossbody strap is fully adjustable and it's also removable! That is a big plus because you can use the strap on other bags. I do that a lot. I love changing out straps on my bags all the time. A plain black crossbody strap will go with pretty much anything. The cactus material is stiff and very structured. Because of this, it does not conform to your body. If you're used to having bags hug your body (I know, now that I've typed it out, it sounds weird) this one doesn't do that. It's not uncomfortable but it's a bag that will bounce against you and stick out from your body.
Let's ltake a look at the details.
The vegan leather is smooth. It feels almost like leather, but it's not as soft as I would prefer. It's pretty impressive that this bag is partially made from cactus. Sounds like magic, doesn't it?! I'd be curious to know what percentage is cactus. It's probably very very small. The description does say it is a "natural material" and to handle with care.
There's a tiny charm attached to the ring of the zipper pull. On one side is the Lululemon logo, on the other side it says Live Love. At least I'm pretty sure that's what it says. I left the protective plastic stickers on since I was returning the bag, and I'll explain why later in the post.
Hardware is silver and the clips are great, but they are not the easiest for me to use. I prefer the dog leash clips that Coach uses and I'm sure those are more expensive. This bag retails for $128 and currently sold out. I think the price tag is a bit steep on this bag.
Here's the main issue, the bag is so structured and stiff that it will be prone to dents and will be easily damaged. Lululemon shipped this bag in a plastic bag and not a box. This bag should have been shipped in a box to prevent these dents and dings. The top of the bag was badly damaged by the time I received it. I have a feeling that in the long run, these bags will not hold up well. So for $128, I don't think it's worth it.
That said, I do like the design. It's very minimalistic with a tiny Lululemon logo. I could have done without the Lululemon on the front of the bag, but I really like the back of the bag. There is a back slip pocket that will hold your phone if you press the bag in a little bit which I demonstrate in the video. However, I'm unsure if that will eventually create more creases in the long run, my guess is it probably will.
The capacity of this bag is 2 liters. Dimensions are 9.8" x 2.4" x 6.7". Because of the curve shape of this bag and inflexible material, it doesn't hold as much as you would think. I did have to strategically place my items like Tetris to fit everything I wanted.
A little hard to see, but it reads "Cactus, Move the needle.".
The inside of the bag has a zippered pocket to hold items of importance. It can fit your card case, cash, something slim.
On the other side, there's two small slip pockets. These are tiny, so they won't hold much. Perhaps some coins or folded receipts.
Overall, I do applaud Lululemon for being innovative and trying to be more sustainable, but I think they should have taken more time to test these bags out for wear and tear because these bags need to be handled with care as they're very delicate. I can see a lot of these bags being tossed/unused if they are dented and no longer looking like new. If these bags do end up coming back in stock, be aware they may arrive damaged from shipping if packaged in a thin plastic bag. That's it for me! Let me know your thoughts on this bag and if you would like to see what fits, check out my video! Have a wonderful Monday!
P.S. It's officially fall! I'm so ready for cooler weather. This weekend in Atlanta was way too hot!
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Thank you for another great bag review, Leslie! I was interested in the saddle crossbody bag but it was sold out before I could add it into my shopping cart lol.
ReplyDeleteI saw other cactus material items in the store but find the material a bit stiff like you mentioned. I’m also worried that they will get scratch marks easily like smooth leather. The saddle crossbody bag does look cute on you though and I really like the minimalistic look.
I’m a big fan of LLL bags and hope to see more innovative designs coming out.
Andrea
Hi Andrea! This bag sold out quick! And I haven't seen it restocked yet. I can see it getting scratched up too. I'd like to see this in a minimalistic tote. I did see they have one but with the giant logo in the front that I can do without.
DeleteI felt this bag in-store and agree it's very hard. I like the idea of it, though. The Dual Pouch Keychain at $78 is crazy. I would pay that for real leather but not cactus/plastic.
ReplyDeleteHi LZ! So true, the price is steep for these Cactus pieces. Glad it's off my list. At least for now.
DeleteThank you so much for this review! I was very corpus about it but seeing how stiff it is and how it dents I don’t want it anymore -Janessa
ReplyDelete