Gift cards get spent. Scarves get folded away. This year I'm giving a present she'll use every weekend.
On the Wildvana, the camper-van weekend bag in a cheerful quilted-look print: no size to guess, and a red bow on the handles is all the wrapping it needs.
I am 59, and I know all about settling for “fine.” Most of the Christmas presents I've given were exactly that.
Gift cards, scarves, a bath set or two: safe, polite and forgotten by February. The clever presents scared me more, clothes in a size I had to guess, or something that stayed in its box until spring. This year I found a third kind, a present that gets a smile before it's unwrapped and then gets used every weekend.
I ordered the Wildvana for my daughter, then a second one for myself, because I couldn't bring myself to give the first one away. Here are the six things it gets right.
1A present with no size to guess
Buying clothes for someone else means guessing, and nobody likes being guessed at. A bag has no size to get wrong: the 16-inch for the woman who takes short trips and goes to the gym, the 18-inch for the one who visits family for the weekend. Tie a red bow on the handles and it's wrapped. Shipping across the US is free, so you can send it straight to her door.
2Two sizes, and the store tells you exactly which
The 16 × 8 × 8 in size is the go-anywhere bag: an overnight stay, the gym or a roomy cabin bag, with room for a change of clothes, a wash bag and your essentials. The 18 × 9 × 9 in size is taller and wider all around for two to three days away, with a couple of outfits, shoes and a towel. If you're torn, ask yourself whether you'd ever like to stay one night longer. If the answer is yes, choose the 18-inch.
3Between trips, it works every week
The pool on Tuesday, the gym on Thursday, the overnight at your daughter's on Saturday. It holds clothes and daily essentials with ease and keeps them easy to reach. Two carry handles for the hand, and an adjustable strap for the shoulder when your hands are full.
4You'll spot it in any pile
At baggage claim, in the overhead bin, in a row of bags outside the hotel: almost everything is black or gray. The Wildvana is a little camper van with a purple roof and sunset windows on a deep, dark background, so you see it the moment it comes around the corner. No ribbon on the handle, no reading other people's tags.
5Bright, without trying to look young
The camper van, the peace sign, the sunset windows: it's a nod to the road trips of the seventies, made for the women who remember them. Because the flowers, pines and mountains sit on a deep, dark background, the colors look rich rather than loud, and the quilted-look print gives it a cozy, handmade feel.
6One of 19 designs
The Wildvana is one of 19 camper-van designs in the Wrenley family's Weekend Bags collection, from florals and rainbows to meadows and forests, all in the same shape and the same two sizes. Pick the one that's most like you, and one for the person who'll want her own.
The Wildvana, against the presents you've been buying
| The usual safe present | The Wildvana | |
|---|---|---|
| Reaction | A polite thank-you | A smile before it's even open |
| Size | Guessing her size | Two sizes, clearly explained |
| After Christmas | In a drawer by February | In the car every weekend |
| Wrapping | Paper, tape and a long evening | Just a bow on the handles |
| Shipping | A post office line in December | Free US shipping to her door |
- A polite thank-you
- Guessing her size
- In a drawer by February
- Paper, tape and a long evening
- A post office line in December
- A smile before it's even open
- Two sizes, clearly explained
- In the car every weekend
- Just a bow on the handles
- Free US shipping to her door
Why it's half price right now
This year the Wrenley Family celebrates its 30th anniversary, family-owned since 1996. For the anniversary sale, the Wildvana is $57.95 in the 16-inch size and $63.95 in the 18-inch, instead of $115.90 and $127.90: half the regular price.
Buying for more than one? The bundle offer applies: buy 2 for an extra 10% off, 3 for 15% or 4 for 20%. Shipping across the US is free, every order is tracked, and you have 30 days to return it.
The Wildvana
- A camper-van design in a quilted-look print
- Two carry handles and an adjustable strap
- Roomy inside, with essentials easy to reach
- 16-inch for overnights · 18-inch for 2–3 days
- One of 19 designs · free US shipping · 30-day returns
The Wildvana · from $57.95 (was $115.90)
Bundle offer: buy 2 for an extra 10% off, buy 3 for 15%, buy 4 for 20%.
I do not usually write things like this. But I spent too many years settling for clothes that were merely fine, and gave too many Christmas presents that were exactly the same. If there's a woman on your list who already owns every bath set ever made, I hope you find the one that's hers before it's gone.
— Julie Henderson
Shop the Wildvana — from $57.95 →This is a personal account from a Wrenley Family customer. Julie was not paid to write it. · The Wrenley Family · Two sizes · Free US shipping · Tracked delivery · 30-day returns.