When I was seven, my dad bought an old camper van. This bag brought those summers right back.
On the Wildvana, a camper-van weekend bag in a cheerful quilted-look print, with a peace sign on the nose. Practical, roomy, and not one bit “sensible.”
I am 59, and I know all about settling for “fine.” For a long time, fine meant sensible and black.
When I was seven, my dad bought an old orange-and-cream camper van, and every summer the five of us drove it somewhere with the windows down. My older brother stuck a peace sign on the back bumper, which annoyed my father no end. Somewhere between those summers and now, I started saying I was too old for things like that.
The Wildvana looks like that van: a purple roof, sunset-striped windows, a yellow nose with a peace sign. I put it in my cart and took it out again twice before I thought of that bumper sticker. Here are the six things it gets right.
1Bright, 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.
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.
3You'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.
4Between 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.
5It makes “someday” harder to say
Packed and zipped on the bench by the front door, it looks like it's already on its way somewhere. No suitcase to drag up from the basement, no wheels to bump down the porch steps: pick it up by both handles, or put it on your shoulder, and go.
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 bags you've been using
| The sensible bag | The Wildvana | |
|---|---|---|
| Color | Black, so it goes with everything | Sunset windows and daisies |
| Personality | None, on purpose | A 1970s camper van with a peace sign |
| Practical | Yes | Yes: roomy, two sizes, adjustable strap |
| Who it looks like | Anybody | The girl in that old family photo |
| Where it ends up | On a basement shelf | By the front door, ready to go |
- Black, so it goes with everything
- None, on purpose
- Yes
- Anybody
- On a basement shelf
- Sunset windows and daisies
- A 1970s camper van with a peace sign
- Yes: roomy, two sizes, adjustable strap
- The girl in that old family photo
- By the front door, ready to go
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 things that were “sensible” instead of things I loved. Seven-year-old me would have approved of this one. If you've been “too old for that” for a while now, I hope you find the one that's yours 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.