I carry my gym bag more than any suitcase I own. So why was it the dullest thing I had?
On the Wildvana, a camper-van duffle in a cheerful quilted-look print: water aerobics on Tuesday, my sister's on the weekend.
I am 59, and I know all about settling for “fine.” My gym bag was the proof.
Every Tuesday at nine I go to water aerobics. For years I carried my things in black nylon from the sporting goods store, like most of the bags on the locker room bench. Then it struck me that I carry that bag more than any suitcase I own, twice a week, all year.
The Wildvana is just as practical and makes me smile every time I pick it up. The first Tuesday, the woman at the next locker asked if I'd been on a road trip. Here are the six things it gets right.
1Between 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.
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.
4Bright, 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.
5A 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.
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
| Typical gym bag | The Wildvana | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks | Black nylon | A camper van full of daisies |
| Holds | Gym clothes, if you squeeze | Towel, change of clothes and essentials |
| Carrying | One strap that digs in | Two handles and an adjustable strap |
| On the weekend | Stays home | Goes to your sister's |
| How it feels | Practical, and that's all | Practical, and it makes you smile |
- Black nylon
- Gym clothes, if you squeeze
- One strap that digs in
- Stays home
- Practical, and that's all
- A camper van full of daisies
- Towel, change of clothes and essentials
- Two handles and an adjustable strap
- Goes to your sister's
- Practical, and it makes you smile
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 a gym bag I never once liked. If yours is the same, 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.