My friend and I called it “someday” for six years. Then I packed a bag before we'd picked a date.
On the Wildvana, a camper-van weekend bag in a cheerful quilted-look print. Packed by the front door, it made “someday” a lot harder to say.
I am 59, and I know all about settling for “fine.” Staying home is the easiest “fine” there is.
A friend from my book club and I have talked about two nights at the coast for six years. Every few months one of us brings it up, and one of us ends it with the same word: someday. There was always a sensible reason, and my old suitcase lives in the basement.
So in October I bought the Wildvana and packed it before we had a date. It sat on the bench by my front door for nine days, looking like it was already on its way. On the tenth day I called her. Here are the six things it gets right.
1It 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.
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.
5Between 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.
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 bag you usually pack | The Wildvana | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | In the basement until the night before | Packed by the front door |
| Getting ready | Dragging it up the stairs | Pick it up and go |
| How it looks | Like a business trip | Like a road trip |
| Size | One size, usually too big | 16-inch or 18-inch, for one to three nights |
| Carrying | Wheels on gravel and porch steps | Two handles and an adjustable strap |
- In the basement until the night before
- Dragging it up the stairs
- Like a business trip
- One size, usually too big
- Wheels on gravel and porch steps
- Packed by the front door
- Pick it up and go
- Like a road trip
- 16-inch or 18-inch, for one to three nights
- Two handles and an adjustable strap
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 too many years saying “someday” to trips I really wanted to take. If there's one you've been putting off for too long, I hope you pack the bag first and pick the date second.
— 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.