The Calloway Bag

Took this in the car because I could not believe what had gone in. A folded sweatshirt, a pair of shorts and a sneaker, and it was still sitting upright on my lap. I ordered the brown thinking it would be a phone and keys bag, and instead it has become the one I grab for the gym, for errands, for everything. The pocket across the front is where my phone lives so I am not digging past all of it.

I have had totes where the handles stretch and go thin within a month. Mine is in the photo, held up fully loaded, and they have not moved at all. The rivets where they join look like they are actually holding something rather than sitting there for show. I went with the brown and it arrived with a worn-in look I was not expecting at this price.

My husband took this the second it turned up because I was that excited. It came within the window they give you and the mailer was completely intact, no tears or scuff marks on it at all. The bag sits exactly where I want it on the shoulder and the strap hasn't dug in once. No complaints from me.

Both closures are nice but if you are on public transport or in crowds, take the zipper. Mine is the wine red in the photo and the zip runs the whole way around cleanly, no catching, six weeks in. The red has not dulled and there is no sagging across the front. I went back for a magnet one in a second color for evenings, so I have now tried both.

That is my photo, on the hook by the door in afternoon light. In person the brown is a warmer, redder colour than the flat mid tan on the website, and I am marking it down a star only because I ordered the colour I saw. I have come round to it completely. The shape, the long strap and the pockets across the front are exactly as shown.

chucked it on the bed to take a photo and it came out almost black, thats how deep the coffee is. in daylight you can actually see the brown in it. the zip pocket on the front is where my phone and cards live and the side pocket takes my sunnies, so im not going through the whole bag every time. its been in and out of the car for weeks and theres not a mark on it

it looked a bit washed out online and in person its a proper warm mustard, thats my photo with the lamp on. i went for the magnet one and it does shut itself, you drop the top and it grips. goes really well with white and with denim and ive had two people ask about it in a fortnight

This is the balance I have been looking for. It has enough structure to keep a shape but it still gives and moves when you tuck it under your arm. Stiff bags always look wrong on me and this one does not.

I nearly bought one of the cheaper ones and I am glad I did not. You can feel the difference in how the panels hold their shape and how the edges are finished. This is the one I will still be carrying in three years.

the drop works fine for me but my sister is quite a bit shorter and it sits low on her. an adjustable strap would make this a five. the bag itself, the shape, the closure and the colour, is excellent for the money

Sits flat against me on a packed train and does not swing around. The inside pockets mean my transit card and keys are not lost in the bottom for once. I have stopped carrying the bigger bag I used to bring in.

bought the black in july, used it constantly, ordered the latte last week. thats about as strong a review as i can give. nothing has come loose or worn through and ive been rough with it

Ordered the butter yellow on a whim and it has turned out to be the colour I reach for most. It is a soft, creamy yellow rather than a bright one, so it actually goes with things. Two of my friends have since bought it.

My old work bag finally gave out at the strap and I was not keen to spend that again. Four months in this is holding up better than that one did at the same point. The edges are sealed properly, which is usually where the cheap ones go first.

The main space is excellent and the handles are solid, but everything small ends up at the bottom together. I have put a pouch inside and that solved it, though at this size I would have expected a slip pocket.

This is the bit I care about. There is nothing on it announcing what it is, and yet it reads as the most expensive thing I am wearing. Two people have asked and both were surprised at the answer.

i almost went black out of habit and im glad i didnt. the taupe is a warm neutral that goes with more than i expected and it doesnt show everything the way a dark bag does. gets compliments most weeks

I go in and out of my bag constantly and a zip had become a small daily annoyance. This shuts itself when you let go. It grips firmly enough that nothing has come out, even upside down in the footwell of the car.

this is the bag i take when i dont know how the day is going to end. looks right in an office and looks right at a restaurant which sounds obvious but almost nothing actually does both

A proper dusty rose, not a pink pink, which is what I was hoping for and rarely get. Goes with grey and with navy. Nothing has faded on it and it has been out in the sun plenty this summer.

goes with literally everything, ive been using it for work and for going out and it doesnt look out of place either way. its light too which i didnt expect. might get the brown for fall

The coffee reads slightly flat on screen and is much warmer in daylight, almost a deep chestnut. Looks properly expensive against black. The hardware finish sits nicely with it rather than fighting it.

i have bought 3. the wine red the matcha green and the navy. at this price its hard to stop. they all wear the same, sit flat against you and dont swing around when you walk

I want to love it and mostly I do. The shape and the feel are lovely. But it picks up marks from denim on the lighter areas more than I expected and they do not come off easily. Three stars because I now have to think about what I wear with it.

The magnet on mine does not line up, so the flap sits slightly open on one side. Support answered quickly and a replacement is on the way, which I appreciate, but I am reviewing what turned up. I will update this if the second one is right.

Got this for my daughter going off to university and she has barely put it down. Big enough for a phone, cards and keys, small enough that she is not tempted to fill it with rubbish. I am ordering the brown for myself.

It swallows everything, which is the point, but it also means I fill it and then carry it. That is my fault rather than the bag's. A dividing pocket for a laptop would be the one improvement, because right now it all shares a space.

its an open top, so in the office its perfect and in a crowd im more careful. worth knowing before you order. the capacity, the handles and the shape are all genuinely excellent for what it cost

its not a flat black, theres a bit of a sheen through it that catches the light when you move. much more interesting in person than the photos suggest. ive worn it to two evening things and both times someone asked