Customer Reviews

Ju Ju Be Packabe Diaper Bag, Blue Bouquet

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really wanted to *love* this diaper bag but I think I only like it. It is a good size and easy to clean, and is not uncomfortable to wear. Things do seem to get lost in the bottom of the big part (the black hole syndrome I guess)and when carrying the back like a backpack and it is not completely full, the bag seems to fold in half. It's not a big deal but annoying to me. The front pockets are also not the easiest to get into. Overall though it's ok but not worth the price to me.

I thought this diaper bag would be the "perfect" one for me.

DISLIKES:
- No padded straps. If they were padded, this product would have definitely gotten 5 stars.
- A bit on the heavy side, and without the padded straps, makes it uncomfortable to wear for a long period of time.

LIKES:
-Able to fit a good amount of items: 5 diapers, costco wipes, emergency tees, blankies, diaper cream, hand sanitizer, a couple toys, burp cloths, paci
--inside the outside pockets: water bottle, car keys/house keys, wallet, lotions

I purchased a set of padded straps for the Packabe from Ju-Ju-Be's web site and also like the included strap because of the way that it changes from shoulder bag to backpack. I own 6 diaper bag backpacks and this one is my favorite (I also have Land's End, Kecci, Chester handbags, Timi and Leslie backpacks). The quality is excellent and I LOVE the Midnight Eclipse pattern. This bag is medium sized and holds all that I need for my infant and 5 year old. I can see that travel with this bag would also be easy. My only concern is the inability to put a notebook computer or iPhone near the magnets in the bag.

I have 3 children: 4, 2 and an infant. I have gone through 2 backpack diaper bags that have essentially fallen apart on me. I HAVE to be hands free and hate messenger bags slung across my chest since they slide off my hips and smack my kids in the head when I lean over to help them. I tend to 'overpack' feeling more confident running around all day long when I'm prepared for every eventuality.

The features I most like:
The amount of pockets - I will need to carry around 4 water bottles/sipee's/bottles where ever I go for my large family, and most bags won't fit that much. I like the amount it will fit for the size it is - I can fit 4 containers of snacks, my 4 water bottles, my wallet, diapers and change of clothes and it still isn't bursting at the seams. For me at 5'11" its very comfortable on my back and I don't feel a need to have padded straps.I like that the main section zips in the center so you can leave it partially open and not sorry about things spilling out. I didn't go with the BFF because the zipper was more in the front instead of the top of the bag. Makes it easier to get what you want when its sitting on the floor too.

Frustrations:
It really needs a top grab handle - I'm thinking of using caribiner clips to hold it in backpack form since I rarely use the messenger feature and that way I can just grab the padded top section when I need to chuck it in the car - I'll see how this works.

Side bottle holders - I wish they were a bit higher since I often am carrying around 2 25oz bottles on the outside and have to make sure I shove them as far down as they'll go.

Other than that, I'm pretty happy with this bag - I purchased it in the brown/blue combo (which the brown is much darker than shown here on Amazon) and am pleased. The real test will be to see how long it lasts.

I just started getting into Ju Ju Bes and I bought the Packabe only a few days ago. This brand is by far the most well-made diaper bag I've ever come across. The Packabe has a mommy pocket, that means no need to carry a separate purse. The organization is superb, it has just the right amount of pockets inside to keep small items from getting lost inside the bag. The Packabe does not look that big in real life but it is very spacious inside and can easily hold items for two kids or can be used for overnight outings. The Lush Paisley print is just beautiful. Ju Ju Be has the best prints, none of their prints look generic so when you are carrying a Ju Ju Be, it really stands out!

I am very pleased with the craftmanship, look, style, and durability of this bag and would highly recommend it to other moms.

I truly wanted to love this bag, and when I first got it I was so excited. It is adorable, and has lots of space for everything I could possibly need! But, like other reviews have mentioned, the bag is incredibly heavy - heavier than the things I have in there. The changing pad is almost impossible to get back into that pocket, especially when you have a wiggly baby on your hands. So that had to go, and I had to find a fold up pad to carry around in the main pocket. Bummer.
Like other reviews have mentioned, it is cumbersome to carry this bag as a backpack. The straps are just so skinny and there is no amount of adjusting that ever gets them to sit quite right. No biggie, after all this doubles as a shoulder bag (I bought in part because I wanted the flexibility of having both). But when you use it as a shoulder bag the thing folds in half! Now you have an awful, ugly crumpled bag hanging WAY too low off your shoulder. It's down by my knees as I try to walk around with it (and I'm not a short woman, I'm pretty average at 5'6"). This just looks ridiculous, feels awful, and then when I try to use it afterward it's even worse. I have to unfold the bag just to get it to open. Like other reviewers have stated, this thing doesn't have a handle at the top so even simply moving it from, say, the stroller to a table is a chore.
So I have no practical way to carry this awful bag. It was so expensive and so well-liked I thought for sure I would love it. Plus, it was so expensive! It was truly a splurge for me. I've been trying to just ride it out, thinking I'd get used to it for sure or maybe I'd wear it out. But this is made with what seems to be bullet-proof materials. I can't complain about the quality of the fabrics or the cuteness of the print. The engineering of it is all off, and it makes this thing utterly impractical to carry around. And isn't that half the point?

The irritating part of having a shoulder strap diaper bag is that when you have a winter jacket on it slides and you have a bag and a baby hanging from your arms. So I thought this would change it. Nope! Still slides!!!

I give this two different ratings - 3 stars without the padded straps (that you have to buy separately) and 4 stars with them.

I bought my Packabe in Lush Paisley.

The Positives-

- It's absolutely lovely. Let's face it, diaper bags have come a long way from the ugly things our mothers used to carry, but they still can be big eye sores and JuJube bags are beautiful. IMO, photos don't the colors justice. The patterns are vivid yet sophisticated. I get people complementing me on mine all the time, and when I tell them it's a diaper bag, they are almost always shocked.
- It has oodles of space, is very cleanable and a zillion compartments.
- It's durable
- It's super cleanable (machine washable but also very easy to surface clean)
- For what you get, the price can be really decent if you look in the right places. I usually like to spend $30-50 on my bags, but it's impossible to find a bag like this in that price range. You can find good deals on Amazon (and other places...including Divas, Dudes and Dolls who is a seller here). The retail currently is $120, but I've seen it as low as $90 (there's also the Pink Room or Craigslist if you want to really save money and are open to buying a used bag).

All that said, if you are petite or have/will have (as some of us do after birth) back pain, go to a store, fill it up, and *try it* before investing. A lot of people love these bags, but one thing JuJube fails at is ergonomics. Their straps are horrible on many of their bags (I own 3 different types)! They slip easy and/or dig into your skin if the bags are large or filled up. I particularly had a lot of problems with this bag after birth as I have narrow shoulders (it has to be snug or it falls off or gives me uber backpain). They could also stand to make the back of the bag padded...but I digress.

I was sad to give up on mine for a while. I really wanted to love it, because it has so much going for it. However, it kept digging into my shoulders to the point of putting my arms asleep (and I was not wearing it super tight or overfilling it). I put it away and switched to an InBetween (which isn't perfect either as the strap slips like crazy, but at least it doesn't kill my arms and back).

Well, we are starting into potty learning so I have a lot more things to carry again (ex- extra clothes, training pants, a portable potty, etc...), and I needed a big bag again. I considered selling the Packabe so I could find and buy a different big bag, but on a whim I invested in the padded straps. I'm so glad I did! They make wearing it a completely different experience for me. No arm pain or back pain (bc I can wear it snug). I'm very happy with my bag now. :)

I had just a cheap diaper bag from Walmart before I got my Ju Ju Be Packabe. My sister-in-law got one first and highly recommended it so I decided to splurge and get it. Best decision EVER! It holds every thing my old one did (and more) but is more COMPACT. Its weird and I'm not quite sure how it works, but it does. I LOVE the backpack to shoulder back feature. I love that it keeps my bottles cold in the side pockets. i LOVE the mommy pocket-my stuff used to just be tossed in with all the baby's stuff making it hard to find. Its a FABULOUS diaper bag! I'm SOLD! I can't wait to try it out with 2 kids, we're having our 2nd in 4 months.

Pros:
- The Packabe is a really cute bag style, the Evening Vines print is lovely, and it is well-made. The material and entire bag feels very high-quality.
- The magnets to close the two front flaps are a nice touch, they open and close pretty quietly (there's a small THUNK sound when the magnets connect to one another) in comparison to my Petunia Pickle Bottom bag that uses velcro and goes RRRRIIIIIPPPPPPPP!!! every time I open the bag.
- Memory foam: the changing pad is nice and comfy for baby. The memory foam strap (only for when being worn as a shoulder or cross-body bag, not backpack) is also a nice touch.
- Anti-microbial inside lining. This bag has silver colored lining, which I didn't think of as a very "light color," but whatever (they advertise as having light colors inside the bag to help you find items easier).

Cons:
- I must not be able to travel lighter, but this bag is too small for my diaper bag use. I carry both diaper bag items and my personal items in my diaper bag because I don't want to lug around two bags where ever I go, so I thought this bag would be perfect. I was able to fit everything inside by taking out a couple of non-essentials (sunscreen, my glasses case). But I don't like that stuffed silly look, and it was hard to get things out when I needed them.
- This was my main complaint: The pockets inside the bag were WAY too small for anything I wanted to put in them. There are pockets inside the "mommy pocket" and the pocket below it, but the only thing I was able to put in there was chapstick! Your phone won't fit in the pockets unless it's the size of a beeper. I didn't want to place my phone in the main part of the "mommy pocket" because my keys were there and would have scratched it up. Also, the pockets in the main pocket of the bag which are meant to hold wipes and diapers were also very small! I could not fit my wipes container in any of the pockets (regular Huggies wipes container). I was able to fit only one disposable diaper in the side pockets with it kind of scrunched up, but no more. We also cloth diaper most of the time so those diapers definitely wouldn't fit in any of those side pockets. I was really surprised how small these pockets were for a DIAPER BAG, although they would be small for a regular purse as well. After placing some small items in the teeny side pockets, the main compartment of the bag was small as well. I guess they didn't want to make the bag a HUGE backpack, but you are sacrificing useable space for looks, IMO.
- I read about this before purchasing the bag, so I expected it, but this bag is HEAVY, with a capital HEAVY. It is definitely heavier than my 6-pound Chihuahua, I would venture to guess around 8-10 pounds without anything in it. It wouldn't have been a problem for me, but I did try to figure out why it was so heavy and came to the conclusion that the anti-microbial material is very thick (especially at the sides where the insulated pockets are), and all the metal hardware does add up. Like I said, not a big deal for me but some others might not care for this.
- The accents on the zippers and on the Ju-Ju-Be labels. This was something that really bothered me, but it really is just a personal preference / personal opinion thing. In the two spots that say "Ju-Ju-Be" on the bag, there is a cheap metal star looking accent. On all of the zippers, there is a cheap gemstone looking accent with "Ju-Ju-Be" written around it in a circle. IMO, these accents make the bag look cheap, like something I bought at Wal-Mart for $25 instead of a $120 diaper bag. It really changes the overall appearance of the bag, as it otherwise looks very well-made. I guess they were trying to jazz up the bag a little but I thought it made it look like a young child or teen bag made in China and sold at discount stores...
- The "crumb drains" sounded really awesome because I am forever getting smashed animal cracker or cheerios in my diaper bag and having to empty out the entire thing to clean it out. I thought the crumb drains would save me a lot of trouble! Imagine my surprise when I got the bag and saw that the crumb drains only drain at the very back of the bag, from the seperate changing pad pocket! Huh?! The changing pad goes in its own separate pocket on the back that lays against your body when wearing it... this is where they crumb drains are, not from the actual main pocket of the bag, where you would expect them to be. I usually don't keep any food items I want to give my toddler near the changing pad (eew, germs much??) so the crumb drains on this bag are rendered useless.

To make a long story short, I wanted to get a backpack-style diaper bag. After hours of research online, I initially chose this bag over the Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack, because the Packabe was supposed to be "better organized" and easier to keep clean (the outside of the bag). After seeing how tiny the side pockets are in the Packabe, I'm realizing that it doesn't help with "organization" because I can't put anything in there! Along with my other reasons for being ultimately unhappy with this bag, I decided to return to Amazon (I LOVE AMAZON!!). I went to Nordstrom's to check out the PPB Boxy Backpack and I LOVE IT. Purchased it right away at the store, and on SALE, so it was cheaper than the Packabe! I purchased the "glazed" version of the PPB so the outside will still be easy to keep clean. If you are deciding between the two, I hope my review has helped! They also sell the PPB Boxy backpack here on Amazon. Also wanted to add, if you are not dead-set on getting a diaper bag that is a backpack, Ju-Ju-Be has some other very nice diaper bags that I saw in person while at Nordstrom's. I might have considered one of those if I was open to other bag styles. Ju-Ju-Be's are very nicely made (with the exception of those cheap looking accents).