There are bag girls, shoe girls, and jewelry girls (and may your credit card always work in your favor to those who subscribe to all of them). Those who fit the ladder description are encouraged to peruse our selection of the top crossbody bags. We also speak from experience when we say that the “best” ones are the ones we can directly attest to. Our editors have been using some of these bags for years, and they have rave reviews about their favorite Crossbody Bags. Others we tested in our laboratory by subjecting them to demanding procedures like sprinkling water on them or letting them fall to the floor. 43 crossbody bags in all were examined before the following selection was made.
Choosing where to put your cash might be challenging because there is so much bling and glamour vying for your attention. Jamie Grimstad, a stylist based in New York City, offers her opinion: “As you can justify the cost-per-wear more, splurging in the accessory category makes the most sense.” When making a purchase, a bag that can be accessorized with several ensembles merits a bit extra thought. Whether you choose to go all out or choose to play it safe is all up to you, but as you read, we hope these bags will speak to you.
Baggu Nylon Crescent Bag
We would guess that Mary Poppins always carried this bag from Baggu if we had to guess. It seems to miraculously enlarge within due to its enormous capacity. This miraculous backpack allowed us to simultaneously fit many books, wallets, full-sized water bottles, sunglasses, phones, and cameras. We were concerned that carrying it around might hurt our shoulders because of all the stuff inside, but that didn’t happen. Even though we love the neutral colors like black and navy, this garment stands out from the others thanks to the more vibrant alternatives and creative patterns. It’s a true carry-all bag for daily use, and we firmly believe that we would spend much more than $50 for one of these.
Athleta All About Crossbody Bags
It seemed sense to test out Athleta’s Crossbody Bags after we had previously loved their belt bag. We’ve personally experienced the comfort and durability of this sling when strolling about town and running errands. The strap provides excellent access to the contents of the bag without pressing against the shoulder. A bag that has enough of room to hold all of our necessities even though it has no pockets. Its lightweight and water-repellent shell make it convenient to travel with.
Best Splurge
Seth Milot Day VI Gris
Seth Milot, a young and emerging handbag business, has a collection of sculptural handbags that are highly valuable in the luxury market. Co-author of this piece Bianca Kratky was astounded by the exquisiteness of every bag in the collection, but she was particularly drawn to this Day VI bag because of its well-made construction and usefulness. Her favorite color, orange, is featured on the internal suede lining, akin to Hermès, and the nappa leather felt as smooth as butter. The piece is more secure thanks to the twist clasp closing and adjustable length of the strap.
Best Patterned
Clare V. Midi Sac
Uncomplicated yet fashionable, Clare V. provides designed little sacs to hold everything you own. The Midi Sac appeals to a variety of aesthetics with its assortment of colors, patterns, and designs. In addition to being quite stylish, the Crossbody Bags proved to be a great travel companion. To ensure nothing falls out, it zips closed completely and holds a large number of necessities. It does come with a basic strap, but you may upgrade to a thicker, thinner, woven, or chained strap at an additional cost.
Best Organization
Baggallini Everywhere Bagg
Compartments is the category in which Baggallini wins. Our go-to option for both work and travel is this bag due of its numerous pockets, side zips, and dividers. Because of its outstanding organizing qualities, we always bring it with us and never lose anything in it. The interior of the bag has a zipped section and several slots to carry pens and small notepads in addition to the four major pockets on the outside. Despite our fondness for the lengthy Crossbody Bags strap, we occasionally truncate it to serve as a shoulder bag. However, the small opening on the rear allowed us to slide it over a suitcase’s handles when we needed to be entirely hands-free.
Best Camera Bag
Madewell Large Transport Camera Bag
Our major complaint about camera Crossbody Bags is that they never seem to have enough room for anything else and instead seem clumsy and unstyled. But not this Madewell Carrying Bag. We had enough room for our DSLR camera, sunglasses, a tiny wallet, keys, and chapstick for an enjoyable trip to a new city. It made it possible for us to travel in style and without looking like blatant tourists. Even after a full day of use, the thicker strap felt quite comfortable on our shoulders, which is a major plus for anyone who is acquainted with the struggles of carrying around bulky camera equipment. Complete closure of the top ensures camera safety. Having used it and experienced its comfort, usefulness, and style, we believe this bag is definitely worth the cost that it carries
Best Clutch
Radley London Sundown Avenue Weave Medium Flapover Clutch
You may use this bag as a Crossbody Bags or a clutch by just dropping it into the pouch or unclipping the chain strap. By varying how we used the strap, we were able to wear this for brunch, a formal function, and daytime use. It wasn’t the largest bag, but it was big enough to fit all of our daily necessities, including phones, wallets, keys, and chapstick. It’s also been our go-to travel bag because of how light it is. When packed, it requires very little weight and very little room. Every time we wear it, the totally leather weave pattern elevates it and gives our clothes a hint of refinement. All things considered, having this bag in our rotation has been great.
Best Leather
Portland Leather Large Circle Crossbody
For the past two years, this bag has served as our go-to purse, travel companion, and need for long road trips. It’s a respectable size and weight, and the leather strap is sufficiently thick to adequately distribute the bag’s weight such that it never digs or feels unpleasant. In addition, it features seven belt-like holes so you may customize the length to fit your height. We were amazed by the leather’s resilience; despite spills and scratches over the years, it has never discolored or worn out. The circular backpack is visually stunning, but it might not be the most cost-effective choice for somebody bringing a bulky camera on a trip.
Best Designer
Bottega Veneta Loop Camera Bag
A sharp eye is needed when selecting an investment piece. If the enduringly fashionable designer brand isn’t enough to persuade you, take into account the following: Kratky, who owns a bag in a similar style, says that Bottega Veneta’s lambskin leather is very exceptional and better than that of many other well-known designer labels. Furthermore, the woven design serves as both an eye-catching accent and a means of hiding dings and scratches that are inevitable with use.
Grimstad agrees that this bag is an excellent investment. You will be able to wear it often because it is a neutral hue. Its size also allows for styling versatility—it may be worn with athleisure to run errands or over a coat in the cold.
Best for Work
Bellroy Tokyo Work Bag
Similar to the Baggallini alternative, this Bellroy bag is a great option for work because it has a lot of compartments and organizational features. The main compartment has two stretchable pockets for notebooks and tablets, a small zippered mesh pocket for keys, a laptop pocket, and another thinner pocket layered over the laptop pocket. The exterior shell boasts two zippered pockets and a sizable snap-closure pocket on the side, but the features don’t end there. Additionally, there’s a water bottle slip. It goes without saying that we were able to find space for everything we needed for our office.
The padded sole of this bag was a standout feature since it prevented our laptops and valuables from breaking when we dropped it a bit too hard. Additionally, we saw that the shoulder strap was well-padded, which is crucial for comfort. But we could also choose to hold it by the handles if we so desired. Finally, we put its waterproof claims to the test and verified that, in fact, water just beaded on the bag’s exterior, never sullying a single internal document.
Best for Travel
Dagne Dover Micah Crossbody Bags
We are undoubtedly huge fans of Dagne Dover. We’ve consistently ranked its carryalls, belt bags, and backpacks as some of our best, and now we’re adding this crossbody bag to the collection. One of its advantages was its compact size, which allowed us to carry everything we would need for the day—snacks, wallets, cameras, little notebooks, and hand creams—without appearing clunky. Surprisingly, the inside is larger than the outside. There was also something to love about Dagne Dover’s trademark neoprene material. It weighs about the same as a bag of feathers and has a distinctive appearance and texture.
Best Formal
Ruskin The Camille In Rouge
Although crossbody bags aren’t traditionally formal, there are some events—like a daytime wedding or shower—where they are. Consider this handmade nappa leather bag from Ruskin, made in Italy, for situations such as these. The brand creates a distinctive yet adaptable bag that exudes understated luxury by fusing fine craftsmanship with a sleek form. We trust the magnetic flap to secure your belongings even though it lacks zippers. Although we haven’t tried it yet, we would definitely bring it to a work dinner and our upcoming trip to Italy.
Best Pouch
Behno Frida Mini Crossbody Pebble Ruched Bag
In general, we adore Behno—a relatively new bag company—because of its moral business approach. The understatedly sophisticated pebbled leather bag with a drawstring closing is quite enticing to us, even though we didn’t try it. Although there are two internal pockets, which allows for some organization, the main purpose of the pouch is to allow you to travel simply and conveniently (in terms of both function and appearance) by dropping your basics (phone, wallet, granola bar, keys, etc.) in it. If you typically prefer a smooth leather surface, it is available in some of the color combinations.
Best Bucket
Longchamp Roseau Essential XS Bucket Bag
Longchamp offers the same superior materials and design know-how at a somewhat more affordable price point than other designer labels. This kind of bucket bag is a classic that will be treasured for many years to come. Not to add, compared to a typical purse, this type of bag usually fits more stuff because it is deeper. It can be carried by the upper handle or worn across the body using the lengthy strap, which is detachable but not length-adjustable. The interior’s silky suede will feel luxurious and be great at preventing valuables from getting scratched.
Best Clear
Hammitt Stadium-Approved Clear Bag
We thought that clear bags were a really distinctive design, and although they might not be the best choice for pickpocketing in Paris, where there is a lot of street crime, they are perfect for festivals, concerts, and the beach. Despite its appearance, we were able to fit our Kindle, phones, wallets, AirPods, and lip glosses inside. We much rather have the bag’s supple leather strap than a plastic one because the plastic one might have pulled and tugged at our skin. Additionally, although being clear, the bag features some eye-catching colorful embellishments that give it some visual appeal.
Best Convertible
Songmont Shearling Luna Bag
This Songomont choice gives you the gift of versatility because it may be used as a shoulder bag or a crossbody. You can switch out the two interchangeable strap styles that come with it; however, you cannot wear both straps at once. The bag is really stylish and cool, including gold-finished hardware, a calf leather exterior, a luxuriously soft shearling, and a microfiber leather interior. When worn as a crossbody Bags, the crescent moon design virtually wraps and bends around the body, which increases its level of comfort. We didn’t want you to miss it even if it wasn’t one of our tested options because it’s so unique from anything else available.
Tumi Persia Crossbody Bags
Since it’s little enough to occasionally go under a coat as an additional personal item, this has become our go-to bag when traveling. To further facilitate its “hiding,” it is thin and fits flush against the body. Its small size belies the surprising amount of goods it can hold, such as our phones, AirPods, munchies, wallets, lip gloss, and Kindle.
But a small size doesn’t mean it lacks compartments! There are several little slip pockets dotted throughout, a phone slip pocket at the back, and a key strap in the main compartment. In addition to the charm pouch being a choice, the strap is quite comfortable.
Canvelle Sling Bag
We moms have been enjoying this bag a lot. With kids on both sides of us, it has made it possible for us to be entirely hands-free and to avoid having anything press up on our hips. The spaciousness of the bag allows us to easily fill it with random things that our children pick up throughout the day, and it can accommodate a large wallet and all our other necessary belongings as parents. Even on warmer days, the bag is quite breezy and doesn’t get hot and sticky because of the mesh back panel. We usually keep our chapsticks or keys in the tiny mesh pocket on the inside. All things considered, this bag is quite practical and has become our most frequently used personal item.
Cuyana Sling Bag
Hello, minimalists! You will love this chic and understated purse. You’re going to adore this bag’s roomy central compartment if having too many functions and pockets seems overwhelming. Aside from the two exterior slip pockets and one internal side pocket, the middle is left open and ready to accommodate a lot of stuff, even, as we discovered, a bulky sweater.
Recycled materials make up the remarkably light stitched bag. Despite being completely packed, it didn’t make us feel heavy. On the other hand, its lack of cushioning and protection occasionally irritated us, so be cautious not to swing it around if valuables like computers are inside. Not to mention, it can be washed in a machine, which simplifies upkeep.
Lands’ End All Purpose Messenger Bag
Not many messenger bags that we evaluated successfully struck a balance between price, quality, and features as this one did. Firstly, this bag was incredibly well-organized thanks to its numerous pockets, which also left plenty room in the central area. The laptop sleeve with padding was our favorite pocket because it adequately shielded our computer even after we dropped the backpack on the ground.
After being spritzed with water, the canvas material likewise held up fairly well against infiltration. Though the cloth is a touch thin and light, the tight and meticulous stitching is still clearly visible. However, the strap was thick and cushioned, making it feel good against the shoulder.
