The Devyn Bag: A Review

I’ve never pretended to like pumping. It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s one that so many working mothers put up with in order to continue to feed their babies breast milk—and I’m just one of them.

When I was pregnant with Vivienne, I was ALREADY dreading the process of pumping. I hadn’t forgotten the inconvenience of it: Making time for it (twice!) during the work day; the washing and organizing of bottles and pump parts every night and morning; carrying all that STUFF back and forth to work every day. Back when I was pumping for Nora, I felt like a bag lady walking into and out of work. It was crazy to try to remember all of the “pieces” I needed to bring to work every morning—pump bag, cooler bag for the milk, lunch bag, purse, computer bag. It was awful and there were several times when I actually forgot something at home and had to go back to get it. And to carry it all, I needed all shoulders, arms, and hands on deck. It was a serious balancing act.

This time, once I knew I would be using a Hygeia EnJoye pump (which is a standalone pump) instead of the Medela Pump-in-Style Advanced (which is built into a bag that is unfortunately not large enough to hold the cooler bag/milk itself!), I wondered if there was a bag out there that could help me consolidate. Was it possible to find something that could accommodate my pump, my milk, AND my computer? Did such a thing exist?

Oh, it does. And it’s called The Devyn Bag.

This thing is genius. It is EXACTLY what I needed all along. It’s not even technically a pump bag—it’s kind of an everything bag, a diaper bag, or could even be used as a really tricked out computer/work bag. But the two big selling points are that it has both a waterproof, insulated pocket to be able to keep things warm/cold, AND a pocket specifically designed for a laptop or tablet. Then, the third pocket can hold whatever else you need—diapers, wipes, extra clothing, wallet, keys, or in my case, my pump.

Let me show you how mine has been working for me.

Here is what my bag looks like when it’s fully loaded.

Now, I’m not going to lie—it’s kind of big when it’s stuffed like this. And it’s pretty heavy. BUT the point is that it all fits in one place. It NEEDS to be big in order to hold all of my stuff. I would be carrying all of this weight anyway, but would be doing it while also trying to keep hold of multiple bags. Now, I can sling The Devyn Bag over my shoulder or cross-body and I can still easily carry my purse and lunch bag into work. I even have a free hand to get my keys out to let myself in and out of the office.

You can see here how everything I need fits into the bag. Up top there I have my pump parts and bottles (and a slender ice pack to keep it all cold—more on that in a minute). In the middle is my laptop, and there’s enough room in that pocket for the charger and a few folders or notebooks, too. On the bottom there is the miscellaneous pocket in which I squeeze my pump.

The insulated pocket itself is pretty roomy. If you are using this as a computer bag for work, I think most lunches would fit in here pretty easily. It has mesh pockets lining each side to hold items (like bottles!) in place.

The ice pack slides down in between the mesh pockets to keep everything cool, and then I throw in my pump parts on top (in a ziploc bag). This pocket zips closed for extra insulation.

The ice pack is really cool (haha, ba-dum-bum). When I first received it in the mail, I didn’t think it could possibly be an ice pack. It feels like some sort of papery cloth, and you soak it for a few minutes in water until it absorbs it and puffs out a bit. Then you slide it into the provided ziploc bag and freeze it. From there, you can freeze it over and over again, occasionally re-soaking it if needed.

Next to the insulated pocket is the laptop/tablet pocket. It’s pretty large, so I think most laptops would fit, even if you have a fairly bulky one. As I mentioned, there’s plenty of space for my computer + charger cord + any files/folders I need to bring home with me at any given time. Some people might be worried about having the computer pocket right next to the insulated/”wet things” pocket, but that’s the thing… it’s completely insulated so there’s no chance of any water/leakage from that pocket into this one. The laptop pocket is also padded for protecting those precious electronics.

The front pocket is the most “multi use” of all of them. The Devyn Bag calls this “the purse section.” You can use this for pretty much anything. When I first received the bag, I thought my pump was going to be too large to fit into it, but I was wrong. It really expands when it needs to, and the flap to close the bag still fits easily over the front and I’m able to velcro it closed like it should be. If you have a Medela Freestyle or other smaller pump, the pocket would be MORE than sufficient to hold it… and you’d have room for even more stuff, too!

A bonus is that this thing is cute. I’ve been back at work for 3.5 weeks now, and I can’t even tell you how many women have complimented me on The Devyn Bag as they see me walking around the office with it (either coming in/coming out of the office, or making my way to the mommy suite for pumping). I’m pretty sure half of them just think it’s my computer bag, not a “pump bag”!

I love this thing. It can be ordered from devynbag.com for $109 (+ $5 for the freezer pack if you need/want it). I think it’s the perfect bag for the working, pumping mom, and for a lot of other women, too. In fact, I could see myself continuing to use this in some capacity, even after I don’t have to haul a pump and parts to/from work every day.

And guess what? The Devyn Bag is offering 10% off of a Devyn Bag purchase to my readers. Just use code 1213 at checkout. If you like the idea but don’t think you need this much space, also check out their Elle Convertible Bag. Also super cute! They have a lot of photos and even some video on their site with more information about their bags.

Questions? Comments? Let me know.

Disclaimer: The Devyn Bag provided me with a Messenger Devyn Bag and ice pack for free in exchange for my review. However, opinions expressed within this post are my own.