When it comes to natural fabrics, paper isn’t one I usually think of. I imagine you don’t either – it’s good for stationery, books, and scribbling things down while on the phone, but for bags? I wasn’t so sure!
Made from paper
My scepticism continued up until my gifted WAKEbag* arrived in the post. The vegan backpack is made from poly paper fibres, which are spun and then bonded together to create the look of brown paper. WAKEbag promises the durability and thickness of the strongest rucksack – but how could that possibly be true?
No ordinary paper bag
Well, when you look at the rucksack it does look like paper. I’ve had people laugh and ask “is it really paper?” to which I often surprise them by saying “yes!”
Touching the bag is the same – it feels like thick paper, although it’s a little more malleable than your average piece of A4… This bag is just as durable as your average backpack. It’s lightweight, lined with a waterproof lining, and has handy pockets for keys, cards, and even a place that 13″ laptops can slide into.
Amazingly, the bag is waterproof too! I haven’t had to wear it in the rain (yet), but I’ve been confident enough to use it as a smaller alternative to my favourite Fjallraven Kanken.
The perfect everyday bag
I don’t have many bags (although my boyfriend would probably disagree…) so this one has really slotted in well with my collection. It’s bigger than my saddle bag, and my usual handbag, but it doesn’t look like I’m travelling like a backpack usually would!
I love that it has just enough room for my MacBook Air, although I have to put the belt buckle on the lowest button to do so though. There’s also a zip down the side so you don’t need to unbuckle or un-pop the top all the time.
As a left-hander, the one thing I would like is to have the hidden pocket on the back to sit on the left. I have to swing the bag all the way off each time I want to get to it (or maybe I should just become ambidextrous?)
Will it last?
I’ve been wearing my paper rucksack* for most of the summer, and there’s no real wear yet. I’ve found my jeans do leave light blue stain where it’s rubbed, but other than that, it’s great!
This post contains gifted products (denoted 'gifted') and affiliate links (denoted '*').
