Simple, classic, durable and lightweight, the Longchamp Le Pliage range of bags have been my go-to travel bag for years. With prices starting at £70, it is definitely a splurge. However, you really do get your money’s worth. My oldest Le Pliage is over 5 years, I have stuffed it with laptops, textbooks, toiletry, you name it. It’s still going strong.
The Le Pliage Original collection has around 12 different bags/purses. In this post, I will be writing a review of Longchamp Le Pliage bags I own, and how I use it on my travels. Enjoy!
Le Pliage Tote Bag L
This is possibly my favourite from the range. I actually have 2 colours – black and army green. Like with all other bags in this range, there’s a plethora of colours you can choose from. Given I travel a lot, I opted for darker colours.
From long haul flights, where I use it as a handbag, to short-haul weekend flights, where I use it as my main carry-on bag, the bag has seen me through countless airports. I’ve also used it as a beach bag tons of times!
Link to Nordstrom for Le Pliage Tote Bag L
What’s in my tote bag: Long haul flights
The long haul flights are usually the ones where we go back home to the Maldives. Airlines like Qatar Airways, Etihad, Emirates, etc actually give you a bonus handbag to carry on-board. On such flights, I normally have the following items in my bag:
- Travel documents and A PEN
- Laptop, iPad, phone & headphones
- Chargers for all electronics
- A book
- Carry-on toiletry bag (lip balm, perfume, hand cream, etc)
- Thick socks & eye mask
- Sunnies & glasses
Link to Nordstrom for Le Pliage Tote Bag L
What’s in my tote bag: Weekend trips
On weekend trips to cities in Europe, I have this bag as my main carry-on luggage. What you would find in the bag is:
- Travel documents and A PEN
- Phone, headphones, GoPro & all chargers
- Carry-on toiletry bag (basically all my toiletry for the weekend)
- Eye mask, sunnies & glasses
- My clothes (1 change of clothes, undies & nighties)
- A small handbag to use when sight-seeing
In addition to using this bag as my travel carry-on, I’ve also constantly used it as my work bag (I carry my laptop, charger, lunch, etc in it EVERY DAY for 3 years) and college bag (I carried folders, textbooks and notebooks A LOT).
Le Pliage Travel Bag XL
This one was a lovely gift from my husband when he got back from a business trip to the Netherlands. I was over the moon as I had been eyeing the bag for a while then.
I’ll be very honest, I have a love-hate relationship with this bag. I love the fact that it fits just about anything. Once, I even packed a Moroccan leather pouffe along with all my clothes, clothing accessories, small handbags, electronics and toiletry for 10 days (see picture below). This was on our 10-day trip to Morocco – the pictures will show the countless outfits and handbags I took with me!
Link to Selfridges for Le Pliage Travel Bag XL
I also hate the fact it fits just about anything, because, boy, can it get heavy. While the bag itself weighs next to nothing, stuffing your grandma’s sewing machine will take a toll on your back.
What’s in my travel bag: 4 to 10-day trips
Nonetheless, I continue using the bag, because I still love it to bits. I mostly use it on 4 to 10-day trips to Europe or when I go to a resort in the Maldives. We always use budget airlines and mostly (99% of the times) refuse to pay extra for cabin baggage. This leaves us with only one free carry-on hand luggage. In our experience, we find that a small suitcase (that’s allowed on-board) just doesn’t fit everything you need. The Le Pliage Travel Bag is thus, the perfect choice for me.
The stuff I carry with me on a long trip is basically the same as what I’d take with me on a weekend trip. There’s just more of everything!
Link to Selfridges for Le Pliage Travel Bag XL
Le Pliage Backpack
This is the latest addition to my Le Pliage collection. I paid for it using the cashback I had accumulated over a year with my AMEX credit card. It was basically free!
Link to Nordstrom for Le Pliage Backpack
What’s in my backpack: short hikes
Since getting this bag, I sometimes swap it with my Tote bag on weekend trips. Just to spice things up, you know. I used this bag on our 10 day Balkan trip as well. (Have a look at our Complete Guide to Mostar here) However, I’ve mostly used it as a day bag when we go sight-seeing or hiking. Going hand-free is so convenient! I normally carry the following when we’re exploring a city:
- Phone & portable charger
- Cardholder & coin pouch (I keep them in the slip pocket)
- GoPro
- Water bottle
- Sunnies & glasses
- Lipstick, hand sanitizer & tissue
- Snacks/food (if it’s a hike)
- Collapsible hat (I love my hats)
Link to Nordstrom for Le Pliage Backpack
Why you should invest in a Le Pliage
Here’s a list of reasons I’ve loved using the bags over the years. This is coming from a person who has used these bags to death! I’ll also give some negatives at the end, just to make it a bit more balanced.
Pros
Lightweight: It honestly weighs next to nothing, the only weight would be of what you put in it!
Compact: All the Le Pliage bags fold up to the size of a book. It takes up such little space in your luggage if you wanted to pack it for your trip.
Waterproof: Yep – the bag is waterproof, it’s made from nylon. I’ve used the bag for the past 5 rainy years in the UK. One less thing to worry about when you travel!
Durability: This is perhaps the best thing about the bag. It’s practically indestructible. For instance, I’m sure I’ve constantly carried 10kg worth of stuff in the Tote bag, and it’s still in good condition. The leather straps on the bag are a godsend.
Secure: The bag zips up fully – no one is dipping their hands inside your bag! This is so important, especially when you’re travelling in busy cities, or when you get on a crowded train! Speaking of zips, the Le Pliage bags open from right to left. I know this is something really minor, but for someone who wears their bags on their left shoulders, this is SO convenient. If I need to grab something quickly, I partially open the zip, dip my hand in and out, close zip. Job-done.
Cons
The only negatives I can think of are, a) it gets heavy to carry when you fit your whole house in it and b) it doesn’t have any compartments apart from a small slip pocket. The latter can be easily fixed by getting a handbag organiser. I personally just use small pouches for my tote bags and packing cubes (link to Amazon website) for my travel bag. It gets the job done.
What other bags are there in the collection?
- Tote bag S (long strap)
- Top handle S (short strap)
- Top handle M (short strap)
- Travel bag L (short strap)
- Travel bag (short strap + a crossbody strap, expandable from the middle)
- Document holder, Coin purse, Cosmetic case
What is a good starter Le Pliage bag
For me, the clear winner is the Tote Bag L. It has been my go-to bag for years! It’s the perfect size and strap-length to make it your everyday bag. It is also the perfect first step into the world of designer bags (if you’re interested in that sorta thing). My first Le Pliage bag was actually the Top Handle M, but I found it to be too small to carry my laptop and books. Ultimately, it depends on what you’re going to use it for and how much you’ll be using it.
Fun fact: Le Pliage is based on the french word for “fold”. Le Pliage = The folding.
Hope you found the article helpful!
What is your favourite travel bag?
Happy travels,
Amana
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links, which means that we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
I love a good tote/travel bag, and yours are super stylish too!
Thank you! They’re my favourite! x
These look like great travel bags! I want to travel more this year! So posts like these help me get organised for trips! Thank you for sharing! Great photographs!
Thank you Lauren! Really glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Look forward to your travel posts!