What Fits in the Everlane Form Bag

It’s been seven months since I first wrote about Everlane’s Form Bag. In my first post about the Form Bag, I shared my first impressions on its construction and quality — and declared my love for it. But I didn’t buy it. As a way to cut down on shopping and ensure that I only buy stuff I’m going to love and use a lot, I waited. I think this strategy works well. You know you really want something when you’re still thinking about it six months later!

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In April, I ordered the burgundy. Everlane has expanded its offerings since it first introduced the Form Bag in the fall in three colorways. Now it’s available in seven colors, including an ice blue, light khaki, and bone for the spring. (I no longer see the burgundy, though.) They also make a mini version, which was first offered in the fall as a limited release. (That whole exclusive release thing felt very much like a marketing ploy, though.)

This follow-up post is all about what fits in the Form Bag and how it’s held up after a month. This is what my bag looked like when it arrived:

It shipped in an unremarkable dust bag (made out of polypropylene, I think). The cardboard shipping box itself was damaged, but luckily, my bag was not. The burgundy is just as I expected. The photos on the site seem accurate to me. First impressions? I still love the shape. It’s also as lightweight as I remembered. I put it on a postal scale and it weighed in at 1 lb 6 oz — even lighter than what I had originally guessed.

The first thing I did was check if it really fits a 13″ laptop as Everlane claims. While I didn’t buy this bag for carrying my laptop, I know other people might be considering it for that purpose. Here is my 13″ MacBook Air barely squeezing in.

My laptop measures 12.8″ x 8.9″. It made it in, but diagonally. By that, I mean that it pushed up against opposite corners. Everlane says the Form Bag’s measurements are 13″ tall x 10.5″ wide x 5″. However, the 13″ height includes the closure, which is about 1.5″ tall. By my own measurements, the width is more like 12″ when including the gussets.

Here’s the Form Bag with my laptop, placed horizontally, inside.

Note how the magnets on top don’t line up. Also, compare the glare on this photo to the photo below (of the bag sans laptop) and you’ll get a sense of how the bag contorts to accommodate the laptop.

How about putting it in vertically, you ask?

Sure, you can do that, but then you can’t close the bag. OK, back to trying to squeeze it in horizontally. Here’s a few things I tried putting in the bag. (I use a pouch system to organize my purse and you can see what’s in them here.)

As you can see, the laptop distorts the bag, and there’s no way to close it with the addition of my sunglasses case. (Not that the magnets would line up anyway.)

Other bloggers say their 13″ laptops fit, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. But I’m here to tell you: It. Barely. Fits. (Not my MacBook Air anyway, which is a few years old and slightly bigger than the current model.) Honestly, I don’t think you can count that as fitting given the distortion. Advertising that this bag fits a 13″ laptop horizontally is a stretch. (Literally, too, on the bag.) Everlane should provide dimensions of what fits inside.

While this bag doesn’t really fit a laptop, it can hold a decent amount of other stuff.

The items pictured above pretty much put the Form Bag at capacity. (Not shown are my keys, which I put into the inside pocket with my Baggu.)

The bag didn’t even want to close when I first filled it. But I nudged the magnets towards each other and it shut. Some people have said that the bag doesn’t stay closed when you wear it crossbody, but I didn’t find that to be true. It did not stay closed when I wore it on the shoulder with this much stuff. But when I switched to crossbody, it remained shut. The heavier or more stuffed it gets, though, the harder it is to keep it closed.

There were some days when I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into it and had to switch to a different bag, like the Pocket Tote (review). I swear I try not to carry a lot of stuff! But because I live in San Francisco, I need to layer throughout the day. This means on some days I want to add a scarf or rolled-up puffy vest to my bag. And nope, that’s not going to fit on top of all of the above. Because the bag tapers up and the top 1.5″ is for the closure, visually, it appears to hold more than it actually does.

I’ve been using the Form Bag for about a month now — not every day, but a few days a week. So far it’s held up well. A crease formed in one of the gussets, as shown above, and it’s gotten a few light scratches, but overall it still looks new. I still wish it had some feet, but otherwise I’m happy with it.

Styling the Everlane Form Bag

Styling wise, I find it easy to wear this bag. Naturally, its structured shape looks good with a polished work outfit. But I’ve also worn it with more casual outfits. I love and recommend this bag — just not necessarily for your laptop!

The structured look is perfect for a professional setting

But it works or a casual outfit too, like this sweatshirt and jeans combo for running errands.

It pairs nicely with a shirt dress for summer.

And it works well with a cardigan for fall.

UPDATE 12/26/19 – The Mister has a new 2019 13″ Macbook Pro for work and it fits (without a sleeve). So, it’s confirmed: new 13″ Apple laptops fit, but not older models. Not sure about other brands.

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Curious about more Everlane products? You can find all my Everlane reviews here.