I spent a good chunk of late 2023 and most of 2024 browsing online for a new bag– a daily carry as I like to call it. Something big enough to carry my everyday tech without being too bulky. That’s how I landed with the Alpaka Bravo Tote. But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

I still have a couple of backpacks that can do the job. But I’m tired of backpacks. The ones I have are a little too big and their looks don’t exactly convey “Put-together Professional”. That’s something I started caring about as I advanced in age. 

I experimented with a couple of Philippine-made bags championing the mantra “support lokal”. Unfortunately, neither could handle the wear-and-tear of my travels, the variety of tech I carry, and my week-to-week out in the city shoots. Not even a month into having them, one’s inner pocket broke while the other’s inner lining started to unravel. Months later, one of the straps gave in, losing its feature of being a three-way carry. 

I had been eyeing Alpaka bags for some time now as my online search yielded to many of their ads finding their way into my feed. It also didn’t hurt that a trusted friend speaks of the brand glowingly. 

It’s only been about two to three weeks since I got my hands on the Alpaka Bravo Tote. But the experience has been promising. 

What I carry daily 

Some items come and go, but due to my line of work I always try to bring the following: 

• 14” Laptop 
• Up to four (4) smartphones. Two (2) are likely review units. 
• A6500 Camera with a 35mm lens with a pouch for its batteries
• At least a 10,000mAh powerbank 
• A MagSafe powerbank 
• A tech pouch with the following: 2-3 USB-C cables, GAN Charger, USB Stick Storage device, USB Stick SD Card Reader, 3-in-1 MagGo wireless charger
• TWS earbuds or headphones
• Two pens
• House keys 
• Wallet
• Alcohol/ Hand Sanitizer 
• Wipes
• Small umbrella

I don’t always use everything I bring. However, if any one of the items above are missing, I feel a little naked. But since I’ve been switching bags a lot in the past year, I did tend to forget an item or two. That’s one thing I would like to avoid in 2025. 

Does it fit all my daily needs?

Naturally, a big consideration is if it will fit the things I usually carry. And well, yes. Yes, it does. With efficient use of space at that. 

Here’s a quick look at all the spaces, filled. 

Main Compartment

It has a dedicated compartment for a laptop. Alpaka says it can fit up to a 16” MacBook Pro. It’s padded and lined with soft-touch fleece. 

Right next to it is a tablet sleeve. I don’t usually carry tablets along with a laptop. This is where I can put multiple smartphones I’m using and/or reviewing. 

The Laptop and Tablet compartments are secured with this velcro strap. And if you look closer, you’ll find the tech pouch I mentioned earlier, safely situated at the bottom of the bag. 

There’s a water bottle pocket inside the bag. For now, I’m using it to store my largest powerbank – the Anker Prime 20,000mAh. I’ll probably switch this up based on need. I really do need to hydrate more. 

This is the pouch I use to store the camera’s batteries. The camera sits right across it in the main compartment. I’m unable to show it as we used the camera to take these photos. 

There’s another inner pocket lining right next to where I put the camera battery pouch. Here I put my TWS earbuds. Here you’re seeing the Steelseries Arctis Gamebuds but underneath that, I also carry the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro. Yes, it’s too much to bring both. Sue me. 

Front Pocket

Moving on to the front pocket, there’s a mesh area where I put the grooming kit. Gotta try to stay looking fly, after all. 

Next to it, I have my trusty hand sanitizer/ alcohol. Gotta keep my hands clean. 

There are a few more pockets opposite the mesh ones. Here, I put the Vention 10,000mah Magnetic Wireless Powerbank. I didn’t have it during the shoot, but I also have a tiny JisuLife portable fan there. 

Next to it are slots for pens. I have a regular pen and what I believe is the pen for HONOR MagicPad 2. 

Integrated MOD Key Tether

One of my favorite things: the front pocket has a provision for keys that easily attach and detach. I always worry about where to put my keys. Now, I don’t have to. And that’s the front pocket. 

Outside Pockets

External side pocket for umbrella / small tripod / water bottle

Going over to the side, there’s a tight compartment enough to put either a tiny umbrella or perhaps a smaller water bottle. 

There’s also a luggage pass-through. I’ll definitely be taking this in my prospective travels for 2025. 

Lastly, there’s another hidden external pocket where you can put your wallet or other things you’d like to keep hidden. It’s also a good spot for your passport for when you’re traveling. 

Choosing the Alpaka Bravo Tote

Before landing on the Bravo Tote, I had my eye on a few different other Alpaka bags: I was considering the Bravo Sling Max V2 and the Bravo Totepack. Ultimately, I decided against those two. 

I picked the Bravo Tote primarily for all of the carrying options it has. With the tote style I can carry it by hand or over my shoulder. Both options prevent wrinkling of my shirt. 

But when I need to move a little more freely, I can use the included shoulder strap and carry it like a sling and/or shoulder bag. Yes, it totally goes against my wrinkling issue, but I see it more as a last resort. It’s a good option to have. 

The shoulder strap can be attached to any of the four provisions on the top of the tote. The hook itself can be tricky to attach but it shouldn’t take you longer than a regular pop song to fully equip it. 

It also feels well built. You get YKK reverse coil zippers with DWR coating. This model in particular is made of Axoflux Recycled Fabric (POLY 600D) which feels adequately durable. 

The interior has a 300D Cool Grey Honeycomb Ripstop Polyester Fabric which feels like it won’t break easily. 

Is this your Daily Carry Match?

The Alpaka Bravo Tote retails for US$ 109/ PhP 6500 on the official website. I got lucky because I caught it on sale and bought it on a discount alongside the Elements Tote (M). 

It took me a while to decide to get it but it’s definitely a SuperSwipe for me. It perfectly fits my very specific carrying needs. I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a similar loadout. 

I also love that its branding is subtle. Unless it’s executed nicely, a loud branding usually isn’t my style.

I don’t often review bags so it’s hard to say which one this is a Swipe Left or Swipe Right for. What I will say is to carefully consider what your carrying needs are before shelling out for a bag like this. 

It can be a hefty sum for some people, but it’s worth investing properly in the stuff you carry your precious devices with. That’s something I had to learn hard with some of my bag purchases for 2024. 

The jury is still out on overall durability. But using the Bravo Tote for a couple of weeks and exposing it to some of my usual escapades, it feels like it’ll last. At the very least, I hope it will as I plan to use it all of 2025 and beyond.