The New Yorker Breast Pump Bag by Charlie G, Black/Gold (Mini)

I’m writing this review while pumping on a plane. I’ve been down a long road with this bag and went through every emotion many people went through in their reviews. When I first received it, I thought “oh my goodness it’s huge! It’s like a weekender! I can’t take this to work!” So I tried to return it, but I had a trip to Hawaii coming up with the 10 week old baby so I decided to take this with me as a traveling diaper bag. I used the top compartment for all the baby stuff (diapers, wipes, diaper cream, tissues, garbage bags, a toy), personal stuff (sunglasses, wallet, glasses, hand cream, chapstick, lipstick, water bottle), and first-time-mom traveling with a baby stuff (antibacterial wipes, clorox wipes, hand sanitizers). I used one of the bottom compartments (where the pump is supposed to go) for her swaddle, blanket, burp clothes, and pacifiers. I used the other bottom compartment for multiple changes of baby clothes and mommy clothes. If you haven’t already caught on, this bag was so perfect for the trip. Everything in the top compartment could be seen and organized easily. I didn’t have to dig through anything. I didn’t have to mess up things in my bag when I wanted a larger item, like a blanket. This bag is a better diaper bag than any other diaper bag I could have purchased. Wish I had one of those videos for you for all the stuff that fit in here, but truly, it was like taking stuff out of a clown car. I was able to offer hand sanitizer and napkins on request without digging through everything. That has never happened to me in my life, ever. On that Hawaii trip, my husband dubbed this bag the Mary Poppins Bag.Fast forward to twelve weeks postpartum, and I’m headed back to work in a male dominated industry. One woman told me she hates bringing her pump to and from the office, and suggested I buy two sets of pumps and leave one at the office. Given that I already had this pump bag, I decided to leave this bag in the office with my pump and only use it to carry stuff to and from the pump room. No way was I going to lug this bag to and from work, I thought. On day 1, I didn’t take this bag home with me. On day 2, I went to work with my leather work tote, a cooler bag for my breast milk, and pump parts (stuffed in the Charlie G pump parts bag). I quickly realized that I was carrying THREE bags with me because my pump parts didn’t fit in my tote once my laptop was in there. At the end of the day, I ended up stuffing everything into this one Charlie G bag, which fits everything I just mentioned. From then on, me and this bag have never spent a day apart. Because the pump never needs to be removed from this bag, I also now carry my pump to and from the office daily. I have zero complaints about it. My only complaint is that I now have two electric pumps for no reason. The shoulder straps are superbly comfortable and not too short (and not too long). It stays on my shoulders without falling off. Even though I carry a lot of stuff, this bag never feels uncomfortably too heavy.Back to my original complaint: The size issue. I’ve checked myself out in the mirror at the office and, I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve gotten used to it, but this bag really doesn’t seem that big when it’s full with stuff. Once I’ve carried it a few times and it stopped looking so boxy, I wouldn’t say this bag looks sizably bigger than any other stuffed tote. I’ve also grown to love this bag because it does look really stylish. I usually wear black pants, a blouse, and some sort of blazer, and this bag looks great.Fast forward two weeks to today. I am on a two day client meeting to the other coast (4.5 hour flight) to Canada (international) with four other (male) coworkers. I brought this bag and all my pump stuff is in organized in this bag inconspicuously, along with my work stuff. I was lucky that on both flights where I needed to pump, I had no one in the middle seat. I pumped (and am pumping) under a cover and no one notices. All I had to do was open the pocket to where my pump is stored and turn it on. I didn’t have to take out my pump at any time.I am also able to inconspicuously bring pumped milk home. I have my milk cooler storage bag inside one of the compartments, which I easily take out at TSA, and they quickly shuffle me through. I thought I was going to have a tough time with liquids, but all four times going through security was such a breeze. One reviewer complained that the side pockets weren’t insulated. I frankly like having a separate cooler for easy removal - it made passing through TSA so much easier because they only had to inspect the cooler, not my entire bag. Also, when the ice melts, I prefer for it to melt in the cooler instead of melting in the bag compartment. I never thought: “oh maybe I’ll buy this bag to go on this crazy work trip and pump on a plane,” but the work trip did pop up and I am SO glad I have this bag.Suffice it to say, this is one of my best post-maternity leave purchase that I have made. A couple of other reasons why I love this bag - it has so many pockets! And it doesn’t ever look saggy even though I have so much stuff in it.A few additional things that I would like to see include having a compartment for a water bottle (almost doesn’t matter because my water bottle sits horizontal in the top compartment just fine. It would be nice if I could spot my water bottle in vertically) and having a luggage slip so that it sits better on my roller board. Before this bag, I didn’t even realize what was possible in a bag, and after owning this bag, I’m now a spoiled brat with all these additional “requests”. I would highly recommend this for anybody, not just working moms. Using this as a diaper bag alone is worth the purchase!

As someone already guilty of carrying too much stuff in my purse pre-baby, and a new working mom with sometimes long stretches of time away from my baby (although I’m only back to work part time, one of my workdays is still 12 hours), I knew I wanted a roomy breast pump bag (if for no other reason than to store lots of snacks to keep up my milk supply!). I also wanted the option of carrying my laptop if needed. Although I’ve only used this bag for a week, I’m happy with my choice! It’s one of the larger breast pump bags I’ve found, which for someone like me with a lot of gear, helps to consolidate everything into one bag. I can easily fit my Spectra S1 breast pump, Idaho Jones breastmilk cooler, pump parts, laptop (14 in long, 17 in diagonal - measured from the casing, 15.6 in screen) and a clutch or a Lands End rectangular soft lunchbox in the top compartment. I was deciding between this bag and the Idaho Jones Ellerby breast pump bag (in photos, this Charlie G bag is on the LEFT, the Idaho Jones bag is on the RIGHT, when only one bag is shown it is the Charlie G) and although I actually like the look and material of the Idaho Jones bag better (plus you can get the Idaho Jones pump bag AND cooler for about the cost of this bag alone without a cooler), but it didn’t seem like I would have much spare room after stowing my pump, cooler, pump parts and laptop. The fact that the Charlie G bag has a separate section for the laptop sleeve (vs the Idaho Jones, which is inside the main compartment although still padded) and a little more room/depth in the top of the bag, seem to make this bag just a little roomier, which made the decision for me. On the flip side, if I didn’t need quite as much space, I’d have probably chosen the Idaho Jones for the look (I did end up keeping the Idaho Jones cooler that I bought separately!). Depending on the functionality you are looking for, it might be nice to have the option to fold in the insulated side pockets after you’re done pumping, which you can do with the Idaho Jones bag, but not the Charlie G since it has a totally separate top compartment. Although the separate top compartment can make the Charlie G bag slightly collapse on itself if you’ve got stuff up top and empty pump/cooler pockets, this problem could probably be remedied by inserting acrylic risers into the side pockets to reinforce them, as another reviewer suggested (it doesn’t bother me too much so I haven’t tried it yet). If you didn’t have the separate top compartment though, you might have to rearrange items placed above the insulated pockets when you remove/replace your cooler, and smaller items could fall to the bottom of the bag. There are trade offs either way - it just depends on what you’re looking for. If I use this bag after I’m done pumping like I plan to, I’ll probably just use the insulated side pockets to keep other things organized, like diapering supplies or maybe a spare pair of flats. If you’re deciding between these two bags like I was, both look like they are great quality and both are attractive bags, it just depends on what you are looking for!

I am a working mom who has to take my laptop to and from work daily. I have used it daily for 3 months and it is great bag. It is pretty huge, but still less hassle than a pump bag and separate laptop bag. First of all, I have had several coworkers mention how cute it is, asking where I got it, and loving the gold zippers. Most had no clue it was a pump bag. So many pump bags are cutesy or look like diaper bags. The black fabric is nice, easy to keep clean (spit up comes right off) and the bag looks professional. I have gotten a few comments on how big it is, but the straps are sturdy and the design is manageable even for my petite frame. Everyday I carry 2 small coolers, bottles, my Medela Freestyle and accessories, laptop and charger, mouse, my breakfast, lunch, several snacks, big wallet, phone, keys, makeup,....(you get the picture) and I still have room to spare. Nice sturdy pockets and they are well organized. The bottom cooler pockets are really nice and the source of my only gripe, they close with big gold zippers that were difficult to move at first. After a few months use they are a bit better but require two hands to open. Also, the zippers are the "structure" for the bottom of the bag so if you are trying to close them you will need to pull the top of the bag upwards and then zip. You also have to wiggle it and fold the lining a bit so the zipper does not get stuck. Not a huge deal but requires you to put the baby down somewhere when packing the bag in the morning. Keep in mind, it is likely made worse by the amount of stuff I carry and if your pump is bigger it may help support the bag enough where it is not an issue. Love this bag and am confident it will last through the abuse of my pumping days for the next year and beyond.