Peak Design Everyday Tote 15L – V2
INTRODUCTION
By definition, a tote bag is a large and often unfastened bag with parallel handles that emerge from the sides, similar to a shopping bag.
The Peak Design Everyday Tote 15L V2 was released in 2019 when the company updated their Everyday range of bags. All the bags in the Everyday range are dual purpose, however, some of them are more targeted to photography while others are a hybrid with a balance between photography and non-photography uses. This tote would fall into the hybrid category.
We are avid fans of the Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L bag and have been using it as our main camera bag in the field for several years. Although these bags are not that spacious for a single photographer, we travel as a couple so can carry just about everything between us in these bags. As a result, the Everyday Tote has never been on our radar as a bag that we would use in the field.
The Everyday Tote’s large fixed handles have the tendency to make the bag look a bit handbag-ish (don’t think this is a word – but you know what we mean 
). Even though tote bags are a unisex item every indication shows that this type of bag has been more designed for the female market. However, we’re not sure that your average male will get too excited over their initial impression of this tote bag, although you can sort of tuck away the handles and use the included shoulder strap. As far as tote bags go, the Peak Design Everyday Totepack 20L is probably more attuned to the male segment of the market.
Nevertheless, once you dig a bit deeper into this tote bag you will find that it is more than it seems. In fact, on first impression, Helen is wondering whether it may replace her Everyday Sling 10L bag on some of our trips. 
For this review, Peak Design was kind enough to send us the Everyday Tote V2 in Black.
If you are interested, check out What’s in our Bag.
Read on…
THE PRODUCT
The Peak Design Everyday Tote has a minimum capacity of 15L, but this expands to a maximum of 20L. It is constructed with 100% recycled post-consumer material. The exterior has a weatherproof 400D double poly-coated DWR*-impregnated nylon canvas shell. That’s a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll explain it in layman’s terms – it’s weatherproof, very durable, and entirely made from recycled material. In fact, 400D Nylon in our research is pretty much waterproof, but we think that weatherproof is a safer word for most bag manufacturers. It’s a little bit like those TV ads that say that a bacterial spay will kill 99.9 % of all bacteria (it’s never 100%). So, our understanding is that the tote will keep everything inside pretty dry unless it is subjected to continual torrential water falling on the tote.
The base of the tote is constructed with a more durable waterproof 900D material. And rightly so, as the base of a bag always needs to be more durable and waterproof.
The zippers are the super-durable UltraZip and all the hardware on the tote is constructed with anodized aluminium and glass-reinforced nylon. The Accents (these are the small decorative inclusions) are Leather on the Bone tote and Hypalon on the Black tote. The accents are much more noticeable on the Bone tote.
*DWR – Durable Water Repellant
EVERYDAY TOTE – EXTERIOR
The Peak Design Everyday Tote has external dimensions measuring H: 32 cm (12.6in) W: 42cm (16.53in) at the top of the bag and 36cm (14.17in) at the base D: 12 cm (4.72in) when unpacked and weighs 1.02kg (2.25lbs) including the Flexfold dividers.
The first thing you will notice on the tote is the 2 non-removable handles. These handles immediately give the tote that feminine look that we mentioned in the introduction. These can be tucked away, although, not really very efficiently. One handle would have to be stowed in the pocket at the back of the tote (the pocket with the luggage pass-through). The other handle would have to be held in place beneath the magnetic closing flap at the top of the tote. If these two handles were removable it would be a much better tote, but that’s just our opinion.
There’s really not that much to get you excited with the exterior of the tote. There are two pockets – one on the front and one on the back. Only the pocket at the front has a zipper. The pocket at the back is instead concealed by a magnetised flap that also conceals the luggage pass-through loop. Other than that there is nothing else in this fairly shallow pocket. Maybe this pocket IS dedicated to stowing one of the handles! Naturally, if you are using the handles then this pocket can store loose quick-access items. The zippered pocket that is concealed by a magnetised flap at the front of the tote is a little more spacious. It contains the key tether and 4 shallow pockets and 3 deeper pockets. However, if you were to fill these pockets there would be little room for anything else in the main compartment of this pocket.
The exterior also has 10 glass-reinforced cord hooks that are designed to be used with the Peak Design Cord Hook system. These cord hooks will allow you to secure items to the exterior of the bag using the carry straps included with the tote eg. tripod. The same system is used for also attaching the removable shoulder strap.
Above: Front view of the Everyday Tote
Above: Back view of the Everyday Tote
Above: Side view of the Everyday Tote
Above: Angled view of the Everyday Tote
Above: The exterior zipper pocket has a very handy removable key tether
Above: The exterior zipper pocket is ideal for carrying frequently accessed items
EVERYDAY TOTE – INTERIOR
The interior of the Everyday Tote is accessed via the recessed single Ultrazip zipper at the top of the tote. We love the way that this entrance zipper is recessed, making it near impossible for any prying hands to access the bag without first having to unfold the magnetised flap that conceals the zipper.
Unlike the interior of most camera bags, the tote is barren inside, but just remember that this is a tote bag and not really a dedicated camera bag. There are two deep padded sleeves. The sleeves will hold a laptop or tablet up to 13″. These are kept secure with a magnetic seal at the top of the sleeve. We tried to fit our HP 14″ laptop into the tote, but sure enough it would not fit. It does, however, comfortably accommodate our Microsoft Surface Go which is all we travel with these days as we don’t really use a laptop while on the road.
The remainder of the interior contains two Flexfold dividers that be fixed in place using the Velcro flaps. These dividers will accommodate a camera body and 3-4 extra lenses (depending on the size of the lenses of course). However, these dividers can be easily removed if you wanted to use the tote for non-photography days.
Lastly, there are two pockets for small accessories and a pocket to hold a pen. These small pockets could hold spare batteries and possibly some circular filters.
Above: The interior easily accommodates a Sony A7Riii with an attached 24-105 f/4 lens and Silence Corner Atoll, a 70-200 f/4 lens, and a 16-35 f/4 lens. We also have the Microsoft Surface Go using one of the laptop sleeves. There’s still ample room on top of this to also accommodate other items if needed.
Above: A tripod can be attached to the exterior if needed. In this case, it is the Peak Design Travel Tripod. Anything bigger would be a bit awkward with this bag. The tote can be carried similarly to our Everyday Sling 10L. Once swung to the front of the body it allows easy access to the interior although the opening is not as practical as the sling.
Above: The Peak Design Everyday Tote 15L – V2 with the shoulder strap attached. It is a bit bulkier than our Everyday Sling 10L but still comfortable to carry around for extended periods with camera gear.
PROS
- Great design
- Premium quality
- An adequate amount of internal storage
- Dual Purpose – great for photographers and non-photographers
- Weatherproof
- Made from 100% recycled material
- Lifetime Warranty
We can’t really find too much wrong with the tote, however, some of these CONS may not be an issue for some photographers.
CONS
- Not really a unisex product
- If used as a camera bag the large fixed handles can be obtrusive
- Bone colourway marks easily
- Minimal interior pockets
- Only fits a laptop up to 13″
- Not waterproof
COLOURS
The Peak DesignEveryday Tote is available in Black and Bone. Hover over the image below for a better look at the colours. We only have the Black version of the Everyday Tote however we do have the Everyday Totepack in Bone and have notcied that the Bone colourway may stain easily.
Above: Black
Above: Bone
PRICING, SHIPPING, & PURCHASING
Peak Design Everyday Tote – USD$149.95
US orders have FREE standard delivery for orders over USD$99.00
For all other delivery costs, we suggest you click here. It may be worthwhile checking prices with a retailer in your region as the price may be cheaper than the Peak Design online price plus shipping.
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THE FINAL WORD
The Peak Design Everyday Tote is undeniably a stylish and well-crafted product. However, like most products, it won’t suit everyone’s needs. We believe that it is best suited for individuals seeking a versatile bag. It’s an excellent choice for anyone who wants a bag they can use for daily activities and also to utilize the Flexfold dividers to carry their camera gear on a daily basis or just in their spare time.
The big handles on this tote bag suggest that it was primarily created for the female market, without seeming sexist. So, if you’re a woman looking for a premium tote bag that offers comfort and style as well as serving as a bag to keep necessary photographic equipment, you’ll adore this product.
Don’t get us wrong; this tote bag will be popular with a smaller demographic of male photographers and non-photographers. However, the Peak Design Everyday Totepack may be a better option if you ARE a photographer and need a tote bag that can hold more equipment and accessories.
Would we use it? There are definitely instances where we would use this tote – and probably for some international trips. When using the shoulder strap, we have found the tote to be a great alternative to our Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L for urban exploration in our home city. It allows us to carry just a bit more gear without resorting to a backpack bag which we generally try to avoid.
Update: We have just returned from a 3.5 week trip to Japan (our third visit). Normally we would both take our Everyday Sling 10L bag, however, we did things a little differently on this trip. Paul took the Everyday Sling 10L – V2 instead of the V1 bag and Helen took the Everyday Tote 15L – V2. The Everyday Tote, despite the large handles, worked seamlessly and Helen was delighted with the bag. This tote bag is now looking like a permanent replacement bag for our international trips.
We’d love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions about this product.
RATING: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
If you're interested in reading any other Peak Design reviews click on the links below. To read our other equipment or software reviews click here.
Peak Design Capture Camera Clip
Peak Design Everyday Sling Bag – 10L (V1)
Peak Design – Shell
Peak Design Slide Camera Strap
Peak Design Everyday Sling Bag 10L (V2)
Peak Design Lens Kit
Peak Design Travel Tripod
Peak Design Travel Tripod – Is this the best travel tripod?
Peak Design Everyday Totepack 20L - V2
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