Solo New York Restore Tote Review: An Eco Friendly Bag for Urban Travelers

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A tote bag made from recycled water bottles.

I’ll be honest. When I first took the Solo New York Restore Tote out of the box, my reaction was just a simple oh. I wasn’t super excited about it. It just looked like a gray square. But then the more I took the bag out on the go, I grew to realize that it’s actually quite a sophisticated looking bag. It goes well with more outfits than I realized and blended in well for the activity, from going to the gym and running errands to working on my laptop at a cafe and as a personal item for the airport. And also not to mention how functional it is.

When it comes to eco friendly travel gear, I look for three things: durability, the materials used to make the gear and the company’s views on sustainability. The Solo New York Restore Tote is an eco friendly tote bag that hits all those points.

About Solo New York

The story of Solo New York dates back to 1940 when John Ax emigrated to New York City and created a small leather goods company, London Leather. The business later became known as United States Luggage and fast forward to 2000 when Briggs & Riley, known for their stylish luggage was acquired and in 2008, United States Luggage Company rebranded into Solo New York making bags and tablet cases for the savvy consumer.

In terms of sustainability, Solo New York not only has a collection of bags from recycled materials, but their office uses solar panels, has a no plastic bottles policy and their catalogs are printed on paper containing 30% post-consumer fiber.

About the Solo New York Re:cycled Collection

The Re:cycled Collection by Solo New York is a collection of bags made from recycled materials and uses less energy, water and air pollution to create. In the process, PET plastic bottles are made into a polyester yarn to create the bags, which includes:

Re:vive Mini Backpack: made from 3 recycled bottles
Re:store Tote: made from 5 recycled bottles (in this review)
Re:move Duffel: made from 8 recycled bottles

And to top all this off, for every bag sold from the collection, Solo plants a tree with the National Forest Foundation to help reforest U.S. National Forests.

Here’s what I love about the tote bag.

Pros

Eco Friendly

The obvious one. The tote bag is made using recycled PET plastic bottles as mentioned above.

Dedicated Laptop Compartment

There’s a padded compartment inside that can fit up to 15 inch Macbooks. My 13 inch Macbook Pro fits perfectly when put in horizontally and doesn’t jostle around the bag.

Lots of Pockets for Organization

The tote bag has a main compartment, laptop compartment and two about 5 inches wide and 5 inches long pockets where you can fit a wallet, Metrocard, lip gloss, mints and other small items for easy access. There’s also an attached keys clip and two spacious pockets on the exterior.

Here’s a few snaps I took while using the Restore Tote to show you how much can fit:

Left: Out and about for errands – book, water, supplies for the post office, umbrella, wallet, sunglasses
Middle: For the airport – makeup bag, 3-1-1 liquids, wallet/pouch for passport and travel documents, wallet, sweater, book, planner, 13 inch Macbook Pro, laptop charger, lip gloss, mints, empty water bottle
Right: To the gym – boxing gloves, hand wraps, sunglasses, wallet, water bottle, small canvas tote bag

Panels for Luggage Handles

Secure this Restore Tote Bag on your suitcase as you walk to your gate at the airport. You won’t need to worry about it falling off with the panel at the back of the bag. You could also potentially use it as another pocket, just remember to close the bottom part.

Sleek Look

Even when I tried to fill the bag with as many things as possible, it didn’t look very bulky.

Solo New York Five Year Warranty

All Solo bags have a five year warranty from the date of purchase (for issues relating to defects in materials and craftsmanship.) From the look and feel of the Restore Tote though, I don’t think I’ll need to use it.

Matching Items

Since the Restore Tote is part of a collection, you can also pair it with another item from the Recycled Collection. When I take staycations in Manhattan for a night, the Restore Tote would be big enough for my clothes and the Revive Mini Backpack for all other small items.

Cons

The Handles

It would really help for weight distribution if there was a removable crossbody strap. The tote can fit so much so it does get heavy. Either a crossbody strap or even a convertible backpack option would help. Perhaps something like the Austin Hybrid Tote Backpack. Made with eco friendly materials, it’d be my ideal bag.

Who is this bag for?

The urban traveler and those with an always on the go lifestyle. The Restore Tote fits everything you need for work, going out and traveling, and will serve as the perfect personal item on a plane and is a way for travelers to become a little more sustainable.

The Verdict

As someone who lives in a city, I’m a fan of Solo New Yorker. The Restore Tote is a bag for travel and everyday use and it’s also reasonably priced. It retails at $54.99, meanwhile other eco friendly totes like Everlane’s The ReNew Traveler Tote is $88, Bellroy’s Classic Tote is $89 and like the Restore Tote, can fit a laptop and features adequate interior pockets (though each are different materials, but just to give an idea of prices out there.)

Solo New York Restore Tote Ratings

8/10

Design - 8/10
7/10

Comfort - 7/10
9/10

Organization & Ease of Use - 9/10
9/10

Durability - 9/10
9/10

Value - 9/10

8.4/10

Where to Get the Solo New York Restore Tote

Get the Restore Tote on Solo’s website
Or on Amazon

Have any questions about the Solo New York Restore Tote? Leave a comment below.

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The Solo New York Restore Tote was provided for this review. As always, this Solo New York Restore Tote review contains only my honest views and opinions.