This Backpack Is Actually Five Bags In One & It's The Only Travel Bag You'll EVER Need

If you're the type of person that likes to keep a streamlined and uncluttered closet, then you know how much the purse shelf can be a nightmare to control. People need different kinds of totes, backpacks, and handbags for different purposes, which means that section in the closet can begin to overflow. But the new Timbuk2 x Phoebe Dahl Jet Set Pack collab can help you nix that wardrobe anxiety and streamline everything you need into a five-in-one bag.

Timbuk2 is a San Francisco-based label that creates bags that help you outsmart the city, and it was originally founded in a garage by a bike messenger who taught himself to sew. Being in a profession that relied on backpacks and satchels, he knew exactly what was needed. Since then it has expanded into everything from backpacks, to briefcases, to totes and camera bags, and moved on from just focusing on getting around an urban space to hiking and traveling, too.

That latter interest is what has brought us to the Jet Set Pack.

Conscious-clothing designer Phoebe Dahl — the woman behind the unisex, sustainable-linen label Faircloth + Supply — was the mastermind behind the design, where the idea organically came up when discussing how to simplify a closet with one bag that can do it all, and how convenient that would be if you liked to travel.

For anyone who has ever gone backpacking for a few months, or went away on vacation for a few weeks, you can sympathize firsthand how much room multiple bags can take up in a suitcase, and what a pain it can be to lug them all around. But annoyance or not, sometimes it's necessary. If you know you'll need a backpack and a cross-body bag, you'll be hard-pressed not to pack them.

Which is where the Jet Set Pack comes in: It's a leather bag with countless ways to carry it. With adjustable and removable straps, this clever accessory is a tote, a handbag, a backpack, a cross-body bag, or a fanny pack, transforming into whatever you need it to be at that moment.

When I first heard about this bag, I'll admit I was skeptical. Having a freelance job, I'm gone half the time traveling in Europe and Asia and know from experience how annoying it can be when you're strapped into 12 different bags at the airport because you need your options. But can one bag really transform into all those different versions and still work properly?

Game to try it out, I got the bag and was curious to see if it would be able to handle all my bus switching, train catching, mile-walking, and airport hustling.

One thing I really liked was that there are a variety of colorways you can choose from, tailoring the bag to your aesthetic. You can choose between Black (which is a mix of waxed canvas and leather), Metallic (which comes in an olivine leather), or Bright Blue (which is all leather).

So it's definitely stylish. But how does it work?

The key to this is that everything is detachable. If you look at the backpack above, the two front straps holding the front pocket of the pack are actually securing the cross-body bag. You can detach it, and hook it up to a bulky, hardware-accented strap that comes inside the backpack. If you adjust the straps to sling down to your hips, you have a traditional purse, but if you shorten them so the pocket hangs diagonally across your chest, you have a fannypack.

Inside the backpack there is also a detachable passport case with two loops on the back, and you can also thread that through the strap to include an extra pocket on your slingback fanny. You can see this in action below. Or, alternatively, you can transform the purse into a clutch if you don't hook any straps to it.

As for the backpack itself, inside it has a laptop sleeve as well as an additional pocket to capture small odds and ends like pens, batteries, or phones. If you're done using it as a pack, you can take off its detachable straps, which you can see in action below.

You can just pop them off and either sling your arm through the strap on top and carry it like an arm bag, or clip the strap through the four available hoops attached to the front and back of the purse to transform it into a tote.

All in all, I think it's an amazing, all-purpose bag to bring with you on any getaway. The only thing I wish it had more of was pockets. There was one small pocket in the backpack, and zero pockets in the clutch. Because of that, I wouldn't carry my whole life in this pack, but that's what you have your suitcase and packing cubes for.

The Timbuk2 x Phoebe Dahl Jet Set Pack will be available online and in-stores starting June 1, and it will cost between $249-$299. While the price tag its hefty, it's made from quality materials that will last years, and gives you five bags in one. If you want to declutter your closet from its avalanche of purses or just want something multi-tasking for your future trip, give this option a go.