*Disclosure: Irresistibly Green provided a Planet Wise product for this guest review.*
When I started cloth diapering in 2010, I fully planned to use all of my cloth diapers and supplies for a second child. I knew that using my supplies for a second child was going to save us money, but I never imagined how much abuse my cloth diapers and supplies were actually going to go through. One of the most used items in our cloth diaper stash is a four-year-old Planet Wise wet bag. While I have had to replace other brands of wet bags, my Planet Wise wet bag just keeps on going.
Planet wise has so many features that make it stand out from other wet bags on the market. First, planet wise uses a high-quality PUL that keeps moisture and odors inside of the bag. I have never had a Planet Wise bag delaminate. I have a wet bag from another brand (used just as frequently as our Planet Wise bags) and, after almost a year, I was filing a claim for a replacement bag due to delaminated PUL. After a year of using the replacement bag, that also delaminated. The PUL on Planet Wise bags also feels tough and durable while being pliable. I have another brand wet bag, where the PUL feels a bit delicate and I worry about possibly ripping it. Planet Wise bags are really made to last, and you can see that in the extra steps they take in making their bags. Unlike some competitors, Planet Wise serges the cotton inner lining of the bag to prevent it from fraying. This may not seem like a big deal because it’s inside the bag and you can’t see it. However, I once pulled a bag (of another brand) out of our washing machine and found that it was pulled into a huge knot: fraying inside of the bag tangled around and it required me actually breaking the frayed fabric for the bag to be usable.
It’s great to have a functional and durable wet bag, but if it’s an ugly bag I really hate using it. Wet bags are a hot item in our household. We use them for cloth diapers, damp clothing, outings, swimming lessons, and camping. We take a wet bag to daycare every day, and bring home soiled cloth diapers and dirty clothing. I use a wet bag anytime I need a waterproof solution, so our bags are constantly out in public. What I love is that Planet Wise has such wonderful prints and colors. The bags are very trendy. You can see the absolute perfection of these bags when looking at the stitching around the zipper: I couldn’t get a straighter stitch with a ruler.
While I have attempted to make some of my own wet bags, they are nowhere near the quality and durability of a professionally made Planet Wise bag. When I calculate the cost of fabric, a zipper, thread, and the time involved in buying everything and sewing the bag (and fighting with my bobbin for 20 minutes…yes, this almost always happens), I really don’t save any money over just buying a bag. Plus, the bags I did make always had problems: the cutting wasn’t even enough so the bag isn’t straight, I sewed too close to the zipper so the PUL gets caught when I close the bag, or I used a separating zipper instead of a non-separating one. The bags work, but they were certainly not worth the frustration involved in making them and using them. There is value in buying a quality Planet Wise bag that is going to function for years to come.
While I have a lot of experience with the Planet Wise brand, I only own large bags and I hadn’t tried the medium-sized bags. Irresistibly Green had me try out the medium sized bag, and I was pleasantly surprised by how many diapers this bag could hold. The bag easily fit 4-5 pocket diapers. This was great information for me because we use wet bags every day at daycare. Each night, we transport the 4-5 soiled diapers home in our wet bag. I could have purchased Planet Wise medium-sized wet bags versus large sizes! I was also in love with this “Bangle Dots” print, and my husband even thought the print was nice.
What I love about Planet Wise is that there are so many choices of bag sizes, prints, and they are all made with attention to detail and quality workmanship. I definitely recommend Planet Wise bags.
Nissa blogs at Cloth Diaper Guru and enjoys talking about cloth diapering and natural parenting. For more updates on Posts from Cloth diaper Guru, follow on Facebook and twitter.
And sturdy too! !! I bought mine used— very very very very used. The outside fabric is frayed and rather ugly, but the bag still works perfectly! !! I’m super impressed by how well it endured so many w ashings and I’m really confident it will last long enough to do it’s job withmy first kid (second kid? Not sure. Time will tell
mine is the same. I have a large one that is four years old now. It has frayed around the outer edges, but the PUL inside is just fine. I imagine if I had a few more bags in rotation it would even look better on the outside. glad your’s is holding up!