A few months ago, I tested the ubiquitous Bogg Bag and, despite my initial hesitation, ultimately declared it worth the hype. It’s practical and very durable, and I was truly shocked at how not unattractive it could be (a subjective opinion, of course).
But as worthy as it might be, the Bogg Bag is not cheap. The Original (largest) size well set you back $90 for solid colors and $100 for prints, which isn’t nothing for what some might argue is a novelty tote. So when I came across a $20 lookalike from Walmart’s house brand Mainstays, I took notice. And when I saw that it had already racked up close to 1,000 5-star reviews, I decided it was only fair to test the worthiness of this bag’s hype, too.
My findings are below. Read through for what I observed and my personal final verdict, then decide for yourself whether to smash that Buy button.
From a distance, the Mainstays Flex tote and Bogg bags are basically identical: Giant plastic totes in bold, bright colors and dotted with holes, ultimately resembling giant blocks of cartoon-y Swiss cheese.
Upon closer inspection, there are a few aesthetic differences, most noticeably in their hole-punched patterns: The Flex has alternating columns of ovals and skinny pill-shaped holes, and a subtly embossed honeycomb grid. The Bogg has circular holes only, set on a flat surface. The handle rivets are also slightly different: The Flex’s are tonal, blank, and sit flush against the bag. The Bogg’s are thicker and thus more obtrusive, and are also stamped with the brand’s lowercase “b” logo. (Depending on your preference for logos, note that the “b” is tonal on some colorways and therefore less noticeable).
