In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Diaper Dude Original Messenger Bag Review

The Diaper Dude Original Messenger Bag is a decent bag built better for dads of older children
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Diaper Dude Original Messenger Bag Review
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Price:  $65 List
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Manufacturer:   Diaper Dude
By Natalie Hale & Juliet Spurrier, MD  ⋅  Jul 1, 2016

Our Verdict

The Diaper Dude Original is an affordable, compact and lightweight bag. It comes in many different colors and design options, which allows dads to find a bag that matches their individual style. While highly rated online for its more masculine appearance, we found it wanting in all the areas we found to be vital when considering a diaper bag. We recommend spending a few dollars more to get a better bag like the Best Value Award winning Boken Every Day Bag.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Lightweight
Comfortable to carry
REASONS TO AVOID
Cheap materials
Difficult to pack and organize
The Diaper Dude Original Messenger Bag was discontinued in 2018.

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Diaper Dude Original Messenger Bag could barely fit all the items dad need to carry when heading out with baby. Despite the many style options available, the appearance of the bag we tested was not well liked compared to others. While it boasts seven pockets, they do not have expansion capabilities, which leads the bag to take on an awkward, inaccessible shape when fully stocked.

Performance Comparison


diaper dude original messenger bag - the diaper dude original, all packed for a day at the park with baby.
The Diaper Dude Original, all packed for a day at the park with baby.
Credit: Natalie Hale

Storage and Ease of Use


The Diaper Dude Original was the most difficult of the group to pack. Consequently, we awarded it a score of 3 of 10. While it certainly has the right framework to be a good bag, it lacks a few key elements; namely, an insulated pocket for storing a bottle and/or food. Much like the Diaper Dude Messenger II, the Original's three pockets on the front of the bag are all the same size and have wider tops than bottoms, which causes the bag to carry its weight higher, making it easier for it to fall over. The interior fabric of the bag we tested was black, which made it very difficult to find smaller items that may have migrated to the bottom of the bag.

Comfort


This bag recieved a 6 of 10 in Comfort because it was just OK to carry. Thankfully, it is lightweight and the padded handle made it easier on our shoulder and prevented the nylon strap from cutting into our skin. Because the bag is so compact, it forced us to carry only the absolutely essential items, thus preventing overpacking, which meant weight was never an issue.

Quality


diaper dude original messenger bag - the plastic tabs on the diaper dude original pulled off easily...
The plastic tabs on the Diaper Dude Original pulled off easily. Again, we much prefer sturdier metal hardware when it comes to bag closures.
Credit: Natalie Hale
This bag is made with noisy, stiff polyester fabric. The zipper closures are a combination of plastic and metal, which we discovered were a common point of complaint among other users as they break and jam more readily. Our bag lost one of its zipper pulls almost immediately and the others do not look like they will last much longer. The seams and stitching do seem secure however, and many online reviewers state they are still using their bag many years after purchase. We gave it the lowest score we awarded for the group in this category, a 2 of 10.

Style


We awarded this bag a score of 2 of 10 for Style. Compared with the other bags we tested, it was the least favored among those we polled. Most were not keen on the appearance of the three pockets in front or the bright orange zippers.

Best Applications


We found the Diaper Dude Original is best suited for dads of older children. You need to carry more items for infants and this bag simply does not have enough usable real estate to meet those needs.

Value


Overall, it represents a good bang for your buck, but we recommend dads test out several bags first before settling on this one. While still a good option, we think you can do better.

Conclusion


This is a decent bag; it looks OK and holds the essentials. However, when compared to the other bags we tested, we couldn't help but feel like we were “settling” for something sub-par, when for a similar price, one can get a lot more value.

Video


This is a 2012 Diaper Dude video:

Natalie Hale & Juliet Spurrier, MD