iMore Verdict
Bottom line: Carry your iPhone and much more around your waist or across your body in this flexible bag.
Pros
- +
Roomy bag has lots of organizational pockets for iPhone and more
- +
Can be worn as a hip bag or crossbody bag
- +
Made from recycled oceanic plastic waste
Cons
- -
Top exterior pocket holds only the smallest iPhone
- -
Pricey
- -
Might be too bulky for some
You can always trust iMore.
The Incase Hipsack w/BIONIC® is a nice-sized bag you can use for travel or every day. It's made from BIONIC® yarn, which is created from recycled oceanic plastic waste. The bag will easily hold your iPhone and well as many of your other important items such as an AirTag, travel wallet, passport, keys, sunglasses, and more. It even has room for a spare battery or charger.
The wide, sturdy strap is fully adjustable, so you can comfortably wear it around your waist or across your body. The strap is removable, so if you wanted to replace it with a different strap, you could. There are tons of pockets on the inside and the outside so that you can organize your stuff for quick access.
Incase Hipsack w/BIONIC®: Price and availability
The Incase Hipsack w/BIONIC® is currently available on Incase's website. Several other bags in this lineup, such as the Incase Commuter Backpack w/BIONIC®, are sold on Amazon as well, so I expect this bag will be too. There are two colorways: Bionic Blue and Sand. It sells for $70.
Incase Hipsack w/BIONIC®: What's hip
The bag measures 8.5-by-5.5-by-2.5 inches, which is larger than many hip bags. I like that there are so many pockets, which lets you organize your things neatly. There is a small zippered compartment on top, large enough for my iPhone 12 mini (but not a larger phone.) A wide zippered pocket on the front is big enough for the iPhone 12 Pro Max or just about any smartphone. Inside the roomy main compartment, there is a narrow but deep zippered valuables pocket, suitable for cash and credit cards. A velcro flap pocket next to it could hold thicker items, such as a battery pack or charger. On the other side of the main compartment's interior is another zippered pocket that's nearly the full width of the bag so that you could fit a passport inside, for example. There are also two mesh slide pockets and a detachable key ring.
Incase's BIONIC® yarn is woven into a durable, soft, rip-stop, abrasion-resistant fabric which makes an excellent choice for bags like this. The BIONIC® materials are made from plastic pollution that has been recovered from marine and coastal environments. This particular bag uses the equivalent of 13 plastic bottles in its construction.
Incase Hipsack w/BIONIC®: What's not so hip
My first choice for a spot to stow my iPhone would be the exterior zippered pocket on the top of the bag. Since it's close to my body, it's less accessible to would-be thieves, but since it's on the outside, it's easily accessible to me. While my iPhone 12 mini fits fine in there, a larger phone like the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro Max would not. So, you can place a larger phone in the front pocket (probably not the most secure) or in the main compartment (it might take some digging through your other stuff to find it) or one of the larger interior pockets (an extra step.) It would have made sense to make that top pocket big enough for larger smartphones, in my opinion.
Incase Hipsack w/BIONIC®: Competition
If you're looking for a hip bag/crossbody bag that's a bit more sophisticated-looking, check out the luxurious leather Waterfield Mini Hip Sling Bag. It's smaller and slimmer than the Incase bag and can be worn around the waist or across the body.
Another of my favorite hip bags is the Herschel Fourteen. It's a fabric bag that's quite small and lightweight, though it doesn't have a separate compartment for the iPhone. Herschel makes several sizes, in case you're looking for something a bit bigger than the Fourteen but still super light. It holds quite a lot; in fact, someone watching me pull stuff out of it called it my "Mary Poppins" bag.
Incase Hipsack w/BIONIC®: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if ...
- You want a roomy hip bag for your iPhone and much more
- You want the option to wear it around the waist or crossbody
- You want a bag made from recycled plastic waste fished from the sea
You shouldn't buy this if...
- If you have a larger phone and want to stow it in the pocket closest to the body
- You're looking for a bargain
- You want a small, streamlined bag
You'll like this bag if you're looking for a roomy, comfortable, quality bag that can be worn as a hip bag or a crossbody bag in which to carry your iPhone and lots more stuff. You'll especially like it if you're interested in cleaning up our oceans, as it's made from recycled plastic trash. However, if you planned to use that top exterior pocket for your iPhone, you're out of luck if you have anything larger than an iPhone 12 mini. If you're looking for a thin, unobtrusive bag, or one that's low in price, this isn't your bag.
This is a very nice hip bag; the BIONIC® fabric is aesthetically pleasing, lightweight, and durable. With so many pockets, you'll be able to organize your most important belongings and access them with ease. While the top exterior pocket is the obvious choice to house your iPhone, unfortunately, it holds nothing larger than the iPhone 12 mini. Of course, there is tons of room for any iPhone in the other pockets, plus lots of other stuff. Made from the equivalent of 13 discarded plastic water bottles, this is a bag you can feel good about buying.
Bottom line: Repurposed plastic becomes a roomy hip bag for carrying your iPhone and plenty more.
Karen is a contributor to iMore.com as a writer and co-host of the iMore Show. She’s been writing about Apple since 2010 with a year-long break to work at an Apple Store as a product specialist. She's also a contributor at TechRadar and Tom's Guide. Before joining iMore in 2018, Karen wrote for Macworld, CNET, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. She’s an early adopter who used to wait in long lines on release days before pre-ordering made things much easier. Karen is also a part-time teacher and occasional movie extra. She loves to spend time with her family, travel the world, and is always looking for portable tech and accessories so she can work from anywhere.