Remember the Succession scene where Tom Wambsgans shredded Cousin Greg's date for her 'ludicrously capacious' Burberry tote? Lululemon apparently took it as a design brief. The brand now sells a tote literally called the Big-Ass Bag, and it is enormous: 80 litres of capacity, water-repellent polyester, and a price of £228 — a fraction of the £2,000-plus designer bags it dwarfs.
The concept is deliberately absurd. The bag unfolds from a small clip-on pouch (which doubles as a mini tote) into something the Condé Nast Traveller UK reviewer says she could physically fit inside. It is finished in plain black, with external pockets for water bottles, headphones and lunch, plus a webbed padded handle. Unlike a flashy designer tote, it attracts no accusations of showing off — just colleagues wandering over to check that a bag that size actually exists.
Who is it for? The reviewer has some theories. Extreme overpackers — the kind who bring four pairs of boots and their own pillow to a two-night break — can finally ditch the suitcase and call it 'just a light tote'. Market and IKEA shoppers can haul sourdough, oat milk, a houseplant and a flat-packed bookcase in one trip. And anyone fleeing a flatshare in a hurry could, in theory, zip an entire wardrobe, duvet and toaster into it and walk out like an athleisure bank robber.
Before you reach for your card, two honest caveats. First, it is essentially useless for flying: too big for carry-on, and too soft and unprotected to check in. Second, at full capacity it gets seriously heavy — the kind of bag your chiropractor would advise against. Both early reviews on Lululemon's site, for what it's worth, gave it five stars.
Why should travellers care? Because it taps into a real tension: the fantasy of the one-bag trip versus the reality of what cabin limits allow. At 80 litres, the Big-Ass Bag is roughly double a typical carry-on duffel, so it is strictly a ground-transport piece — think road trips, train weekends, festival gear or moving day, not the airport. It is also a fun marker of where luggage trends are heading: soft, squashable, technical-fabric bags that prioritise volume and pockets over polish. If your packing style leans more 'prepared for four climates' than 'capsule wardrobe', this might be the most honest bag ever made. If you travel light, it will gather dust in a cupboard — ironically, a cupboard it could probably carry itself into.
