Article: I Took a Rattan Bag to Bali With My Kids—Here’s How It Held Up
I Took a Rattan Bag to Bali With My Kids—Here’s How It Held Up
By Jasmine, Co-founder of MOMIJI
Slowing Down in a Place That Moves Differently
There’s something about Bali that just knows how to make you slow down. The traffic is chaotic but unhurried, the mornings smell like clove cigarettes and sea breeze, and even the kids seemed to argue less. Maybe we were all just breathing a bit easier.
We hadn’t taken a proper family trip in a while. So when we landed, everything from the tiled airport floor to the warm, sticky air felt like a welcome reset. Travelling with kids is never a breeze, but it has its own magic—a kind of rhythm you learn to dance to. We spent our days wandering, snack-hunting, chasing koi in temple ponds, and getting distracted every ten minutes. It was chaotic, colourful, and exactly what we needed.
The Bag I Packed Without Thinking About
When I packed, I tossed the blush pink Jasmine Rattan Suitcase into our luggage stack at the last minute. I wasn’t trying to be clever—I just liked the way it looked and thought it might hold the usual mum things: snacks, wipes, sketchbooks, spare shirt. You know, the real essentials.
I didn’t think much of it until we were halfway through the trip and I realised I hadn’t touched any of the other bags I brought.
Light, Sturdy, and Weirdly Reliable
At the airport, it perched on top of our roller bag without sliding off once. I carried it through security with one hand, toddler in the other, and it never felt awkward or bulky. That’s the thing about rattan—it's surprisingly light. And when you’re juggling a child, boarding passes, and a packet of sticky gummies, every gram counts.
What really won me over was how well it held its shape. I’ve used totes that collapse into sad pancakes by the end of the day. This one stayed upright, whether it was full of colouring books or half-packed with whatever treasures the kids picked up that day.
Let’s Be Honest—It’s Not Waterproof
Look, I’m going to say it because someone always asks: no, it’s not waterproof. Natural rattan isn’t meant for monsoons or beach swims.
But we weren’t swimming with our carry-ons. The bag came to cafés, markets, and parks. I kept it out of the rain, gave it a quick wipe now and then, and it handled Bali just fine.
That said, we did get caught in a light drizzle one afternoon. I panicked a little—imagining the shape warping or the colour fading—but I wiped it gently and let it air dry in the villa. By morning, it looked exactly the same. Maybe even better. That moment made me trust the bag even more.
That Lining? It Makes All the Difference
The inside is lined with soft cotton, which sounds like a footnote but isn’t. If you’ve ever tried digging a hair tie out of the corner of an unlined basket, you know what I mean.
I could actually find things. The lining added a little structure and saved me from having to tip the whole thing out just to find a pack of tissues. It sounds simple, but that kind of ease becomes your best friend when you’re out with kids.
It Was Supposed to Be a Flight Bag. It Became My Everyday Bag.
Somehow, I started using it for everything. Whether we were heading to the beach or going out for dinner, that rattan bag came with us.
It held wet wipes, snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses, postcards, beach finds, and the occasional half-melted lollipop. One afternoon, we found ourselves sitting on a bench outside a small warung in Ubud with no table in sight—so the bag became our makeshift surface for holding coconut water cups and a small plate of banana fritters. Not ideal, but surprisingly helpful. It’s not what it was designed for, but it held steady, and I found myself relying on it more than I expected. Another time, my son insisted it was a treasure chest and carried it proudly for a few streets. He dropped it eventually, but the bag survived.
But, no matter what it went through, it still looked good. Some days I threw on linen, other days it was whatever crumpled T-shirt I could grab while wrestling shoes onto the kids—and the bag still looked right. It never clashed, never felt out of place, and somehow always pulled the outfit together, even when I barely had time to think about one.
People Noticed—But Not In the Way You Think
A few people asked about it. One woman in a gelato line leaned in and said, “Is that vintage?” Someone else wanted to touch it. But it wasn’t flashy. It didn’t feel like a brand piece—it felt like something with a bit of soul.
Those conversations reminded me that a bag doesn’t have to shout to be memorable. Sometimes the quiet ones stay with you longer.
More Than Just a Pretty Rattan Bag
The Jasmine Rattan Suitcase was designed to be beautiful, yes—but it was also built with purpose. The structure, the clasp, the lining—every detail was meant to be lived with. And after a full trip of travel, snacks, chaos, and calm, it proved itself.
There were no zippers to jam. No odd-shaped compartments to navigate. Just one solid, easy-to-carry, good-looking piece that worked with me, not against me.
Cleaning it? Easy. One wipe down, and it was back to looking like the pretty thing I picked off the studio shelf.
It Came Back With More Than I Packed
By the end of the trip, I realised I’d stopped worrying about packing altogether. I trusted the bag. I knew what fit. I knew where things were.
That trust—as small as it sounds—was what made this rattan suitcase stand out. It didn’t just look good in photos. It made travelling feel smoother. No last-minute rummaging. No second-guessing. No hauling around something that felt like a chore.
It gave me space to focus on what actually mattered: the kids, the sights, the quiet moments between the noise.
And honestly, that kind of reliability is pretty rare. I didn’t just learn to trust the bag—I started trusting that I could carry less, plan less, and still be prepared. It was a small but unexpected reminder that simplicity often holds up better than we think.
Thinking About Getting One?
Here’s what I’ll say: if you’re looking for something that’s both pretty and practical—that can survive airports, cafés, park benches, light rain, and kids’ hands—this might be it.
The Jasmine Rattan Suitcase isn’t trying to be everything. It just does one thing really well: being a travel bag that feels like you.
