The best bag organizers for work, travel and more, according to experts
If you want to spend less time digging through your bag everyday, these options may help.
Cuyana Classic Easy Tote Insert
$98.00
$98.00
The purpose of a bag organizer, according to Katz. is simple: to keep the inside of your bag tidy so you aren’t constantly searching for items that should be easy to spot and grab. In other words, it should “help prevent a black hole of all your contents,” says Porter.Following their advice and recommendations, I used the following criteria to pick the best bag organizers:
Below, I rounded up the best bag organizers that align with Porter and Katz’s advice, along with some of their favorite options.
Katz calls this the “#1 bag organizer on the market” because of its removable parts, which allow you to customize your organizer from day to day. It’s very spacious, with ten interior pockets and three exterior pockets, along with a detachable, zippered middle pocket that can be used within the organizer or separately as a wallet or pouch, according to the brand. It’s handmade from a soft and pliable felt material that the brand says is easy to spot clean with a gentle detergent. This bag organizer is available in 17 colors and seven sizes, including small, large, extra-large and mini.
Type: Purse organizer, insert | Dimensions: 9.25 x 5.9 x 5.1 inches | Weight: | Material: Felt
The material of this handmade organizer is a lightweight, water-repellent felt that’s easy to spot clean, according to the brand. Porter recommends this option for its high-quality material and size range, which she says makes it “ideal” for certain styles of designer handbags. It has four long side pockets lining one large inner pocket, along with two end pockets on the organizer’s smaller sides. If you’re looking for an organizer to match a specific brand-name bag, this may be exactly what you need — Samorga offers customized bag organizers that are designed to correspond to a variety of popular bags, including luxury options from brands like Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Goyard and more.
Type: Purse organizer, insert | Dimensions: 10.5 x 4.2 x 4.5 inches | Weight: 2.82 oz | Material: Felt
Packing cubes are some of my favorite travel accessories for packing efficiently, and this set from Travelon is a great option for helping you to organize your carry-on or suitcase. It’s made from a lightweight polyester material and comes with three cubes of varying sizes, which are perfect for packing smaller items like electronics accessories and cords, grooming and toiletry products, jewelry and more. The cubes also have a mesh front so you can easily see inside, along with an interior mesh pocket for extra storage. Porter says these cubes are “excellent for keeping travel essentials organized and compressed,” which can help you save luggage space.
Type: Travel organizer, packing cubes | Dimensions: 5.5 x 8 x 5.5 inches | Weight: 6 oz | Material: Polyester, mesh
If loose cords and tech accessories are your main problems, this organizer from Dagne Dover may be just what you need. It has two large interior pockets, one mesh and one neoprene, and three elastic loops to hold your cords, charger blocks, and charging cases. For accessories that you may need to grab quickly, the pouch comes with an exterior back mesh pocket, along with a D-ring loop for any clippable products. The organizer also comes in a large size and in five colors, and has a 4.6 star average review from 624 reviews on Dagne Dover.
Type: Tech organizer, pouch | Dimensions: 8 x 3.25 x 5.25 inches | Weight: 13.4 oz| Material: Neoprene, mesh
This organizer has everything you need to get your baby’s diaper bag in order. There is a removable insert with three large packers that can double as a toy storage bin in your home, along with eight external pockets on the bag for smaller toys, snacks, and on-the-go baby supplies, according to the brand. The bag’s made from a lightweight felt, which makes it easy to carry and has a 4.7-star average rating from 14,422 ratings on Amazon.
Type: Diaper bag organizer, caddy insert | Dimensions: 9 x 13 x 7 inches | Weight: 13.4 oz| Material: Felt
Cuyana makes one of our favorite work totes, and this bag organizer insert is the perfect accessory to go with it (although you can use it in any bag with similar dimensions). It has three pockets for all of your on-the-go essentials, along with a water bottle loop, a key ring, and a built-in laptop sleeve that can fit up to a 16” Macbook Pro, according to the brand. It’s made from a recycled plastic that’s machine-washable on a cold cycle, and is available in sizes small, classic and tall, so it can fit bags of varying dimensions. This bag organizer has a 4.3 star average rating from 38 reviews on Cuyana.
Type: Purse organizer, insert | Dimensions: 20.5 x 9.3 x 5 inches | Weight: 1.2 lbs | Material: Recycled plastic
These nylon pouches are one of Katz’s preferred bag organizers. She suggests pouches as a bag organizer alternatives for smaller bags, or for those who aren’t a fan of the usual, bigger organizers. “They’re good for categorizing any item, and labeling them makes it easy to find what you’re looking for,” she says. She suggests buying pouches in multipacks like this one — it has six pouches in two different sizes, each of which is designed to be lightweight, durable, and flexible enough to be able to squeeze and manipulate the pouches into the smaller crevices of your bag, according to the brand.
Type: Pouches | Dimensions: 9.45 x 5.12 x 0.39 inches | Weight: 11 lbs (total) | Material: Mesh
Another one of Katz’s pouch picks, this set comes with 15 multicolored pouches — great for storing smaller items like cosmetics, jewelry, and charger cords and accessories. They’re made from a waterproof lambskin leather that’s lightweight and scratch-resistant, and are small enough to be used in purses, totes and mini bags. These pouches are also self-closing, meaning that there are no zippers — instead, the pouches snap open and close by being squeezed on the sides, according to the brand.
Type: Pouches | Dimensions: 4.7 x 4.3 x 4.7 inches | Weight: 12.6 oz (total) | Material: Lambskin
This purse insert bag organizer has an interior fabric lining and a nylon exterior, making it soft, lightweight and water-resistant, according to the brand. It has three pockets each on the front and back, along with two hooks on the side and six interior pockets, giving you plenty of space to store and organize your valuables. The middle pocket also has a zipper to better secure any important items, and an additional hook for your keys. Katz likes to use this organizer for smaller totes — it also comes in four other sizes, ranging from medium to extra-large.
Type: Purse organizer, insert | Dimensions: 9.3 x 3.2 x 6.2 inches | Weight: 1.2 lbs | Material: Nylon
When shopping for your own bag organizer, in addition to the suggestions above, here are a few other things experts recommend keeping in mind:
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Tanisha Porter is a professional organizer and the founder of Natural Born Organizers.
Zoe Katz is the co-founder of Twice As Organized, a lifestyle organization company based in New York.
I am an associate SEO reporter with NBC Select, where I’ve consulted with experts for multiple articles about work and office supplies, including roundups of the best work totes and best ergonomic office chairs. For this story, I spoke to two organizing experts to find out everything you need to know about the best bag organizers, including their recommendations and shopping advice to help you find one of your own.
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