Jo Totes Gracie Camera Bag Review

I've been using a new camera bag/purse for a couple of months, and I think it's about time I shared it with you! It's the Gracie bag in Butterscotch, by Jo Totes. I wanted to wait to post until I had had some time to really use it, and use it I have! Out of all of the camera bags I have tried in the past, this is the one I have used the most as just a purse, even when I don't need my camera. I love it for both uses (and for both at once)!

Alright, let's get to the details! I'm about to tell you everything I can think of to tell you about this bag, and to show you in detailed photos, so sit back and enjoy! :)

Let's start with the front of the bag! It has two pockets which are fabulous! They have magnetic closures but look like they close with buckles (love that!). They have plenty of room in them for all of your "small thing" needs. When I'm using the bag like a purse, I put a small notebook & pens in one pocket and my cell phone & ipod in the other (likely with some lip gloss). If I'm using it solely as a camera bag, I'll switch the notebook and pens for memory cards and lens pens.

Also at the front of the bag, behind those two awesome pockets is another awesome pocket that is the perfect size for a tablet! I was a little nervous about this pocket because I have a Microsoft Surface Tablet and it is WIDE. It's 10.81" wide, to be exact. (I think the ipad is 9.5") So, if this tablet pocket was going to be too small for any tablet, it was going to be too small for mine! But, as you can see, it fits! It is a tight fit and I would be even happier with it if there was a little more wiggle room, but it DOES fit- and I'm glad!

This bag comes with two removable straps. One purse strap, and one adjustable shoulder strap with shoulder pad (shown below). The clasps on the ends make it very easy to switch out the handles. I use mine the most with the purse strap, but if I'm going to be using the bag one day solely for taking photos, I will switch it out and use the shoulder strap in order to wear it cross-body.

Here's a look at the details- I'm holding the bag up so you can see how tall it is capable of being. The padding only goes about half way up the bag inside though, so that if you are not filling the top half, it will be nice and slouchy for you on the top half. You can also see what the zipper looks like up close on the tablet pocket.

Before we take a look inside the bag, let's take a peek at the back. There is a nice deep, flat pocket at the back with no closure (I love this for sticking small or folded papers in). It was perfect when I used the bag as a carry-on for my trip to Utah in February because I could use it for my boarding pass and itinerary- very easy to access!

And how cool is this- there is a hidden little zipper pocket INSIDE of the back pocket! You can put all sorts of little hidden treasures in there! ;)  In the photo below, I'm showing it to you- you'll also catch a glimpse of the pretty blue interior of the bag :)

Now let's look inside.  There are two zipper pockets inside.  The one with the Jo Totes label on it is an extra deep pocket.  The one on the other side is what I would consider a typical sized interior zipper pocket for a purse.  I love that both of these options are available!

This bag comes with 5 dividers. They are not all the same! Some have velcro flaps on the bottom and sides, some have velcro flaps just on the sides, and some have velcro flaps on the sides, the top, and velcro on the flat sides of the divider! This is cool because it means you can do more than just decide how many "compartments" you will make and how wide they will be, but you can use those "velcro-on-the-flat-side" dividers to divide your compartments! The combinations are endless!

I used those options in different ways for my carry-on needs when I travelled in February, but for every day use I tend to use it the way I've shown below. Plenty of room for my camera (Canon 5D) with a 28-75mm lens attached to it, an extra lens, and my flash as well as any purse items I want to add to it. (You can see that there is lots of space around my lens- I could totally divide that compartment in two and create another thin compartment next to it!)

I think you can tell from the photo below that this bag has a lot of space above the velcro area. You could fit a LOT in the bag on TOP of where your gear fits all snug and safe, surrounded by padding. OR you can just let the top part of the bag scrunch down to achieve that slouchy look.

I can't bring myself to post a camera bag review without a shot of myself wearing it to give you an idea of how big it is. (No matter how selfie-in-the-mirror-esque that photo is ;) There aren't any other photographers around my house, and I couldn't find the tripod, so this is what you get! :)

By the way, I am wearing the purse strap in this photo and I'm all dressed up for church because I've been using this bag a lot as a church bag!  I just take out the dividers and throw my tablet (which has my lesson manual and scriptures downloaded onto it) right in the main area of the purse along with my planner and anything else I may need for my Primary (kids' Sunday School) lesson!

I hope you found this review helpful for your camera bag shopping needs!  I have a thing for camera bags, so it is always a pleasure to share them with you!


You can find other Jo Totes camera bag reviews I've posted by clicking on their names here: Abby, Missy, Millie, and Siena. I also have a review up for Kelly Moore's B-Hobo.

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Disclosure: Jo Totes provided me with this camera bag for review purposes.  All opinions shared are absolutely my own!