An everyday ITA bag has two jobs. It has to carry your actual day: a laptop, a water bottle, chargers, lunch, maybe a Switch for the train. And it has to show off the pins, charms and plush you love, instead of leaving them in a drawer at home.
That drawer is where Pinbuds started. I fell in love with pins on my first trip to Japan, started collecting, and wanted a way to carry them every day. That was 2016. More than 10,000 bags later, these are the questions we ask when someone wants help choosing an ITA bag they will actually use every day.
1. Start with your laptop
If you carry a laptop, it decides more than anything else. Laptop sizes are screen sizes, measured in inches, and every Pinbuds bag is listed by the biggest laptop it fits, so smaller laptops fit too:
- Laptops up to 15″: 15″ 3-Way Shapeshift Backpack in thick cotton, 15″ 3-Way Shapeshift Backpack in tough Oxford, 15″ Dual Window Backpack in navy and 15″ Daily Backpack Pro.
- Laptops up to 16″: 16″ 2-Way ITA Tote.
- Laptops up to 17″: 17″ 4-Way ITA Bag, 17″ Expandable ITA Backpack and 17″ ITA Tote in corduroy.
- Laptops up to 18″: 18″ 4-Way ITA Bag in vegan leather.
- No laptop: the ITA Switch Crossbody Bag (A5) takes an iPad Mini, a Switch or an A5 book.
One useful detail: the thick cotton 3-Way takes laptops up to 15″, including a 15″ MacBook Air (34 × 24 cm / 13.4 × 9.4 in) because its top flap rises for about 4 cm (1.6 in) of extra room.
2. Capacity: how much you carry
Capacity is listed in litres. We count the pin display pocket as storage, because it is. As a rough guide, about 14 L suits a laptop and the basics, around 20 L is a full day out, and anything bigger is for heavy packers and travel. The Expandable ITA Backpack is the outlier: 20 L for daily use, and one zip takes it to 35 L.
3. Pin count: how big a display you want
We estimate pin capacity with 3 cm pins, which is close to the size of a typical enamel pin. Our windows are a deliberately sensible size. A framed window reads as a bag you can wear to work, not a display case, and that matters if it is your only bag. Counts range from about 15 pins on the Cross-Body Bag Pro to about 65 on the 16″ tote, and the table below has them all.
4. Carry modes
Think about how your day moves. A backpack is best for long walks and heavy loads. A shoulder bag or tote is quicker to get into at a convention table. A slim laptop-bag mode looks tidy in an office.
- Four ways (backpack, shoulder bag, tote, laptop bag): the 17″ 4-Way and the 18″ vegan leather 4-Way.
- Three ways (backpack, shoulder bag, laptop bag): both 15″ 3-Way Shapeshift backpacks.
- Two ways (tote and shoulder): the 16″ 2-Way tote.
- Backpack only: the Dual Window, the Daily Backpack Pro and the Expandable.
5. Materials and water resistance
Six bags are water-repellent: the 17″ 4-Way, the 18″ vegan leather 4-Way, the tough Oxford 3-Way, the 16″ 2-Way tote, the Daily Backpack Pro and the Expandable. The thick cotton 3-Way has waterproof zips, but the cotton itself is not water-repellent. The navy Dual Window is 12oz cotton with a microfibre base, and the corduroy tote is a soft everyday fabric, so keep those two under cover in heavy rain.
Our 2026 bags (the thick cotton 3-Way, the navy Dual Window and the 17″ 4-Way) use scratch-resistant TPU windows. Older designs use clear PVC.
6. Weight
Empty weights run from about 350 g (0.8 lb) for the Cross-Body Bag Pro to 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) for the 18″ vegan leather 4-Way. Most of our full-size bags sit between 850 g (1.9 lb) and 1.2 kg (2.6 lb). Heavier usually means more structure and padding, which is what protects a laptop.
Every Pinbuds ITA bag compared
| Bag | Laptop | Capacity | Pins (3 cm) | Carry | Water-repellent | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15″ 3-Way, thick cotton | Up to 15″ | About 14 L | About 40 | Backpack, shoulder, laptop bag | No (waterproof zips) | 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) |
| 15″ 3-Way, tough Oxford | Up to 15.6″ | 20 L | About 45 | Backpack, shoulder, laptop bag | Yes | 850 g (1.9 lb) |
| 15″ Dual Window, navy | Up to 15″, holds 3 to 4 devices | About 18 L | About 40, plus about 15 in the side window | Backpack | No | Not listed |
| 15″ Daily Backpack Pro | Up to 15″ plus a tablet | 21 L | Not listed | Backpack | Yes | 1 kg (2.2 lb) |
| 16″ 2-Way tote | Up to 16″ | 21 L | About 65 | Tote, shoulder | Yes | 850 g (1.9 lb) |
| 17″ 4-Way | Up to 17″ | 20 L | About 60 | Backpack, shoulder, tote, laptop bag | Yes | 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) |
| 17″ Expandable | Up to 17″, tablets up to 13″ | 20 L, expands to 35 L | Not listed | Backpack | Yes | 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) |
| 17″ corduroy tote | Up to 17″ | About 20 L | Not listed | Shoulder tote | No | Not listed |
| 18″ 4-Way, vegan leather | Up to 18″ | 26 L | Not listed | Backpack, shoulder, tote, laptop bag | Yes | 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) |
| ITA Switch Crossbody Bag (A5) | No laptop (iPad Mini) | About 3 L | About 15 | Crossbody, pouch | No | 350 g (0.8 lb) |
Pin counts are estimates for 3 cm pins with a small gap between them. Smaller pins fit more, odd shapes fit fewer.
Our quick picks
- One bag for everything, every day: the thick cotton 3-Way or the 17″ 4-Way if you need a bigger laptop and wet-weather fabric.
- Travel: the Dual Window has a suitcase pass-through and lockable zips. The Expandable has a trolley strap, a wet zone and a shoe pocket; it is currently sold as B-grade display samples with cosmetic marks and full function.
- Plush: the Dual Window. Its front window takes plush up to about 7 to 8 cm (2.8 to 3.1 in) deep.
- Biggest display on con days: the corduroy tote with its 42 cm seamless window, or the 16″ 2-Way tote.
Still not sure? Try the bag quiz on our homepage, read our ITA bag guide, or browse the full ITA bags collection.
Frequently asked questions
What makes an ITA bag good for everyday use?
A proper laptop compartment, enough pockets to keep things apart, and a structure that holds its shape. Every Pinbuds bag has structural foam support, so it protects what is inside and your display stays flat.
Which Pinbuds ITA bag holds the most pins?
The 16″ 2-Way tote, at about 65 pins of 3 cm, followed by the 17″ 4-Way at about 60. Both are estimates, and small pins fit more.
Are Pinbuds ITA bags waterproof?
Six are water-repellent: the 17″ 4-Way, the 18″ vegan leather 4-Way, the tough Oxford 3-Way, the 16″ 2-Way tote, the Daily Backpack Pro and the Expandable. The thick cotton 3-Way has waterproof zips only.
Where are Pinbuds bags designed?
In Sydney, Australia. Pinbuds is a project by the artist Donburee, under Studio Donburee, the design studio co-founded by Brandon and Tim.