Bellroy Lite Pouch Duo Review

As soon as you pick up the Bellroy Lite Pouch Duo, you realize that both models are extraordinarily lightweight. Seriously, these things are light as a feather. We’ve reviewed other members of the Bellroy Lite family—namely the Lite Sling and Lite Daypack. We dig both of those packs, but something that we notice on the backpack is that bulky and heavier items impacted comfort. We’re curious if we’ll see things with more significant mass impact usage here, too, because of a lack of structure and organization. As always, there’s only one way to find out. Let’s dive in!

External Components

Before we dive into the materials, it’s worth talking about the differences between the two pouches. They’re both roughly the same width and length, but the Lite Pouch is much taller. The Lite Pencil Case will fit inside the pouch, which is convenient for storage.

The pouches are crafted from the same materials as the rest of the Lite line from Bellroy—recycled ripstop polyester. This fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles, which is a great shout as far as sustainability is concerned.

One of the biggest perks of this fabric is how lightweight and easy to manipulate it is. When the pouches are empty, they sit nearly flat, which makes them extraordinarily packable. If you stow the Pencil Case inside the Pouch and roll them up, you can slide them into your pocket, inside the liner pocket of your daypack or sling, and easily stow them inside a travel backpack. The thin materials do come at a cost, though.

Depending on how you stow the gear, it can fall over when you fill up the pouch. This is especially true when you have one heavier item among lighter gear. The bottom of both pouches has a gusset that folds out when you stow gear inside, so they stand on their own—but with a heavy piece of gear, it can still topple over. The Pencil Case doesn’t have an issue with this because it isn’t nearly as tall.

Something else we noticed right off the bat was that there were a few loose threads. One was a few inches long—extremely noticeable from day one. They didn’t affect the pouch’s usage, but it isn’t something you like to see after you spend money on something.

The Bellroy logo is on the front of both models and looks sleek. it isn’t too in-your-face, which we dig and are used to seeing from Bellroy.

YKK zippers are utilized, and the zipper track has an AquaGaurd finish. This feels like overkill, especially because the urethane coating slows down access to the main compartment. We typically love extra water resistance on packs, but for a pouch that will spend most of its life in your pack or on your desk, we don’t see the need for it. Don’t get it twisted; the zipper operates fine. It’s just a bit slower than a non-AquaGuard zipper.

There’s a small loop on the far side of the zipper track, which helps open the pouch. You can also use this to hang it from something using a carabiner or to slot it onto something inside your pack. It’s a small inclusion but a welcomed one.

Inside The Pouch

Before we dive into the cute little Lite Pencil Case, we’ll cover the Lite Pouch. Once you’ve opened the zipper, you’ll see that there isn’t much going on inside—just two liner pockets. We’re honestly a bit shocked about how much gear we can stow inside here, especially considering how small it folds up when not in use.

The liner pockets don’t have a closure system, so if your pack gets jostled around too much, things can come tumbling out into the main compartment. Due to the sizing of the pouch, it’s easiest to stack gear on top of gear to maximize how much you can fit inside. It’s vital to think about how you’ll do this, or you’ll run into issues.

If you stack light gear on the bottom and heavy gear on the top, the pouch will tumble over, as we mentioned before. This isn’t ideal, especially if you have tech inside. It isn’t ideal if you have raw eggs inside either, but odds are, that isn’t the case.

If you stack gear you frequently use on the bottom, you’ll have to go through your less-frequently used gear to get to it, which can make a mess and disorganize your pouch. This problem is further exacerbated if your frequently used items are heavy, so you have to either place them at the bottom and not use them as much or run the risk of it toppling the pouch over.

Overall, we dig using the Lite Pouch, but those two things are essential to consider before diving into using it. Your gear (or eggs) will thank you!

Now, let’s talk about the Lite Pencil Case. First things first, it’s super cute. It’s like the one you had in elementary school—if you were a one-bag traveler who was super anxious about airport workers weighing your backpack and charging you extra if it weighed too much.

The interior of this model has no organization, but we didn’t expect it to. It isn’t large enough to warrant segmenting your gear, and extra organization would likely get in the way. If you plan on using this thing for pencils, be careful with how sharp they are. The material is durable, but if you place a sharpened pencil freshly inside, you may puncture it. We found it well suited for cables, charging gear, or small gear you don’t want to get lost in the larger Lite Pouch.

The Bellroy Lite Pouch Duo is an excellent option for those who like to keep things lightweight or wants to bring along an extra set of organizers just in case. It’s nice to have something to throw new gear inside, reorganize for the way home, or to use if something happens to one of your other pouches. Who knows, maybe you’ll get your other one all eggy.