My Honest Milk x Whiskey Diaper Bag Review

A few months ago I was sitting at my computer when an email came in about a new diaper bag in town. It sounded right up my alley – it’s billed as an ‘adventure proof’ diaper bag that can be ready for just about anything from hiking to traveling or just everyday escapades.

I was in the market, considering our Jeep brand one had pulled apart at just about every seam. Sure, it seemed like a good deal at first, but after just three months of use, it was practically disintegrating before our eyes. Lesson learned: investing in quality upfront saves you a world of headache (and money) down the road.

So I asked them to send one along for us to test. Several months later, these are my honest thoughts on the Milk x Whiskey diaper bag:

TLDR: It’s pretty awesome. Get it (use code ADVENTURENOW for 15% off)

Milk x Whiskey Diaper Bag Features

First off, there are A LOT of features. It’s obvious this diaper bag was created by parents who went through many iterations to make it the diaper bag backpack it is today. This is so well thought out, there isn’t another diaper bag I’ve found that can come close:

• Insulated Cooler: Let’s say you’re traveling or hiking with breast milk, prepared formula, or baby food you’d like to maintain temperature for – the built-in cooler (which is removable if you’d rather devote the space to other things) can keep things warm or cool. It also has hooks if you’d rather strap it to the front of the bag.
• Removable Baby Changing Add-On: This was genius for us. When flying, shopping, or eating out, instead of having a backpack at our feet on a flight or taking up half a shopping cart or restaurant booth, stash important items in add on, and put the rest of the bag in the trunk or overhead bin of the airplane.
• Changing Pad & Ground Cover Blanket: Most diaper bags come with a changing pad, but most don’t have an entire ground cover blanket as well. Perfect for picnics or tummy time on the go.
• Odor Sealing Pocket: There’s an entire separate pocket with an odor sealing layer for anything smelly (like soiled clothes) that you can’t toss while in transit.
• So many pockets: From a laptop sleeve to front and size pockets galore, it’s clear this bag was designed by parents.
• Lots of hooks and straps to fasten things to the bag as needed, including top straps for a stroller handle.

Our Experience Using the Milk x Whiskey Diaper Bag

We first tested out the Milk x Whiskey diaper bag on our Thailand and Singapore trip, which included multiple flights and bus rides. Pictured above, we detached the front baby changing add-on and threw in diapers and bottles for all of our flights (starting with our favorite Singapore Airlines) so we could have more room at our feet.

I didn’t realize how much we’d been missing a feature like this with our other diaper bags. The back hooks allow it to easily hook back onto the main backpack (see hooks on the top right photo) when you’re ready to walk through the terminal.

The other main features we liked were the pockets and amount this thing can hold. There’s a smaller, easy access top pocket we used for medicines and pacifiers. The side pouch was perfect for his water bottle, and since the insulated cooler is removable, we chose to leave it at home for the trip and maximize our space.

The nice thing is, most airlines don’t count a diaper bag toward carry-on allowance, so it felt like cheating to be able to bring this huge diaper bag backpack that could hold over 30L of baby gear, including little toys and backup clothes, and an entire packet of coterie diapers. It’s definitely a big enough diaper bag for two kids and a perfect travel diaper bag.

Milk x Whiskey Diaper Bag Durability

The main reason the creator and I connected was due to the flimsy nature of most diaper bags. The cheap Amazon ones might look nice for a while, but they tear so quickly, you spend more in the long run replacing them.

I can tell this bag is very well made. The zippers are sturdy, the straps are thick, the material is thick as well. I wanted to photograph and show the backpack in this post after we’d abused it for a few months, and apart from some creasing on the fabric, which makes sense with its wax coating, it has held up completely with no signs of wear. Here’s what it’s made out of:

• Outer Shell: 1000D Wax Coated Kodra – premium durability and abrasion resistant. Weather Protection with Waxed Coating
• Inner Lining & Ground Cover Blanket: 150D Poly Ripstop – 100% recycled, rip resistant
• Stink Slayer Pocket & Weather Flaps: 600D Poly PU coating – waterproof & odor sealing
• 100% Vegetable-Tanned Leather Trims

Milk x Whiskey Diaper Bag Pros and Cons

Let’s start with the pros:

Though we tested this bag in a travel setting and use it as our everyday diaper bag, the designers clearly made it for the trail as well. When hiking with a baby or toddler, hiking backpack carriers, while helpful, don’t tend to have the most storage. This backpack has that covered with 30L of potential space.

The insulated cooler would be perfect for hikes on a hot or cold day, when you need to keep snacks from melting or freezing. Beach days, hikes, lake days, and winter snowshoeing would all make sense with this backpack. Plus, the ground cover blanket is super helpful when it’s time to take a break.

The loops and hooks would allow for strapping things to the bag, as one would want with any outdoor backpack, and the back and shoulder straps are very well padded.

There are only a few cons. For one, since this bag is made from thick material and has so many extra features and inserts, the overall weight is more than a typical backpack – it’s a bit under 6 lbs empty. You can reduce this by leaving any inserts you don’t think you’ll need at home. It also doesn’t have a waist strap, which I find helpful when hiking.

Though this isn’t a con for everyone, it’s also more of a masculine look than, say, Dagne Dover (makes sense – that’s a company founded by moms and this is one created by dads!). That’s a very different vibe, but personally, I care more about functionality and capacity. Finally, so far, this only comes in one color, but that may change as the company grows.

(use code ADVENTURENOW for 15% off)

Milk x Whiskey Diaper Bag Final Thoughts

I was thrilled to open this bag up and start testing it once we received it. As a mom who prioritizes quality and wants items to outlast us (so that we can sell them and recoup some of our investment when we’re done), I have no doubt this bag would last through multiple kids. Candidly, I was sent another bag by another company at the same time to review, and I let them know I couldn’t review theirs. Compared to this one, there was just no contest in terms of quality.

It’s on the more expensive end of diaper bags, but that’s due to the features. All purchased separately, with a small insulated bag, extra diaper changing station bag, diaper pad, and adventure blanket made from the same premium materials, it’s hard to imagine coming out better than this bag.

I love to see a small parent-founded company come out with something better than anyone else is making, and this bag fits the bill. I have a feeling we’ll be using it well beyond our diapering years. From its thoughtful design features to its premium materials and impeccable craftsmanship, it’s clear that this backpack was made for adventurers like us. You can grab yours here.

*Some links in this post are affiliate links that support us at no extra cost to you when you purchase through them. We only recommend products we love and use ourselves. This bag was provided to me for free, however I only review honestly. Your trust always comes first!