How we test a bag for six months
Every Carryvo bag spends six months with photographers, editors and commuters before it goes on sale.
By Maya Chen · Aug 28, 2026 · 1 min read
Before a bag goes on sale, it spends six months with the people it was designed for. Here is what that looks like.
Months one and two: daily use
We hand samples to twenty testers and ask them to use the bag as their only bag. No special care, no babying. They send notes every week.
Months three and four: the lab
- Zips opened and closed 50,000 times
- Straps loaded to three times their rated weight
- Fabric scuffed against concrete
- A full hour under a shower head
Months five and six: the fixes
We change what the testers asked us to change, then send it back to them. If they would not buy it, we do not ship it.
The best feedback is always the boring kind. A strap that rubs. A pocket that is a centimetre too short.
Maya Chen, field editor
Maya Chen
Maya is the field editor at Carryvo. She has spent ten years shooting documentary work in New York and Taipei, and she tests every bag we make on the subway first.
More from Maya →
