Bandolier Dillon Review: The Best Hands-Free Travel Bag

Honest review · Updated August 2026 · Tested by Qatch

The best hands-free travel bag is the one that matches everything you packed, doesn’t look make you look like a tourist, and actually holds the things you need. My family travels to Europe several times a year and this was the first time I used a Bandolier bag - and I am never going back.

I flew to Europe with my 14 month old son - first Portugal, then Italy. Two weeks of bopping around Europe. I brought my Dillon Bandolier bag for sightseeing, and my Hailey phone case + wallet when I had our diaper bag. Two Bandolier bags, two weeks. Zero regrets!

This is my honest review of both, what actually fit inside, and when Bandolier goes on sale (because it’s happening soon!)

I know, it’s expensive. It took me months of scrolling their website before I finally decided to buy something, and I am so glad I did. First, it’s a lifesaver for traveling, running errands with kids, and if you aren’t a huge bag person to begin with. This is your bag, and people will stop you to ask you where you got it. Like, a lot.

I have two Bandoliers - the Dillon and the Hailey - and I have convinced almost everyone in my family and friend group to buy one. And they still thank me!!

Quick Answer: Is Bandolier worth it in 2026?

Yes! You’re paying for the convenience to brings to your life and that quality. I bought a few crossbody chains before Bandolier and they were cheap, uncomfortable, and just not cute. You get all three here. To me, the standout piece is the Dillon - it fits everything (see below for my video of everything it fits. Second is the Hailey, and I use them both so much I don’t even know where my other handbags are at this point. Overall: worth it, especially for busy women on the go.

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Bandolier makes leather phone cases with detachable crossbody straps, plus a small line of leather bags built around your phone. The core idea is that your phone becomes the bag. You clip a strap to the case and walk out the door with your hands free.

The brand is best known for the phone case and strap. The bags, including the Dillon, are the newer part of the line and they are built with a dedicated phone slot so your phone stays on the outside and stays reachable.

The Dillon is the one that made the trip work. It has a separate exterior section built for your phone. Your phone lives there. You reach down, grab it, take the photo, drop it back in. No zipper, no digging, no setting the bag on a wet railing.

Here is the part nobody tells you: if you already have a Bandolier phone case on your phone, with the little wallet on the back, it still fits in the Dillon's phone section. You do not have to peel your case off and swap it every time you switch bags. That sounds small. On day nine in a Lisbon train station it is not small.

The leather is genuinely beautiful. It has held up to airport floors, gelato, a stroller, and a toddler who treats every bag as a climbing handle.

Shop the Dillon bag here.

This is the minimalist option. Leather phone case, small card wallet on the back, strap clips on. Your ID, a card, some cash, a hairtie, and your phone. That is it.

I wore this every single day with the Dillon, just took the straps off. On the two days we were just walking to a beach or to dinner, I left the Dillon at the hotel and just hooked the straps onto the case. The case with the attached wallet fits in the phone holder section of the Dillon, so you don’t even need to change phone cases.

The short answer: if you are traveling with a kid, get the Dillon. If you want one thing that replaces your purse on a normal day, get the Hailey or any of their case + wallet (I love the one below). If you are doing a real trip, get both and wear them together, which is what I did.

Shop the Hailey case here.

Bandolier runs sales a few times a year rather than discounting constantly. When they do run one, the discount is real.

The next Bandolier sale starts August 21, 2026 and runs for a few days, with up to 50% off.

Shop the sale here. The best two items on sale, in my opinion -

If you have been waiting on the Dillon, that is the window. Sale styles and colorways sell through fast and the popular phone case sizes go first.

Yes, with one caveat.

It is not a cheap bag and I would not tell you it is. What you are paying for is the leather quality and the phone slot design, and both of those held up. After two weeks of airports, cobblestones, sand, rain in Porto, and a toddler using it as a handrail, mine still looks good. No stretched corners, no scuffed-through edges, no hardware failure.

The caveat: if you are someone who carries a full-size water bottle, a laptop, or a large book, this is not that bag. It is sized for the essentials done well.

Where it earned the money for me was speed. Every photo I took of my son in Italy exists because the phone was on the outside of the bag and I could get to it in one second. The ones I would have missed are the whole point.

Get the Dillon if you are:

·       Traveling with a baby or toddler and need both hands free constantly

·       The person holding the passports, the boarding passes, and everyone else's stuff

·       Running through connections and tired of a tote sliding off your shoulder

·       Someone who takes a lot of photos and misses a lot of them

Get the phone case with the wallet if you are:

·       Trying to stop carrying a purse on normal days

·       Going to dinner, a concert, a festival, a market

·       Already sold on hands-free and want the smallest possible version

Skip both if you are:

·       Carrying a laptop or a full-size water bottle daily

·       Looking for a work bag

What is the best hands-free travel bag?

The best hands-free travel bag has a dedicated exterior phone slot so you can grab your phone without opening the bag. The Bandolier Dillon is the one I traveled through Italy and Portugal with. It holds three passports plus daily essentials and keeps both hands free.

Is the Bandolier Dillon bag worth it?

Yes, the Dillon bag is worth it if you want fast phone access and real leather quality. After two weeks of airports, cobblestones, and a toddler, mine had no stretching, scuffing, or hardware issues. It is priced above a basic crossbody, and the phone slot design and leather are what you are paying for.

Does a Bandolier phone case fit inside the Dillon bag?

Yes. A Bandolier phone case with the small wallet on the back still fits in the Dillon's dedicated phone section. You do not have to remove your case to use the bag. That is the main reason the two styles work together instead of competing. This one is 50% off right now - run!!

What is the best crossbody bag for traveling with a toddler?

A crossbody with easy to access phone section and enough room for passports. Traveling with a toddler means both hands are usually occupied, so you need to reach your phone and documents without setting the bag down. The Bandolier Dillon handled a two-week Europe trip for me.

Does Bandolier go on sale?

Yes. Bandolier runs sales a few times a year rather than discounting continuously. The next Bandolier sale begins August 21, 2026 and runs several days with up to 50% off. Popular phone case sizes and colorways typically sell out first during these events.

Can you fit passports in a Bandolier bag?

Yes. I fit three passports in the Bandolier Dillon along with boarding passes, a wallet, snacks, wipes, and a charger cable. The phone stays separate in its own exterior slot, so the passports are not competing with your phone for space.

Is Bandolier real leather?

Bandolier's leather styles use genuine leather, and the finish is a large part of what you are paying for. Mine went through airports, rain in Porto, sand, and daily toddler handling over two weeks and showed no scuffing through the edges or stretching at the corners.

Bandolier Dillon vs Bandolier phone case with wallet: which should I buy?

Buy the Dillon for full travel days, airports, and traveling with kids. Buy the phone case with the wallet for dinners, beaches, and errands where you only need your phone and two cards. They layer together, so many people end up wearing both on trips.

Is a phone case wallet enough for travel?

A phone case wallet is enough for short outings during a trip, like dinner or a beach walk. For travel days involving airports, passports, and children, you need a bag with more capacity. Wearing the case under a crossbody covers both situations without swapping cases.

How do I keep my hands free while traveling with kids?

Wear a crossbody, with space for essentials and separate section for phone so your phone is reachable without opening the bag. Keep passports and boarding passes in one interior section. Carry nothing in your hands. This setup let me move through two airports and two countries with a toddler.

The Bandolier Dillon is the best hands-free travel bag I have used, and the phone case with the wallet is the thing I now wear on regular days at home. Together they got me through two weeks in Italy and Portugal with a toddler and three passports, and I never once had to stop and dig.

The leather looks better than it needs to. The phone slot is the actual feature. The sale on August 21 is when I would buy.

👉 Shop Bandolier’s Best Sellers - you will not regret it.

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