This ultra-lightweight tote is the perfect hybrid work and gym bag - here's why it's worth $195

• I didn't get the hype around Caraa Sport until I started using the Cloud Cumulus Medium ($195) as my "everything bag."
• It's not cheap at $195, but it's very lightweight, easily holds work and gym essentials, and has intelligent organization. Plus, the material is water-resistant so the rain never ruins my stuff.
• I use the Cumulus Medium in black as my gym bag, work bag, weekend bag, and travel bag. If you like it, you'll see $200 in value pretty quickly. Find my review below.

I never really understood the hype around Caraa Sport, the maker of that $450 studio bag all over Instagram, until I tried one of its cheaper styles.

The bag in question - the Cloud Cumulus Medium - is still not cheap. But, at $195, it's still within the realm of what I would typically be willing to pay for a great work bag - and this one's thoughtful organization system and deep main compartment has meant I can swing using it for all my activities.

For a while, I was relying on a combination of gym bags, work bags, and travel purses. The gym bag was a bit too much like a duffel to be a great work purse, the work purse was minimalist and too deep to keep the essentials within easy reach, and the travel bag was too stuffy-looking for my day-to-day life.

After a month of using the black Cloud Cumulus Medium daily (it also comes in olive, pink, and white) I'd call myself a Caraa convert. The bag is light as air (more specifically, one pound), able to be packed down for easy travel, and has all the little thoughtful upgrades that make you remember that sometimes a little luxury - especially in an item you rely upon and interact with every day - is worth a one-time splurge.

Inside, there's more than enough room to house all my things - sunglasses, makeup, dirty clothes, clean clothes, a water bottle, shoes, laptop, legal pad, change of clothes, wallet, keys, lunch, headphones, etc. - and just enough pockets to keep things organized without adding so many that they overwhelm me. A tiny compartment for individual lip balms would be cute, yes, but I'd simply never use them. Magnets keep the straps held together on your shoulder, a tiny strap keeps the laptop compartment from invading the middle compartment, and mini hidden vents keep your bag from becoming its own closed, hot ecosystem. The waterproof material saved me and my things from four summer rainstorms this month.

All in all, this bag has just enough little upgrades to increase its utility without overdoing it.

I still can't speak to the higher-priced items Caraa Sport has fostered such a cult-following for (editor's note: I can! I love my Studio Bag, and my partner loves her Stratus Backpack), but I can say that if you're looking for a Swiss Army Knife-like bag that can do it all, you're probably going to be a fan of the Cloud Cumulus Medium. For me, I saw the $200 value pretty quickly - and it has essentially phased out all my single-use bags.

Caraa Sport Cloud Cumulus Medium, $195