Travel is back, baby. Summer vacation is in full swing, with flights to Europe and Asia booked solid and highways packed with people taking road trips. But we’re also just around the corner from the fall travel season, with conferences and business trips filling calendars.
You already have a suitcase. What you’re looking for is a smaller, flexible duffle bag that you can plop on top of your rolling luggage, or that you can throw in your trunk for a short getaway.
There are hundreds of duffle bags to choose from on the market. But the ideal bag is both aesthetically pleasing and durable enough to withstand life on the road. You also want your bag to be spacious, and with plenty of useful organizational pockets so your stuff doesn’t get lost inside. The good news is that we’ve “road-tested” (ha, pun intended!) dozens of bags, which we’ve packed and taken on real trips. We’ve identified the five best, which we’ve shared here, tailored to a variety of travel- and lifestyles. Bon voyage!
Most Elegant
If you’re traveling for work and are looking for the ideal bag for your “personal item” to carry on flights, Leatherology’s beautiful Harwood duffle will look polished sitting on top of your suitcase. The brand specializes in creating customizable high-quality leather products; this one comes in five colors of high-grain leather and can be personalized with your monogram, either embossed or hand-painted on. We love that the bag contains a dedicated sleeve for your laptop for easy access when you’re on the plane or sitting in the airport. This stylish duffle is the ideal companion for the business traveler.
Best For Wrinkle Free
Neely and Chloe Traveler Bag, $448
This one is not quite a duffle, but it’s a hanging-suitcase version for when you need to arrive at your destination with a set of wrinkle-free outfits. Think: big meeting, wedding, a special weekend away. The bag is beautifully designed. Neely and Chloe Burch, founders of the brand, were inspired by a vintage garment bag of their father’s. Theirs is made from a sturdy, stain-proof canvas with a leather trim.
What we love about this is the sheer volume it can hold. It fits six dresses or suits on the hanger, and even has two dedicated shoe pockets on the exterior. There’s also a pocket on the back for conveniently holding personal items. If you bring this as a carry on, it will fit in the overhead compartment, but you can also check it—either way, expect that your clothes will arrive neat and tidy.
Most Sustainable
If you’re concerned about your environmental impact, Rothy’s is the brand to go with. Like its famous shoes, its travel bags are made from ocean-bound plastic that is collected 30 miles from waterways. They’re manufactured in a factory that is certified to operate with zero-waste practices, which means it diverts solid waste from landfill, incineration, and the environment.
But none of this compromises the design and quality of the bag. This one has plenty of space, with three large compartments and pockets. The brand turns the plastic into fibers that are woven into a durable fabric. The weaving process allows the brand to create interesting patterns, including herringbone and checks.
Most Adventure Ready
Baboon To The Moon’s Small Go-Bag, $169
If you’re the kind of traveler who might take a detour through the desert or spend the weekend at a festival, Baboon to the Moon is the best pick for you. The brand creates practical, waterproof duffles that can be worn as a backpack or a crossbody. It has a double-layered construction, ensuring the bags are waterproof, durable, and ready for any adventure.
The small size is perfect for a plane flight, since it can fit in an overhead compartment and under the seat. But it’s also spacious enough to fit three days worth of clothing. The Go-Bag comes in a range of cool colors, some of which are limited edition. And the brand partners with artists to create patterns, which line the inside of the bags.
Best in Class
M.Z. Wallace’s Crosby Weekender, $425
For the most practical bag for any occasion, M.Z. Wallace’s Weekender does the trick. It is incredibly lightweight, made from the brand’s signature quilted polyester material, which also happens to be made from recycled plastic. And it slides over your luggage, thanks to a sleeve, so you can use it as your personal item on a plane ride. We love that it has six interior pockets and five exterior ones, for you to easily access your phone, passport, and laptop. (It’s spacious enough that I used it to carry a small pillow and blanket when going on a very long international flight.)
Since the bag can hold so much, it’s great when going on a road trip or a short getaway. This bag is incredibly versatile and useful for many different kinds of trips, so you’ll keep coming back to it for years to come.
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