Have you ever traveled and ended up buying way too much stuff and wish you had an extra bag? Me too. Probably too frequently. I finally figured out how to plan ahead for my lack of planning ahead! I started looking around for a bag I could pack real small and light but was strong enough to handle some light abuse in the real world. After trying out a few bags, I finally found it.
Any time I travel, I bring my Gonex Travel Weekender Duffle Bag. I’ve overstuffed, dropped, tossed, scraped, and otherwise outright abused this duffle and it doesn’t scratch, scuff, or otherwise complain. I’d love to give you a list of pros and cons, but I honestly can’t… I can’t think of a single con. This bag is genuinely just a list of awesome features I love.
There are 3 sizes available:
- 80L: 27.6 x 14.6 x 14.2 inches / 70 x 37 x 36 cm | About 0.75 pounds / 0.35 kg
- 60L: 24 x 14 x 9 inches / 61 x 35.5 x 23 cm | About 1 pound / 0.45 kg
- 40L: 20.6 x 13 x 9 inches / 53 x 33 x 23 cm | About 1.5 pounds / 0.7 kg
Personally I have the 60L size. It’s just slightly larger than what most airlines allow for a carry on and will squish nicely to meet that requirement. If you want to play it safe, go for the 40L size. Many airlines do weigh the carryon as well. Be ready to shift stuff around if you’re over weight. The last time I traveled internationally, I flew on JAL (Japan Airlines) and Air Canada. Both have restrictions that this (excessively-stuffed) bag exceeds and neither cared one bit.
It folds down really small and it doesn’t weigh a lot compared to how much it will carry.
It’s got a couple different ways to carry it. I have literally over 20 different bags… yeah, I have a problem… and aside from my Timbuk2 messenger bags, I never use the shoulder straps… this bag is the one (other) exception. The shoulder strap is long, adjustable, and actually fairly comfortable. The handles are sewn well and I never feared once that they would break or rip the bag from excess weight.
It won’t rip! I had some stuff that would poke through most bags but this thing wouldn’t puncture, wouldn’t tear, even when it (while packed with heavy stuff) skidded along the road, didn’t show any signs of wear. It’s so super durable.
I checked the sewing and found no loose threads. Everything looks well-done. I pulled hard on the zippers and they wouldn’t get out of track or jam.
It washes without complaint (remove the shoulder strap first) and air dries quickly. If it gets messy, you can safely throw it in the wash at the hotel if needed and leave it hanging over the shower rod and it’ll be dry in a few hours.
It comes in tons of colors. You can choose what suits your personal style.
It’s pretty water resistant. I didn’t immerse the bag in water when I had it full, but I did carry it through rain and everything inside was completely dry.
Disclosure: I chose this bag and bought it with my own money. Gonex did not offer me anything and didn’t in any way influence my decision about what I wrote in this article.