As we approach holiday travels you may be tempted to stuff over a week’s worth of belongings into a backpack, but please don’t. It’s time to discover the wonders of a weekender bag.
Senior shopping editor Bianca Nieves traveling with her Calpak duffel.
Photo: Courtesy of Bianca Nieves.
While a bag that holds just two or three days’ worth of your life may seem unnecessarily specific, it’s crucial to any weekend excursion, especially if you’re a chronic overpacker who refuses to check luggage unless it’s free. (Guilty!)
To help you prepare for your upcoming travels, we’ve rounded up the sturdiest, roomiest, and non-ugly weekender bags that’ll hold all your travel essentials and make you the best-dressed person while waiting for your train or going through airport security. As editors who are always on the go for our jobs and for our personal lives, we know a thing or two about which weekender bags are both stylish and practical.
Colors: Available in 59| Materials: Tear and water-resistant fabric| Dimensions: 10.63” x 21.65” x 7.09
With 11,026 ratings, the people of Amazon must love this bag because it works for both the gym and a weekend retreat in Arizona with the girls. It is thick and durable. One reviewer even wrote, “I have used it as a hospital bag when I gave birth as well as using it as a weekend bag or for hand luggage when I go abroad.”
Colors: Available in 9 | Materials: Poly canvas (body) | Dimensions: 19” x 9.8” x 15.7”
With more compartments and pockets than we can count, this is your best bet for an easy-to-use, organized weekender bag. Plus, it’s designed by none other than Shay Mitchell.
Colors: Available in 3 | Materials: Leather | Dimensions: 13” x 20.5” x 6.5”
Nothing says frequent flier like sophisticated and sleek Italian leather — if you don’t have your life together, you can at least have your stuff together. This comes equipped with several compartments for keeping things neat and organized.
Colors: Available in 12 | Materials: Made with 600D polyester, waterproof and tear-resistant fabric | Dimensions: 26.3” x 13.7” x 12.2”
It’s no surprise this bag has five stars on Amazon. Reviewers love it for its durability and compression abilities. You can squish it into a small square, pack it in a different carryall, then break it out to bring home all the goodies you bought on vacation.
Colors: Available in 7 | Materials: Premium neoprene and performance air mesh (body) Dimensions: Depends on size
Not only can you get this chic bag in a multitude of colors, it’s also available in sizes XS to XL. Sizes from medium up in this water-resistant, neoprene bag can fit your standard laptop and shoes. If you need more space, the XL is the perfect carry-on, and all bags are made from Repreve recycled lining, featuring a shoe bag and dust bag to make packing even easier. The XL version is shopping writer and editor Hanna Flanagan’s go-to carry-on when her checked suitcase is overflowing.
Colors: Available in 8| Materials: Polyester| Dimensions: 12” x 16” x 7”
Take the mystery out of spotting your luggage with this very bright duffel. Along with pairing perfectly with your suitcase, the lightweight carryall has nine pockets to fit your shoes, water bottle, and much more.
Colors: Available in 7 | Materials: Recycled heavyweight nylon | Dimensions: 13” x 21” x 13”
“After years of letting poorly constructed duffel bags leave red marks on my shoulders, I finally let my partner talk me into The North Face’s Base Camp Duffel. It’s a duffel bag that you wear as a backpack. Nerdy, yes, but my spine has never been happier, and now I have both arms free while in transit. The one drawback is there’s no longer strap for a one-shoulder option, but once you get used to wearing it as a full backpack you’ll never look back. I have the S, which lets me pack for up to a week at a time.” —Danielle Cohen, a blogger at the Cut.
Colors: Available in 10 | Materials: 100 percent recycled ripstop polyester with TPUcoating exterior and recycled polyester interior | Dimensions: 18” x 12” x 7.5”
“I used this recently and it felt so nice to carry things on my back rather than my side for once. I love the water-resistant nature, color, and how cool and outdoorsy this looks. And it fits SO much!” —Brooke LaMantia, a shopping writer at the Cut.
Colors: Available in 14 | Materials: Recycled poly or eco-friendly canvas | Dimensions: 15.5” x 19.7” x 9.5”
“I love this one; my boyfriend got it for me as a Christmas present after I had been lamenting the fact that I did not have enough space in my little gym bag for my clothes, skin-/hair-care products, boxing gloves, laptop, and other work accoutrements. It also is perfect for traveling — it has a pocket that can either just be a pocket or if you unzip the bottom of it, hooks onto the arm of a suitcase so that it doesn’t flop all around while you’re running to catch your plane/train/automobile. I am also partial to the separate bottom compartment, which is perfect for storing shoes and dirty clothes.” —Brooke Marine, deputy culture editor at the Cut.
Colors: Available in 5 | Materials: 100 percent recycled polyester| Dimensions: 14.8” x 23.6” x 9”
Take the mystery out of spotting your luggage with this very bright tote from Away. It pairs perfectly with your suitcase, and the lightweight carryall has exterior and interior pockets to fit all of your valuables.
Colors: Available in 5 | Materials: 50 percent polyurethane and 50 percent polyester | Dimensions: 11” x 21” x 11”
“And for something a little more chic — but that admittedly fits fewer items because of its size, so I wouldn’t recommend it for a trip longer than two to three days — the Large Telfar duffel fits easily in the overhead storage on planes and trains.” —B.M.
Colors: Black | Materials: 100 percent nylon (body) | Dimensions: 18.5” x 8.9” x 12.6”
It’s a gym bag, it’s a weekend bag, and, according to reviewers, it’s the perfect everyday bag, too. The sporty padded puffer bag comes in two colors with compartments for all the essentials, including your phone and laptop.
Colors: 4 | Materials: Pebbled vegan ultrafiber leather| Dimensions: 18” L x 10” H x 6.5” W
The new “It” girl bag brand of NYC also offers a great weekender bag option. With minimalistic and neutral colorway options, it was designed to fit under an airplane seat.
Color: Beige and ebony Soft GG supreme| Material: Leather details | Dimension: 17.9”W x 11.4”H x 10.6”D
Your bag might cost more than your weekend trip and that’s ok. This Gucci weekender bag inspired by an archival design is worth every penny especially considering that it will indeed fit all your essentials and then more.
Colors: Available in 2| Materials: Recycled plastic| Dimensions: 14.5” x 22.5” x 7”
The design is simple, but the bag is anything but. With three separate compartments and lots of space, this weekender keeps things neat and organized for you meticulous packers, so it’s worth joining the waitlist.
Colors: Available in 7 | Materials: Recycled heavyweight nylon | Dimensions: 17” × 25” × 9 ¾”
Your carry-on in a pinch, this cloud bag comes in a few color options and folds into a tiny square you can fit into any bag. Holding all of your stuff is just a bonus.
Colors: Available in 9 | Materials: Phthalate-free PVC fabric + 150D OM Stardust Polyester Lining | Dimensions: 9.5” x 18.5” x 12”
People love this bag. Reviewers claim it is the “go-to weekend travel bag” and a “TSA-approved personal item.” What’s best about this bag is it can be carried as a backpack, a cross-body bag, a shoulder bag, or even a handbag.
Colors: Available in 4 | Materials: Nylon | Dimensions: 16.3” × 11.2” × 7.2”
You get two bags in one with this duffel from Monos. It has a detachable outer component for all your personal goods, while the main compartment features plenty of pockets for your other belongings.
Colors: Available in 2 | Materials: Recycled nylon | Dimensions: 13” x 18.5” x 8.5”
Airy and pillowy, this large bag has a padded sleeve for your laptop and an anti-microbial, water-resistant lining to keep it dry and fresh. In a pinch, it’s also pretty easy to lean on during your layover. However, it’s currently only available to pre-order.
Colors: Available in 3 | Materials: Leather | Dimensions: 13” x 20.5” x 6.5”
The rain may not always delay your flight, but it can put a damper on your travel plans. Arrive on time (and mostly dry) with this water-resistant bag that’s designed to withstand light rain. It’s also spacious enough to store your umbrella once you’re inside.
Colors: Available in 4 | Materials: Cotton | Dimensions: 13” x 17” x 9.5”
With plenty of compartments, snaps, and zips and enough space to fit your laptop, it’s no wonder Alex Mill calls this canvas bag the “perfect” tote. One happy reviewer even used it to haul groceries home, so it’s just as useful between vacations and weekend trips.
The best weekender bags are stylish. You want a bag that doesn’t look like it was fished out of a clearance bin mere hours before your trip or appear as if it could be holding the contents of a gym locker.
Material and Durability
This isn’t the kind of purchase you want to replace every few years. You want it to withstand anything from your impromptu trips to the travels that made it out of the group chat.
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