The 10 Best Leather Duffel Bags For Traveling
Whether you spell it “duffel” (correct) or “duffle” (still correct but slightly more colloquial), this common kit bag, once a staple of camping, has become a far finer form of conveyance for your stuff during short-term travel. A quality leather duffel bag offers the perfect marriage of utility and style, and will only look better with age and use. Here are ten of the best.
Shinola Utility Duffle
A dapper duffle is worth its weight in gold, and this beauty from Shinola hits all of the high points. You really can’t argue with USA Heritage Leather from Seidel Tannery in Milwaukee, WI. Gorgeous, aniline leather is soft but durable and develops its own unique patina over time.
Dimensions of 18.25″x10″x8.75″ aren’t expansive, but the sizing is perfect for your daily gym gear or a short weekend trip (TSA approved). This classic silhouette boasts convenient features like separating zip closures, three interior slip pockets, a card and pen pocket, and a removable/adjustable cross-body strap.
At $995 it’s not exactly a bargain bag, but this leather will last a lifetime if you treat it right. You’re sure to win out on use-value.
Luca Faloni Leather Weekender Bag
The Luca Faloni Leather Weekender Bag is meticulously handcrafted in Florence by skilled artisans using premium vegetable tanned leather sourced from cow shoulders in Santa Croce sull’Arno, Tuscany. Designed with modern travelers in mind, this bag fits airline hand baggage dimensions and boasts a detachable shoulder strap with an anti-slip suede shoulder pad, side-strap, protective metal studs, and a handy external pocket suitable for items like a Moleskine notebook.
The interior is lined with 100% cotton and is organized with an array of pockets, including a key holder, passport slot, card pocket, and two side pockets. Whether you’re jetting off to New York for a weekend or spending a week on the Amalfi Coast, this leather weekender bag is a reliable and stylish choice.
Kodiak Leather Co. 60L Weekender Duffel
This rustic duffel in 100% top grain water buffalo leather looks lived-in from the moment you purchase it, with a motley patina that says it’s been places and still has places to go. Its premium brass hardware, YKK zippers, robust rolled leather carry handles, and removable/adjustable shoulder strap are all built tough and made to last.
Practical considerations extend to 60L sizing, with dimensions of 23.5″x12″x12″ (still carry-on friendly), plus 4 exterior compartments (including two magnetic pockets, one zipper pocket, and a separate shoe compartment). The heavy-duty nylon interior features a zip pocket, a tablet pocket, and several card slips and pen holders.
This could be the best leather weekender duffle you ever owned, and you can have it for just $459.
Tecovas Large Leather Duffle
You can tell a leather good is meant to be fancy when the color is listed as “bourbon.” This bag, handmade in premium Presidio leather, does not disappoint, with sleek styling, a two-way zipper in antique brass, thick cotton canvas lining in Tecovas green, and leather feet on the bottom to prevent wear and soiling.
There are two easy-access (read: non-zip) outer pockets and the interior has three open pockets, a secure zip pocket, and a key clip. Dimensions of 22″x12″x12″ offer 52L of carry capacity for $395.
Ghurka Cavalier II No. 97
Once upon a time, people dressed to the nines for air travel. This handsome bag in vintage chestnut leather with a cotton twill lining in dapper plaid harks back to a different era and makes you look like a true gentleman.
Your trusty partner in weekending features rolled leather handles and a detachable/adjustable shoulder strap as well as a 12″ interior pocket and included luggage tag. Each bag has a unique registration number.
Dimensions of 20″x10.5″x12″ are spacious enough for the necessities but still suitable for carry-on. Priced at $1,995 with the option to add monogramming.
Rogue Industries Mount Blue Leather Duffle
Sadly, the name of this weekender doesn’t translate to the color of the kit, but with tawny, veg-tanned, premium top-grain American bison leather, not to mention antique brass hardware, it’s hard to find fault with the countenance of this carryall. The color is listed as bourbon, natch.
What will you get with the 20.5″x10.25″x12″ sizing? Two sturdy handles, a detachable shoulder strap, and just a single, zippered compartment for your stuff, so you might want to add some packing cubes if you’re big on organization. With a price of $495, it’s among the more affordable options for leather duffels.
Buffalo Jackson Roosevelt Leather Duffle Bag
Long and lean, this duffel in full grain water buffalo leather looks a bit like a bag for your golf clubs, but with a brown canvas-lined interior, genuine brass and iron hardware, and three exterior buckle pouch pockets, you certainly wouldn’t cart it to the links.
Dimensions of 20″x12″x12″ include a central, zippered compartment for sleek simplicity that supports an easy, throw-and-go packing style for the unpretentious gent.
With slouchy appeal, resilient rolled leather carry handles, and a removable/adjustable shoulder strap, it’s got all of the bases covered at a surprisingly affordable price of $350.
Harber London Leather Weekender Bag
Handmade from premium full grain leather in chestnut with a German microsuede interior, this bag features an upscale, pebbled appearance and super soft-touch texture. In other words, it’s fancy AF, and it shows.
An astonishing seven outer pockets — two zippered, two open slips in front, two open on the side, and one large open in the back — complement inner compartments including a zippered pocket and a large open double pocket. Organization is baked into this buff bag.
Dimensions of 19.6″x9.4″x8.6″ offer 26.4L capacity and are well within TSA standards. You’ll also enjoy “mega comfortable handles” and a removable/adjustable shoulder strap at a price of roughly $1,250.
WP Standard PanAm Duffle Bag
You won’t find the basketball-like PanAm airline logo of old stamped on this bag, but with buttery, 100% full grain leather and solid brass hardware, you won’t really miss it.
Dimensions of 21″x10″x10″ are ample enough to handle your average weekend getaway, and this simple bag features a central zippered pocket plus an exterior slip for your smartphone or passport.
Add to that a heavy-duty two-way zipper, handles, removable/adjustable strap, luggage tag, and room to monogram, and you’re pretty much good to go. A price tag of $449 isn’t bad, either, especially when you factor in the lifetime guarantee.
Jackson Wayne Big Sur Leather Duffle
This streamlined duffle looks like an updated version of the old physician’s bag, albeit with decidedly fewer medical accoutrements included. However, it more than makes up for it with rich, natural, full grain leather that’s full of character and ready to hit the road.
With water repellent army canvas lining, solid brass hardware, a reinforced bottom, rolled leather handles, and a padded shoulder strap (removable/adjustable), you’ve got everything you need for adventure.
Dimensions of 21.5″x9.5″x11.5″ are carry-on compliant, and relatively simple construction — complete with an interior zip pocket, two open pockets, and an exterior passport slip — makes for easy compartmentalization. Currently priced at just $499.
Will Leather Goods Expedition Duffle
This marbled hide in hues of rich chocolate and coffee (called whiskey) looks like it came straight off the cow, with pebbling, creases, and all.
Handmade in certified top grain, Italian, veg-tanned leather from Tuscany, this eye-catching, barrel-shaped bag is complemented by solid brass hardware, Swiss Riri zippers (with turn-lock fastening on top zipper), rolled leather handles, a contoured removable/adjustable shoulder strap, a luggage tag, and interior lining in black poly-cotton twill.
Dimensions of 20″x10″x11″ contain an 8″x5.5″ interior zip pocket plus an organizer for your phone, cards, pens, and accessories. Metal feet protect the bottom of the bag. Each bag is individually numbered and priced at $1,095.
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