Best Duffel Bags
- Most Sustainable Weekender Bag: Everlane
- Best Foldable Travel Duffel: Wandf
- Best Rolling Luggage: Samsonite
- Best Waterproof Duffel Bag: Dry Pak
- Best Leather Weekender Bag: Madewell
- Best Wheeled Duffel: Mercury Tactical Gear
- Most Organized Rolling Duffel: Olympia
- Most Stylish Travel Duffel for Women: Vera Bradley
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Duffel Bags
For my money, duffel bags are some of the most versatile luggage pieces anywhere on the planet.
All duffel bags have a flexible construction and compressibility that makes them less rigid than typical carry-on luggage pieces.
Good duffel bags can be taken anywhere – as acceptable at the gym as they are on the airplane. And great duffel bags, not unlike Transformers, can shape shift into backpacks or rolling duffel bags!
Keep reading for the best travel duffel bags!
Jump to brand:
- Everlane
- Dry Pak
- Herschel Supply
- Madewell
- Mercury Tactical Gear
- Olympia
- Osprey
- Samsonite
- The North Face
- Vera Bradley
- Wandf
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Best Travel Duffel Bags (2023)
Most Sustainable Weekender Bag: Everlane
Everlane makes a stunning sustainable weekender bag.
Their roomy duffel is made from 100% recycled polyester and over 36 plastic bottles. It has a water-resistant finish for durability and a suitcase strap to slip over your luggage.
I love the simple minimalist design.
It’s perfect for travel and daily use! Inside, there’s a padded laptop sleeve, two water bottle holders and a roomy main compartment.
It also has an exterior zip pocket for quick access, and multiple straps to carry it crossbody, shoulder or in-hand.
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Best Foldable Travel Duffel: Wandf
For trips where you don’t need a ton of stuff (the Wandf is just 13.5” tall and 20” wide), there might not be anything better on the market than the Wandf Foldable Travel Duffel Bag.
Incredibly versatile, the Wandf features a unique nylon fabric that is simultaneously waterproof, wear-proof, tear-resistant, and, at less than 10 ounces, ultra-lightweight.
The size of a carry on when expanded and smaller than a CD case when folded, the Wandf compact duffel is perfect for every travel situation.
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Best Rolling Duffel Luggage: Samsonite
It only makes sense that one of the most durable rolling duffel bags for travel comes from one of the most respected names in luggage.
The Samsonite Wheeled Duffel is incredibly resistant to beatings and abrasions thanks to its rip-stop nylon, a fabric that ensures any puncture or tear doesn’t lead to a rip throughout the entire thread.
The Samsonite travel duffel is mostly one large cavity, but it does have a decently sized zippered sleeve on the outside that’s perfect for travel documents.
And with locking zippers and bail handles for support, the Samsonite is easily one of the best travel duffel bags with wheels on the market.
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Best Waterproof Duffel Bag: Dry Pak
For backpackers or any travelers heading on an outdoor adventure, the Dry Pak Bag is the travel duffel bag for you.
Many duffel bags feature a water resistant nylon fabric, but water resistance only gets you so far. Even a fabric with above-grade water resistance will allow water to permeate after as few as 10 minutes in a moderate rain!
That’s why the Dry Pak is the perfect travel duffel bag for people on the go, as its nylon fabric is completely waterproof and the zippers are storm flap protected.
And, with a volume of 4,270 cubic inches, the Dry Pak can keep all your things dry and even some of your friend’s stuff, too!
Bring this on any camping trip, national park road trip or rugged adventure.
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Best Leather Weekender Bag: Madewell
We’ve always had a soft spot for Madewell bags and their duffel travel bag is no exception. Their accessories are crafted with leather that stand up to hard use.
This duffel bag is perfect for those who need to fit their carry-ons under the plane seat in front of them, yet it holds a ton.
It’s made from thick, durable leather that looks better with wear and it’s surprisingly roomy – you can fit an entire weekend’s worth of clothes inside!
Luckily, the shoulder strap is thick and strong so you don’t feel like one shoulder is breaking while you carry it.
Personally, we’re partial to the buttery brown leather option but it comes in lots of options!
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Best Wheeled Duffel: Mercury Tactical Gear
Everyone knows the best thing about duffel bags is the beating they can take.
Whether you’re throwing it from your truck bed to the campfire or seeing the person across the airplane row shove your duffel from side to side, a good duffel bag always holds up.
And when Mercury Tactical Gear feels it can name their duffel the “Mini Monster”, you know this bad boy is going to hold up.
Made with padded interior walls and exterior rip-stop nylon, the Mini Monster keeps your belongings secured while withstanding the toughest beating.
The Mercury Tactical Gear bag is at the maximum size for airline checked luggage compliance, making it an ideal rolling duffel bag for international travel.
Mercury Tactical Gear Travel Duffel Bag with Wheels
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See all colors & read more reviews here
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Best Large Rolling Duffel: Olympia
As fantastic as duffel bags are, if I was forced to lodge a complaint it would be that most duffel bags have one giant compartment where everything is jostled around like a luggage alphabet soup.
Fortunately, the Olympia 8 Pocket Duffel realizes that the best travelers are organized travelers, which is why they engineered their travel duffel bag with wheels with a U-shaped main compartment flanked by 7 additional pockets that can intelligently segregate different products.
Throw in recessed ball-bearing skate wheels and a retractable handle, and the Olympia Duffel maximizes use during travel while minimizing closet space at home!
If you love packing cubes, this is the most organized travel duffel for you!
Olympia Rolling Duffel for International Travel
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See all colors & read more reviews here
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Most Stylish Travel Duffel for Women: Vera Bradley
I have a couple Vera Bradley duffels and I love how versatile they are.
They come in all sorts of prints, fabrics and styles – but they all lay completely flat when empty and have a large roomy interior that you can stuff the brim!
If you travel often, you’ll appreciate their lightweight, water repellent bags. They unzip on 3 sides for easy accessibility and they have several interior mesh dividers and exterior zip pockets for easy organization.
This particular quilted option fully opens like a suitcase!
If you’re packing for weekend trips and like to be able to see everything neatly inside without rummaging through the entire bag, you’ll love this Vera Bradley quilted duffel!
We took this on a New England road trip where we drove from New York City to Maine and even did a sailing cruise and the bags were fantastic.
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Best Travel Duffel for Camping: Osprey
Osprey makes a fantastic travel duffel for backpackers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Their roomy and rugged bags are made from ripstop material for durability and even fold into themselves for easy packing.
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Most Durable Travel Duffel: The North Face
This travel duffel is a cult classic from The North Face.
It comes in various different sizes depending on your needs.
The small works great as an overnight or gym bag. It goes all the way to a mammoth XXL for long outdoor trips!
The bags come in a range of bright colors and are built from a durable, water resistant material. They can easily handle getting tossed around at the airport and they’re very roomy inside!
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Read More in my travel packing checklist series:
Best Travel Luggage
The Best Carry on Luggage for 2021
The Best Packing Cubes for a Perfectly Organized Bag
The Best Lightweight Luggage for Overpackers
The Best Hard Luggage Sets for Stylish Travelers
The Best Underseat Luggage for Minimalists
The Best Carry On Bags for Men - Rugged + Durable!
Business Travel
The Essential Business Packing List
The Best Business Travel Luggage
The Best Laptop Cases for Working Women
The Best Laptop Bags for Men
Packing Hacks
The Best Travel Wallets for All Your Vacation Essentials
The Best Jewelry Cases Never Untangle a Necklace Again!
The Best Toiletry Bags to Clean Up Quick
Travel Packing Lists
The Best Travel Jackets for All Types of Weather
The Best Duffel Bags for Your Next Weekend Trip
The Best Travel Backpacks to Hold Everything You Need
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