The best weekend bags to inspire your next getaway
From the best in burnished leather to the hardest-wearing canvas holdalls, we've found the tip-top zip-up luggage you should be lugging
If you don’t have a great weekend bag, then how can you expect to have a great weekend? Where will you stash your dinner jacket, your wetsuit, your magnum of champagne or your top class Cuban cigars? How will you carry your countless invitations to black tie parties, a veritable rainbow of different currencies in notes or that bottle of 30-year-old Scotch you’ve been saving for the trip of a lifetime?
Okay, so maybe not every jaunt or journey will be the trip of a lifetime — but it doesn’t hurt packing as if it could be. That way, when opportunities present themselves, you’ll be primed for the best, prepared for anything and lugging luggage that couldn’t look any better…
There are few fabrics as functional and fashionable as canvas
Canvas, be it in waxed jacket form at Barbour or dapper dap form at North 89, is one of our favourite, most dependable fabrics. It figures, then, that our top weekenders are also crafted from the material — a robust, hardy textile that will take almost anything you — or an airport baggage handler — can throw at it.
It’s also got a handsome, utilitarian look to it. Bennett Winch’s olive Weekender has a padded laptop sleeve and two waterproof compartments for added practicality. Ettinger has a slick navy option with waxy leather trims and a complimentary luggage tag, and Filson’s duffle is sized to meet maximum airline carry-on restrictions, and reinforced with bridle straps for added support.
Leather is a classic choice for a good rugged reason
Throughout history, hardwearing leather luggage has seen and survived more adventures than you could ever stuff into one lifetime — or the biggest bag. The waxy, tanned hide is also famous for ageing well — turning into a tarnished, burnished picture of beauty the more you bash it about and show it the world.
And we’ve found the best zip-ups just begging to be patinaed. Barbour’s leather travel explorer bag is a luxurious and durable holdall perfectly proportioned for weekends away. Mulberry’s may be a little more expensive, but comes in black vegetable-tanned leather for a classic look. And, from Tusting, the Hingham is elegant, distinguished and features the brand’s signature jacquard lining in airforce blue.
If you’re a savvy traveller, get a holdall that can do it all
Although we imagine you attend your fair share of black tie getaways — you are reading Gentleman’s Journal, after all — not every excursion or expedition is going to be spent sipping champagne in first class. For those trips that require a more practical turn, look to one of the following technically made holdalls — each with a hidden utilitarian touch…
Bennett Winch has pulled through once again with its innovative suit carrier holdall, a sharp, understated looking piece of luggage that masks a unique two-piece design. Brunello Cucinelli has incorporated a hidden feature into its travel bag; slot-away wheels and a carry handle amidst the perforated suede and buffalo leather. Or, to really take things back to basics, pick up Eastpak’s dependable, simplistic Plister holdall-cum-backpack. Adventure awaits.
Need a pair of trusty kicks to accompany you on your next adventure. We’ve got you laced together, buckled up and altogether sorted…
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
