Few things are more exciting than a long weekend, especially if there’s a cheeky little trip involved. Good weekender bags—no, the best weekender bags—can make sure you spend less time stressing about packing and hauling ass and more time actually enjoying those 48, 72, or however many hours you’re about to spend somewhere other than your cramped apartment.
Whatever weekender bag you choose to be your travel companion has to meet a few criteria that, honestly, all travel bags need to hit: It has to have a decent amount of storage, it can’t break your back during your commute, and it’s certainly got to stuff all of your goods with ease (even if you’re a chronic overpacker). Still with us? You don’t need to go far to find the best weekender bags because we did all the testing for you to find the best weekender bags around, no matter how long you decide to call off from work.
The Best Weekender Bags, According to GQ
Best Weekender Bag Overall: Peak Design Travel Duffel
It may be classified as a weekender bag, but this travel duffel—small enough to still be considered a carry-on bag—can haul enough gear and clothes for a trip that extends far beyond Saturday and Sunday. While it doesn’t fully unzip, the bag does have an extra-long zipper so that there’s a wider opening for you to fish around for whatever you’re looking for, which in our case has been able to hold two over-stuffed packing cubes and two pairs of shoes, with storage left over. The crossbody strap is comfortable to wear over the shoulders when holding it by the handles is a little too taxing on the forearms, and a bevy of pockets—four external zippered pockets and two internal mesh ones—let you max out your storage because no one has the patience or extra funds to be splurging to check a bag.
Best Affordable Weekender Bag: Béis The Weekender
The Béis weekender looks a little small, but that’s only because it’s not as long as other weekender bags and makes up for storage by the fact that it’s quite tall. It has a generous 49 liters of capacity, which makes it great for short trips or longer trips, just because it just holds so damn much. And for added convenience, a plethora of internal and external pockets means everything you need to bring has its own dedicated home. We especially like the zippered bottom shoe compartment to keep the rest of our clothes clean. All of this for just a little over a hundred smackaroos means you can splurge for the seat with a little extra legroom this time around.
Best Splurge Weekender Bag: Dagne Dover Landon
Dagne Dover’s commuter-friendly, high-quality neoprene bags come in all shapes and sizes, and the best one for your weekend trip will come in the form of the extra-large bad boy here. It’s decked out with features that’ll make it easy to pack, unpack, and do it all over again, vacation after vacation. The generously sized interior can hold enough clothes for maybe five days’ worth of travel if you’re a smart packer, and two interior side pockets keep miscellaneous travel goodies—like chargers, your toiletries (hopefully in your toiletry bag), and the like—from bumping around with your dirty clothes. We like that the brand even included a shoe bag to keep your shit kickers away from pajamas and a mesh pouch with a detachable key leash for even more ways to stay organized.
Best Waterproof Weekender Bag: Rains Hilo Weekend Bag
Rains’ popular rain jackets are made from the same polyurethane material as their waterproof duffel bags, which are equally equipped to keep your goodies dry. They feature just a single roomy compartment so you don’t lose your smallest items in one of a million pockets, while the chronic overpacker will appreciate the compression straps so that the zipper actually closes. And if some random TSA agent thinks your bag should take a dive into the Atlantic, at least you’ll be sure that the contents of your Hilo will be dry (if you threw in your handy luggage tracker in there, that is).
Best Minimalist Weekender Bag: Away The Weekender
Away’s ubiquitous suitcases are beloved because of their low-key look and sturdy construction. Makes sense, then, that its duffel bag would also check those same boxes, albeit in a smaller, more portable package. The Weekender is a 38-liter duffel bag that, thankfully, has a clam-shell closure so that it fully opens for easy access. It’s almost built like the brand’s suitcases, in which there’s a zippered mesh closure for the main compartment. The detachable shoulder straps, which add half a pound to the overall weight, make it easy to tote the bag and run through the airport terminal but do note: Away is so popular that you may see a few of these at baggage claim if you’re worried about someone confusing your bag for theirs.
Best Weekender with Pockets: Aer Travel Weekender
Aer’s entire range of travel goods is worth a look, whether you need something for a day trip, your daily commute to the gym, or an even longer weekend getaway. The weekender is just the right size for a two-to-three-day vacation to act as your main bag or as your personal item for an even longer trip, made even easier to carry thanks to the trolley sleeve that slips over your luggage’s handle. The minimalist look of the outside houses a bunch of secret storage solutions for your travel essentials, from pouches for your headphones and your passport to places to store your water bottles and toiletries. And for those who can’t unplug, there’s a laptop compartment to keep their screen safe from accidental drops.
Best Weekender Bag That’s Also a Backpack: Lululemon 2-in-1 Travel Duffle Backpack
Whether you tote it as a backpack, duffle bag, or shoulder bag, Lululemon’s triple-duty weekender will get you where you need to go—and it’ll bring all your stuff with you because of its versatility. The main compartment is nice and roomy, easily accessible thanks to the wide opening. The lid of the bag also has its own zippered mesh storage for the bits and bobs you might’ve forgotten to put into your packing cubes. If it’s a work trip (or you just don’t want to unplug while you’re on vacation), there’s a laptop sleeve that can accommodate screens up to 16 inches, while an exterior water bottle pocket ensures that hydration is a quick grab away.
Best Collapsible Weekender Bag: Cotopaxi Allpa Duffel Bag
Backpack? Duffel bag? How about both? Cotopaxi’s ludicrously capacious bag has enough room for a long weekend’s worth of outfits—and for your dirty drawers, there’s a dedicated zip-up space at the bottom of the bag to keep your soiled undies away from your grails. The spacey main compartment opens up fully so it’s easier to access the stuff you accidentally put at the bottom but need ASAP. We like that this Autobot of a bag can turn into a backpack, and when you turn it into one, the duffel carry straps stow away so they’re not bouncing around, getting in the way. And for when the weekend trip is over (sad!), the entire thing collapses into the included sack so it’s out of sight, out of mind.
Best Leather Weekender Bag: Tecovas Bartlett Weekender
Tecovas, maker of epic cowboy boots, filled the gap in its cowboy-centric inventory by taking the same supple leather it uses for its footwear to create a duffel bag that’ll last as long as the American West. The 100% natural grain leather is top of the class, only getting better with the mileage you’ll be putting on it. It has a few slip pockets throughout, but it makes sense since the brand wouldn’t want to detract from the bag’s aesthetic with extraneous details. However, we do love that the bag is expandable because the two exterior snap straps can increase the bag’s overall capacity for extended trips. Overall, it’s just a damn good bag—and a damn good-lookin’ one too.
