The Oprah-Loved Duffel Bag I Take Everywhere (It Has a Genius Bonus Feature!)

I have a slight obsession with bags. My collection is pretty robust, ranging from shoulder bags to totes to work purses, but even though my love for the accessory has no bounds, I won’t buy just any bag. My standards are pretty high, perhaps most of all when it comes to those in the travel category. I take my luggage seriously because I know how it can cast a shadow over a vacation if a mishap occurs. Either it doesn’t fit in the overhead bin, it’s uncomfortable to lug through the airport, or it falls apart toward the end of your stay. Trust me, you don’t want any of these scenarios to play out during a trip that you’ve been planning and looking forward to for months.

That, however, is what AT is here for — to keep something like that from happening to you. My teammates and I know what the best brands to buy from are and which products actually do their job well. Ideally, they’ll also look good doing it. CALPAK’s Luka Duffel is one such item. I can’t get enough of this Oprah-loved bag’s stylish design, but more importantly, it’s durable, spacious, and has an ingenious bonus feature that I can’t believe I ever went without. Right now, the brand is offering an extra gift with it in the form of an everyday sling bag, too, but read on to discover even more reasons why you need to grab it before your summer adventures.

There are many things I look for in a travel bag, and chief among them is pockets. There’s really no such thing as too many pockets, and the Luka Duffel has nine of them — including one for your shoes! It’s also the perfect weekender bag with its 25-liter capacity, lightweight and water-resistant material, and luggage trolley, and it capitalizes on the puffy bag trend that’s everywhere right now. You can go for the classics, which include a brown, off-white, black, and a dusty pink, if you want a more neutral look. There are also some stunning monochrome and shiny options that stand out a bit more. Regardless of which one you choose, you’ll be ready to take on the airport in style.

Before I get into how useful I’ve found this bag to be, I should mention that it’s also already earned a spot on our Best Carry-On Luggage list after Rebecca, our SVP of audience growth, took it for a spin. She’s owned it for over a year and still swears by it for all of her trips. “I love that the CALPAK Luka fits right on my rolling suitcase for trips with my son and then when I fly solo,” Rebecca says. “I packed for a weeklong international flight in it and was able to fit it into everything from Easy Jet planes to Delta. The compartments make everything super easy to find and the shoulder straps are extra cushy.”

Though I haven’t been able to test it at the airport — it’s definitely going to be my carry-on for my Europe trip later this summer — I’m in full agreement on the compartments and comfortable feel. It’s been my go-to gym bag over the past several weeks, and I’ve taken it back and forth on the train and walked quite a few blocks with it to get from the office to my workout classes. The puffy material doesn’t just look stylish — it also means that it’s a breeze to carry, with no rough or painful straps. However, the feature that I love the most is the separate shoe pocket. Instead of having to wrap my gym shoes in an extra bag to protect my clothes, they just slide right in on the side!

The shoe compartment, the other handy interior and exterior pockets, the padded straps, and the stylish look all come together to make it — dare I say it — the last duffel bag I’ll ever need. Grab it now before your summer vacation arrives and while you can still get the bonus bag!

Buy: CALPAK Luka Duffel, $128