This Duffel Bag Is So Cute and Comfy to Carry, I Bring It on Every Trip

Whether you’re still coveting Belly Conklin’s adorable duffel from the last season of The Summer I Turned Pretty or you’re just looking for a reliable and stylish way to tote your things home for break, Calpak’s Weekender Duffel is the answer. I’ve owned it for almost seven months, and I’ve already lost track of how many times I’ve used it. It’s so great, it makes me look forward to packing my bag, which is historically a task I put off until the very last minute. 

Don’t let the puffy, cloudlike look of this cute bag fool you: It is all business when it comes to fitting all of the clothes and shoes you need for a short trip. It’s made of recycled nylon and weighs just under 3 pounds, so it’s blissfully lightweight on its own, meaning you can load it up with your essentials. It’s about 21 inches long, 10 inches tall, and 14 inches wide, so while it’s a bit bigger than the standard “personal item” size for most flights, it fits perfectly within the carry-on size for most airlines. 

You can choose from six colors: lime green, oatmeal off-white, hazelnut brown, black, bluebell blue, or orchid purple, the last two of which are limited edition colors. 

Plus, it comes with a one-year warranty in the event that any issues come up with the mechanics of the bag, which means it will be repaired or replaced as long as you keep your proof of purchase. Though it typically sells for $225, you can scoop it up for $146.25 while it’s on sale for Black Friday!

I’m pretty picky about my bags. I have preferences on everything from reusable grocery bags to rolling luggage, and duffel bags are some of my favorite bags of all to test out. If I can get away with packing a weekender instead of a larger suitcase for a trip, I will. 

The Calpak Weekender Duffel has made that possible so many times in the several months I’ve owned it — but you’d never guess from the lack of wear it shows. I have the hazelnut color, which is a rich warm brown that feels retro in the best way, and so far it’s masked any scuffs or specks of dirt. It also has five little plastic feet on the bottom, so when you set it on the ground there’s a bit of a barrier that helps keep the nylon fabric clean. 

Speaking of the bottom of the bag, that’s where you’ll find its handiest feature, the zippered shoe compartment, which is separated from the rest of the bag. Though it’s designed to keep your shoes from sullying the rest of your clothes or stinking up your bag, sometimes I travel only with the shoes I’m wearing, which frees that space up for other things, like bulky sweatshirts, books, or dirty laundry at the tail end of the trip. The only thing I wouldn’t recommend stashing in that compartment is anything very breakable, as the weight of the rest of the bag does sit on top.

For organizing your things, the duffel has several interior and exterior compartments that I use all the time: two pockets on either side with magnetic closure; a zipper pocket on the front (I often toss my keys in here on my way out of the house), and a trolley sleeve for stacking it on top of your suitcase. Inside you’ll find several more pockets and mesh zippered compartments for storing your socks, delicates, swimsuit, toiletries, or whatever else you don’t want to get lost in the main part of the bag. 

Despite all of the handy pockets and compartments, though, the duffel manages to be surprisingly lightweight, which is probably my favorite feature. I also own the Béis Weekender, which has a similar profile, but weighs about 1 pound more and feels overall bulkier to me. Because the Calpak duffel is so puffy, I’ve even used it as a pseudo pillow to lean my head against and take a little nap on a long train ride, or propped my feet up on it for a comfy footrest. And, when it’s time to deboard, the (removable) shoulder strap makes it so easy to grab my bag and go.