My New Favorite Weekend Travel Bag

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, which means I may make a commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links, at no cost to you.

I’ve finally found it: the weekender bag that fits all of my crap for an entire trip.

Recently, and for no other reason than I’d never been before and the rates were cheap, I took a trip to Asheville, NC. While I don’t get many opportunities to take whole weeks off as a rule — working for myself over these last couple of years has taught me that too long of a break means too many fires to put out when I get back — I still try to break things up by visiting cities that are a few short hours away from Atlanta. Over the course of a year, these small trips amount to quantity rather than the quality of a long break, but I make it work. It gets me out of the house for a few days to experience new things, and it keeps me happy!

I’ll have that post recap of the Asheville trip to you within the next week or two, but first: this bag. I have been on a long search to find the right one, and I’m glad I can check this off my list!

Originally, I’d bought it for two reasons:

• Sponsors and PR companies I work with sometimes ask me to make short promotional trips for the blog. I did so here when I went to New York and here when I went to San Francisco (and a couple more times to New York). Hey, anytime someone asks me to go, I’m absolutely going to take that opportunity, right? The next one is probably going to be Chicago, but more on that later! They are always a lot of fun, but they are often in and out, limiting the amount of plane time. So, I needed a carry on that could fill work-related duties, with enough space for several outfits (nice stuff and then “down time” attire) and a laptop. I don’t always have a clear picture of the types of activities I’ll be doing on these trips (the itinerary sometimes includes surprises to increase their chances of live promotional shares), so a little extra room was important.

• I wanted a bag that simultaneously worked for leisure trips, but it was hard to justify the expense of the weekender bag I originally wanted, which is a pricier pick at $295. Emily Henderson raved about it and loving its features, so I really wanted to get a good quality bag that fit the bill but would also be stylish (a place for shoes, a place for my laptop, etc.). It’s harder to find than you think! So when I found this one with good reviews, I snapped it up thinking that if it doesn’t work, it’ll at least be good enough until I can save up for the pricier one. But now, I might not have to!

The bag is made of camel-colored fabric that feels like leather, but it’s vegan (I didn’t specifically look for that as a feature, but it feels soft). It has side and interior pockets, a comfortable strap, and a zippered bottom that I can stuff about 3 pairs of shoes in. I’ve already packed this thing to the brim repeatedly, and it’s showing no signs of wear yet. I am pretty confident I’ll be able to get my money’s worth over the next few years of travel. Buh-bye, old beat up roller bag!

I intended on taking a photo of me holding  the bag so that you could use it for scale (I’m 5’2″, so this looks more like luggage than a purse on my frame), but my camera malfunctioned right as I prepared the photos for this post. So, I’ll update it when I get the chance with a new pic. I will be taking a new trip next month, so it won’t be long before I have another opportunity. :)

Hope you have a great weekend! Do you have any travel essentials you’re obsessed with? I’d love to hear about them!