Duffle Bag

Duffle bags, also sold as kit bags or holdalls: a long fabric tube with one wide opening and, in most cases, no compartments at all. This is new stock in military styling rather than surplus. The shape has survived because it does one job well, and it helps to know which job that is before you buy.

What the shape is good at

A duffle swallows bulky, awkward, soft things. Sleeping bags, boots, folded clothing, wet kit, a full change of gear for a weekend. Because the opening runs most of the length of the bag, you see the contents in one go instead of mining down a narrow neck. Empty, it folds flat and takes up almost nothing.

What it is bad at

It is not a bag for covering distance. Loaded much past ten kilos, a single shoulder strap tips you sideways and your shoulder objects within twenty minutes. Versions with rucksack straps help, but a tube has no frame and no hip belt, so the load stays on your shoulders instead of transferring to your hips. Treat it as a bag that travels between a car, a floor and a bunk, not one you walk with.

The second cost of the shape is order. With no dividers, small items sink to the bottom. Put them in a separate pouch or you will tip the whole bag onto the floor looking for a charger.

Choosing a capacity

• 30 to 50 litres: a weekend away, or sports and gym kit. Fits in most car boots alongside other luggage.
• 60 to 90 litres: a week away, or bedding and clothing carried together. This is where the carry method starts to matter.
• 100 litres and above: transport and storage. Filled, it becomes a two-person lift, and most airline weight limits are reached long before the bag is full.

Details worth checking

Judge the carrying points before the fabric name. Handles stitched only to the outer cloth eventually tear out of it; handles whose webbing wraps under the base carry the load properly. A coated lining copes with a damp floor, but a coated bag is not a waterproof bag, since the zip and the stitch holes let water through. Line it with a dry bag when the contents must stay dry. Two zip pulls meeting in the middle, able to take a small padlock, are more useful than one lockable pull at one end.

One practical habit: pack the heaviest items along the base and towards the end nearest your body, and the bag stops swinging as you walk.

See also military bags, rucksacks, dry bags and military backpacks.

Free UK delivery and 30-day returns

All orders ship free to UK addresses, fully tracked. Orders are processed within 3 to 5 business days and delivered within 10 to 20 business days, and that timeline is stated here rather than promised short and missed. Returns or exchange within 30 days of delivery, unused and in original condition, approved before being sent back, with the refund issued within 7 days of return acceptance.