The Best Weekender Bags for Traveling, Camping, or Visiting Your Parents

Whether you’re leaving the country, hitting the cabin with your squad, or embarking on an exciting booty call, the most important thing you’ve got to do is make sure you have a dependable way to bring all your gear. (The second most important thing is that you look cool while doing it.) Sure, you can use your old college backpack to bring your clothes (and sex toys and liquor, obviously), or rely on your trusty Chrome bag to protect your laptop, current novel of choice, and fresh underclothes—both of which I’ve done and admittedly still occasionally do—but if you really want to travel in style, you have to get a killer weekender bag. Luckily, the best weekender bags aren’t that expensive, and can last a lifetime (unless you leave yours behind at the booty call, in which case it might be gone forever).

Great weekenders generally do a few things. Notably, they are spacious enough for all of our quick-trip travel essentials and keep your stuff safe from outside forces—some are waterproof, others puncture-resistant—and the best ones are easy to carry and handle, whether they have strong, reinforced handles or an ultra tough shoulder strap. A couple of our faves even have backpack straps. In any case, the best weekender bags look and feel awesome—they stir up mystery, communicating to the world, “Hey, this person is confident and is going to do something fun and cool.” So here are a few of our faves.

For keeping it cool and sexy

Barbour’s wax holdall duffel is a beautiful, rustic, understated classic. Just like the brand’s iconic outerwear, the duffel’s waxed cotton exterior gives the bag serious durability, while leather trim and brass accents make it feel elegant anywhere from a hunting trip or a weekend in Las Vegas to staying over at your special someone’s place. Got to love the branded circular zippers. So chic.

I’m on a boat… or not

You don’t have to be going to the end of the land to love Lands’ End’s waxed canvas bag—it’s excellent anywhere. I personally use this one when I take the Amtrak to visit my family. The tough exterior means I don’t have to worry about my stuff inside, and the padded shoulder strap makes carrying this big dog comfortable as hell.

Let ‘em know you love adventure

Whether you’re a hiking freak, a gorpcore king, or simply a weekend warrior, this Patagonia bag is a symbol of the brand’s ability to blend form and function. With a recycled body fabric, shoulder strap, and padded base, you really feel like you could throw this sucker off a cliff and it’d be fine (though, to be clear, we’re not suggesting you do that… at least, on purpose).

A legendary piece that’ll last forever

This super tough L.L. Bean bag is a staple of the brand’s lineup, comes in a zillion colors, and has hella good reviews to boot. “They are high quality and, so far, last forever. I’m on year 25 of regular travel with this bag and it shows no signs of giving out on me anytime soon,” one reviewer says. Given L.L. Bean’s reputation for generational durability and classic style, we think that it’s pretty amazing you can score a bag like this for just around $60.

For the on-the-go city folk

Going to a cycling class? Yoga retreat weekend? Headed to Cannes Film Festival to peep the new Wes Anderson and Todd Haynes flicks? With this attractive, minimalist piece from none other than Lululemon, you’re getting water-repellent fabric and a slew of handy compartments to keep your gym shoes away from the book you’re reading. Believe it or not, we’re huge Lululemon stans, so let us lead you to the good stuff (and it goes far beyond leggings).

From the makers of your fave cooler or mug

Yeti’s Panga line is awesome. This bag is self-described as “a waterproof gear fortress that doesn’t flinch in high tide,” and it’s not only waterproof, but also puncture-resistant. Yeti is known far and wide for its outdoor-friendly, adventure-ready, and utilitarian gear, and this bag hits the mark in every way.

Simply very hip

There are some vibes that are just timeless. Such is the case with Herschel Supply Co., an instantly recognizable brand that keeps on churning out neat stuff for us young urban professionals. This duffel bag has just under 6,000 reviews and a 4.7-star average rating (as well as a co-sign from the team here at VICE). Wherever you travel with this bag (aka hopping on the road to catch your nearest city’s hosting of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service on tour), they’ll know that you’re there to party.

Bon voyage!

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.