Peak Design Travel Duffel Review (35L)

Finally! That’s what I have to say. Finally I have concluded a long time search for what I deem to be a perfect duffel bag choice for myself.

For the last few months I’ve been in search of the ideal one… but it’s hard to find one that ticks all the right boxes for me.

They’re either light and flimsy, have no structure, too rigid in structure, or are generally better suited to being a gym bag (Me? Gym??) Too often they’re also cumbersome and heavy, therefore working against you on carry-on luggage weight limitations.

I wanted something that was more “me”. Simple in style, yet classy. Not too heavy or bulky, but solid and can be trusted. And best of all, is darn good quality.

When Peak Design first announced their new Travel Duffel 35L, I knew I had to have it in my collection. I just knew that it would tick all of the boxes.

It looks great, is built from premium materials, offers customisable carry styles, and has many handy little hidden compartments. It fits airline size requirements and being only 900g (2lbs) works with you on the weight limitations front too.

Not to mention you can also easily fit Peak Design’s set of Packing Tools and Camera Cubes inside, without being enormous like the Peak Design 65L Duffelpack.

But wait! What colour? Sage or Black?

Let’s jump right in to this Peak Design Travel Duffel Bag review to find out more…

Peak Design Travel Duffel Specs

Exterior Dimensions (W x H x D): 56 x 34.5 x 26 cm (22” x 14” x 10” in)
Interior Dimensions (W x H x D): 51 x 25.5 x 20 cm (20” x 10” x 8” in)
Expanded: Main zippers expand to allow a wider opening along the top
Weight: 0.9kg (2lb)
Volume: 35 Litres

Exterior:

Exterior fabric is weatherproof, 100% recycled 400D nylon canvas. 900D Ottoman-weave Poly bottom fabric. Woven nylon straps with Hypalon. Nubuck leather accents only on Sage.

Cord hook hardware is anodized aluminium (hand straps) and glass-filled (shoulder strap). Silicone-coated mesh internal pockets.

Two colour options available, a Sage green combination, or a luxury styled Black.

Interior Gear Compatible:

Designed to fit Peak Design Packing Tools (up to 3 units of Packing and/or Camera cubes).

Build & Appearance

At first glance it’s a simple smooth looking black bag. Once you pick it up and hold it for the first time, it feels solid and rigid. It doesn’t sag in on itself, it holds its own. The shape stays firm which makes for easier packing and carrying.

The Peak Design Travel Duffel looks classy, elegant, and functional. It’s not like those large heavy brown leather bags that are merely an overweight fashion object, and as heavy while empty as all the contents you plan to load inside it.

The handles are sturdy and strong, soft to touch and comfortable no matter the carry set up you prepare.

It is very much in keeping with all the other Peak Design products, unmistakably Peak Design in every way.

As you would expect the attention to detail is impeccable, from the stitching to the buckles, and all of the inner lining as well.

Exterior Features

One of the greatest features of the Peak Design Travel Duffel is the ability to rearrange and reconfigure how each handle is attached to the bag, which is easily done by utilising the Cord Hook quick-connection system.

There are multiple attachment points placed along the top and sides of the bag to reattach the grab handles or shoulder strap. This allows you to prepare the bag for back carrying or for standard hand carry.

The strap can sit across the middle of the bag for cross-shoulder wear or offset to either side for single shoulder wear. This allows the bag to sit at an angle by your side, so as to not stick out awkwardly! Clever thought, right? It does make a difference!

The strap is also adjustable in length and has padding built in to it. When not in use, the end points of the bag are magnetised to hold the sides downwards and out of the way.

Either side of the Travel Duffel also has grab handles underneath, to help move the bag wherever it has been stored.

The soft-touch top grab handles have light magnets inside them. This allows them to stick together to create an easy-to-find single hold point. They may be magnetised but are easy to separate.

Most duffel bags I’ve found either have a Velcro attachment which wears out over time (and is noisy), or they don’t connect together at all, tending to fall to either side. It’s a simple thing, but certainly a consideration in which, once you think about it, is really quite clever.

The zippers contain an easy-to-grab leash and they slide along the tracks with ease, never grabbing or snagging.

You’ll also find a multitude of exterior pockets, which contain pockets within the pockets, and pockets within some of those pockets. You have quite the variety of storage solutions with the Peak Design Travel Duffel.

Interior Features

Being a duffel bag, one can make a rather educated assumption of what the inside of the Peak Design Travel Duffel will be like – it is large, open, and cavernous. There’s no fuss about it, it is one big large pocket to throw everything that you need in to it.

You’ll find stitched in to the sides of it small pockets to store small items that you may not want to misplace, or items you wish to hide away from peering eyes if you’re so inclined.

The inside is coloured light grey. This helps you to not lose items in the shadows, and I’m glad it’s not some gaudy bright orange or green colour like you sometimes! Peak Design keeps it stylish by choosing a rather light and neutral colour.

Many of you may find this next interior feature handy, and that is how it functions with the Peak Design Packing Tools and Camera Cubes. Instead of me diving in and telling you about products I don’t own, I figured that Peak Design will show you it best for now. You’ll see in this video below how they connect in to the bag:

 

Storage Capacity

As mentioned in the name, the Peak Design Travel Duffel will hold up to 35L of storage inside the main compartment… but don’t forget about all the smaller pockets littered throughout the bag.

There are two zip up pockets on either side of the bag, and within those pockets are smaller mesh pockets to hold the little goodies. If you don’t have any smaller packing solutions at hand, these smaller pockets will be of great use. You won’t have phone chargers disappearing among the rest of your luggage!

The amount of camera gear you can store within the bag also depends on the Peak Design Camera Cube that you’ve selected to use. Peak Design offer two sizes of those.

This bag doesn’t come equipped with a camera gear option by itself – that is a product you can purchase at the same time, however through their website here.

Whether you’re using your Peak Design Travel Duffel for just clothing, clothing and photography gear, or just photography gear, you’ll be able to manage the solution well with the various packing cubes.

I like to use the Peak Design Tech Pouch – I find it handy for managing all of my little items that I don’t want to carry in my Peak Design backpack, but would rather store in my clothing bag. It’s something I use with the Duffel bag, but I use it in other luggage bags as well.

Fitted with numerous separators and small pockets, the Tech Pouch is a great solution for a common problem: How else do you manage the copious amounts of cables, plugs, chargers, cards, hard drives, and various other technology neatly in to one pouch?

Before this handy little pouch, I often lost items mixed up amongst clothing or falling to the bottom of my bag. It also fits nicely in to the Peak Design Travel Backpack.

For such a small, lightweight and relatively inexpensive item, the Pouch is one of my favourite ways to organise my everyday carry essentials.

If you want to learn more about it, check out my Peak Design Tech Pouch review, where I dive a bit deeper.

Ease of Use/Comfort

As you’d imagine, the Peak Design Travel Duffel is a pretty simple bag to use. You pull zipper, bag opens. You grab handle, you can carry bag. But this is a part of the Peak Design style of things. Making the simple things nicer to do!

The handles of the Peak Design Travel Duffel are soft to touch, and with the magnets hold together well. The fact that you can also remove and rearrange the handles as per your needs is a major benefit, and something I haven’t seen on other bags.

Using the Cord Hook quick-connection system can be difficult at first, but the handles are designed to withstand a forceful pull and to support the weight of a fully loaded bag. They’re designed to be harder to remove as you wouldn’t want them to come off by accident!

The Peak Design Travel Duffel is built for purpose and it serves that purpose well with how simple and comfortable it is to use. It’s no fuss, but it’s also certainly without compromise.

However you carry this bag, it is a comfortable experience. Surprisingly it is not uncomfortable or strange to carry it on your back, and looks pretty cool too!

Value for Money + Discount Code

Peak Design are not known for selling their products cheaply, but that is because they see value in their own line-up.

By offering a lifetime warranty on all of their products, it incites confidence. If they’re willing to back their products for its entire lifespan, that is money well spent.

I’ve mentioned this numerous times before, but the build quality, materials, features, and light weight justiry a premium price tag.

At around US$130, the Peak Design Travel Duffel is not particularly expensive in comparison to other premium duffel bags… but the other added features and benefits included in the bag sets it above all else that I have found can offer.

There are plenty of cheaper travel duffel bags available, but I feel they may not give the same high quality and user experience as this one does.

Peak Design Travel Duffel | Conclusion

The Peak Design Travel Duffel has reached and exceeded my hopes and expectations within the mere short amount of time in which I have owned it.

The style, functionality, and overall feel of the bag is second to none. I cannot stress enough how beneficial it is to be light-weight, structured, and well-built when it comes to travel – especially considering how strict some airlines can be with their weight allowances. It is a bag that I am proud to wear and own.

Do you share the same requirements in a duffel? Or am I just too picky? Either way, I’ll finish this article in the same way I started it, by yelling “Finally!”.