Peak Design Travel Duffel 35L: Raising the Game
Peak Design’s take on the classic duffel bag.
Duffel bags used to be boring, one zip bags you’d toss some weekend clothes in, throw in your car, and bring with you on a short trip or flight. Duffel bags used to just be basic materials, minimal functionality, and not very exciting. Duffel bags used to be designed for light use and minimal wear before having to replace. Peak Design and their Travel Duffel 35L has changed the duffel bag game and raised a timeless bag into an instant must have.
Peak Design’s Travel Duffle 35L is as solid as it is simple. It’s carry on size design has 35L of capacity, is now ready for weekend travels, overnight trips, gym breaks, or as a sidekick to their larger travel bags. The upgraded duffel bag is no longer just a “bag”- it’s now a waterproof, break-proof, run-out-of-room proof, and simply life-proof bag for every day travel and carry.
Our crew wanted to try out the 35L duffel and see what it’s made of (and from) to see just what Peak Design has done to upgrade today’s duffel game.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
When the box arrived and we opened the inner-wrapped packaging bag to revel the duffle, our first thought was: This thing is sleek AF. The duffle bag itself only weighed 2lbs (empty) and the capacity is rated to hold 35L (that’s liters for those who were wondering)- we will get more into what the heck 35L holds later. We went with the Sage color option for the review (Peak offers 2 colors: Black and Sage) and found the color to be a great lighter option to the dark black bag for those looking to mix it up. The feel and material used was clearly well thought out. Exterior fabric is not only weatherproof, but it's constructed from 100% recycled 400D nylon canvas. The bottom of the bag is made from 900D ottoman-weave poly fabric for added durability-ya know, when tossing in an overhead bin when you decide to head out of town.
What got us on initial impression were the details- The Sage model features woven nylon straps with Hypalon and Nubuck leather accents. The cord hook hardware is anodized aluminum (hand straps) and glass-filled nylon (shoulder strap) for added sleek and style points. Unlike other duffles, the silicone-coated mesh internal pockets add some extra protection for gear stored and durability for frantic iphone charger searching once you get to your destination. The straps are 2x padded and the shoulder strap is 1x padded-both are removable.
Overall initial impressions out of the box: should we even test it and mess with its coolness?...Heck yes! This thing rocks.
PACK IT UP
We had to start our review off by first asking what fits in a 35L backpack anyways? If you ask Google (or Siri) you’ll get some random facts about fish tanks and what not. If your considering packing up your fish for the road you may want to consider another use for the duffel. We decided let’s just pack it with a load of stuff you’d actually pack and see how much it holds.
We’d say it holds enough.
For those who need more concrete facts, here you go:
35L is considered a mid-range size for carry. Anything lower you're looking a short day trip. Anything bigger and you're ready for a week-long trip.
35L is a standard luggage carry-on size and can fit in most overhead bins
35L can hold pretty much:
Set of clothes
Socks
Underwear
Laptop (and case)
3 pairs of shoes
Grooming essentials
Cords/plugs for all your tech
Your EDC gear (knives, belts, wallet, watch, Chuck Norris DVD)
And maybe a little bit more.
It can hold a lot- but not too much to where carrying it is too hard to handle. In short 35L can hold just about enough stuff to get you out exploring the globe or heading to the gym before your next staff meeting.
STANDOUT FEATURES
Now the fun part- the ultimate test. On initial opening of the duffel, the extra long #10 weatherproof zip path gives much wider access to the duffel bag than other duffel bags we’ve tested. We can easily say this allows easier packing and more visibility inside the bag. We mentioned the materials already but will reference again- the weatherproof 100% recycled 400d nylon canvas shell is durable and yet smooth and sleek feeling. The outer part of the bag has 4 external pockets for secure storage. The interior of the bag itself has a grey color that contrasts well with the bag for added visibility when packing. Inside the duffel are 2 internal pockets that have zippers for secure storage.
Carrying the duffel also comes with some amazing features. The cord hook strap quick-connection system allows for instant removal and reconfiguration of straps. The duffel features 2x padded hand-carry straps with magnetic clasp so you can easily take them off and put back on. We noticed they don’t come off unless you want them to, so no worries of the straps coming off when you need them to. Each hand strap can be reconfigured for backpack style carry if you prefer to wear it a different way. Either way we (or you) carry, padded shoulder straps offer comfort no matter how much is inside the bag. Both empty and full were easy to carry and the padded straps offer the perfect amount of cushion.
BONUS FEATURES
While the duffel bag comes pretty stocked as it is, the small touches and add-one take it to a new level. The duffel is designed to fit up to 3 units of the Packing Tools (Packing/Camera cubes) that Peak Design sells. The bag is international carry-on approved and with the ID card holder and built in theft-deterrent main and size zipper pull locks, it makes traveling a breeze.
Peak Design 35L Duffel Overall duuude Factor: Perfection!
The Peak Design 35L Duffel is instantly impressive and a must grab for anyone who appreciates beautiful craftsmanship.
Price: $129.95
PEAK DESIGN INFO:
If you’re like us- you like knowing what’s behind a brand and their products. Peak Design is a brand that has a great energy, philosophy, and stance:
“Before we get into it, it’s worth noting that the purpose of Peak Design (why we do it) is to create happy, meaningful lives for the people that work here. That may sound trite, perhaps even selfish. But we believe our mission can only be achieved when 34 (and counting) self-actualizing, highly stoked people enthusiastically step into the Peak Design office every day. Our purpose and our mission go hand-in-hand.”
PEAK DESIGN MISSION:
01 MAKE THE BEST THINGS.
02 SUCCEED AT THE EXPENSE OF NOBODY.
03 TREAT OUR CUSTOMERS AS PEERS.
04 OFFSET OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
05 USE OUR VOICE TO INSPIRE POSITIVE CHANGE.
06 PRIORITIZE HAPPINESS OVER GROWTH.
THEIR START
“In May 2011 Peter launched that thingy-dingy (we now call it Capture) on a fledgling website called Kickstarter. It worked, and Peak Design was born. Peter started hiring friends, friends of friends, and random people he met at concerts. Peak Design got itself a little office in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood.”
WHERE THEY ARE GOING
“This mission, along with some good ol’ fashioned luck, has been our formula for success. It was not derived from MBAs, leadership books, or a predetermined strategy. It just happens to be the way that we’ve been doing things since the beginning of this company, and we finally wrote it down. Peak Design has been shaped by our desire to enjoy our own lives and to do good. We sincerely hope we encourage others to do the same. Lastly, we acknowledge that we have, and will always have, much to learn.”
Keep at it Peak Design team!
You can grab their 35L Duffel and other amazing products by visiting Peak Designs online:
