Why We Chose It: Practical, versatile, recycled fabrics
Most travel bags and cases aren’t designed to be carried around, or at least not for long distances. That’s why they tend to be fitted with little luggage wheels – which work great for smooth, shiny airport concourses, but less well over uneven terrain. For the rough stuff, you need a robust trekking pack – one with a chunky, padded harness and hipbelt, for optimum load-hauling comfort. But there’s a problem with that too. Their straps and buckles have a nasty tendency to get caught in overhead luggage lockers or on baggage carousels.
The solution is Peak Design’s Travel Dufflepack 65. It’s big enough to work as a travel bag, with a sleek and functional style. However, it’s also fitted with ergonomic padded backpack-style shoulder and waist straps that are stowed beneath magnetically-sealed back panels, yet deploy instantly when you need to haul it around. Genius.
What Is The Peak Design DuffelPack 65 Best Suited To?
It’s ideal for intrepid travellers whose adventures are likely to take them further off the beaten track than most tourists and holidaymakers. It has a maximum capacity of 65 litres, so it’s big enough for extended trips. However, if you don’t need all that space, the design also compresses down to 45 litres, making it a good option for shorter breaks and weekends away too. And since you can carry it as either a backpack or a standard holdall, it’ll even do double duty as a sports or gym bag.
Eco Credentials
Back in the day, most tough duffel bags were made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is super hard-wearing, versatile and inexpensive to manufacture. Unfortunately, it is also the most environmentally damaging plastic – Greenpeace has gone so far as to call it ‘the poison plastic’. That’s because the lifecycle of PVC, i.e. its production, use, and disposal, results in the release of toxic, chlorine-based chemicals that are environmentally persistent. That is to say, they accumulate in the water, air and food chain.
For that reason, Peak Design have turned to another tough, weatherproof fabric, but one that is far more eco-friendly. In this case, they’ve chosen 100% recycled 600-denier nylon canvas, reinforced with an even burlier 900-denier woven polyester bottom fabric. The woven straps are made from nylon with Hypalon synthetic rubber. Inside, the internal storage pockets are made from silicone-coated mesh.
