This is the best duffel bag I have ever purchased. The only thing I would change is the carry straps, they are a bit finicky. The magnets aren't as strong as they can be, but this still isn't an issue, this is just something I'm being picky about. All in all this bag is great and I would recommend it to anyone planning on going on a 2-3 day trip!
I bought the Travel Duffel at the Black Week sale, with a medium and a small packing cube. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the quality of the materials, the pockets and how well it fits with the packing cubes. The shoulder strap is also super nice. I like that it's easy to get into the bag, as the opening is large. The multiple strap attachment points are also nice.
My gripes are with the carrying handles. They are uncomfortably thin, which you feel especially if it's heavy. There are magnets in the handles, which makes them stay together when you aren't using them. But as soon as you pick them up, they separate. I just ended up detaching the handles and I only use the shoulder strap.
Having used this bag for a few trips now, I can say that I do think its a great duffel, but theres a few small things that a "v2" would greatly benefit from: many of which are mentioned elsewhere but more info is always good.
The Good: Using this bag with Peak design's packing cubes works fantastically well. Whether packing clothes in it or some hardware, they really do make packing this thing a breeze, and even without them the size of the bag and the generous side pockets make it really flexible. The shoulder strap padding is far more comfortable than other bags I've owned, and the big handles on either end also add a lot of easy maneuvering on planes/overheads.
The Not so good: The side handles are, for me, a total miss and borderline terrible. The magnetic hold on these simply do not do anything to hold them together to the point of thinking they had forgotten to put magnets in mine. I understand from other design choices that hook and loop isn't Peak designs favorite approach, but the magnets just do not work to combine these into a single handle. No matter what angle They're gripped at, when lifting the bag they WANT to come apart. They are also just not comfortable at all as backpack straps, something that is an advertised secondary option. Its nice that this was considered, but the design of the strap itself just isn't comfortable for this. The lack of adjustment makes getting the straps on your shoulders annoying, and they're too thin to distribute weight well and just feel like they're digging in.
That being said, the attachment mechanism for the bag, with multiple options to attach to, is a great design choice, and I cant help but feel would be even better with a good handle. Its a very addressable issue, and either a "backpack" set of straps or just a better set of handles would go a long way to improving them (and easy to retrofit due to the design!)
The only "missing" feature on this bag, given its size and use case, is a way to easily pass a roller bag handle through and keep the duffel on top while on the move. you can kind of do this with the grab handles, but the one closest to the roller bag handle is too loose to really hold the bag in place like this, and the farther handle need to be yanked to get it over the roller bag handle. Its secure at that point, but also doesnt sit flat on the roller bag like that.
Overall: if you're looking for a smaller duffel, its still a pretty good bag, but its held back from being a GREAT bag because of how bad the handles are to use. They've tried to design them to be clever, which is a huge part of what makes peak design's gear nice, but I can't help but think this desire to be clever has negatively impacted the usability.
Im using mine as a gym bag and a weekender. It made out of top quality materials and feels very durable. It’s also designed very well and I find it easy to use.
This is my go to weekender / in the city backpack whenever I have to head into work (usually wfh). It's honestly such a great bag with solid organization. I have the 45L travel backpack but it's almost overkill sometimes for just a 1-2 day overnight trip. I will always opt for this Travel Duffel for almost every situation unless i'm going somewhere for 3+ days. I wish the magnet in the handles were stronger, but other than that it is a 10/10 for me and if this every gets lost or damaged, I will be buying it again.
I purchased this to replace an old North Face duffel. The layout and external and internal pocket design make it incredibly useful compared to a simple wide mouth duffle. This along with my Peak Design 45 liter travel backpack is all I need for efficient travel.