My favorite kind of trips is the kind that requires very little planning and forethought, preferably involving last-minute packing of essentials, all stuffed into an unassuming bag (I swear I don’t romanticize the fugitive lifestyle).
It should come as no surprise, then, that I love weekenders and duffel bags; for they are unstructured and will, in a pinch, fit in tight spaces.
I own two Madewell Transport Weekenders (also here) because I like their simplicity. They are far from perfect but I haven’t found anything (that is leather, functional, and with clean lines) better.
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| Kimchi Blue Cozy Mid-Calf Duster Coat (similar here + here) | CherryKoko Sweater Dress (similar) | Madewell Transport Weekender | Urban Outfitters Fleece-Lined Tight | Hunter Tour Packable Rain Boot (also here) |
The Transport Weekender, true to its name, is a bag made for weekend getaways. A light sweater, an extra pair of pants, a few t-shirts, a warm scarf, an appropriate number of undergarments, excess toiletries, one or two bulky items of your choice, and a pair of comfortable walking shoes are all that will comfortably fit inside a bag of this size. If you try to overpack it, as I had for a two-week trip, you may find yourself at the airport, unable to zip close the bag and, in the process, savagely detaching the zipper pull from the slider .
SIZE This bag weighs almost 3 pounds empty and measures 14″ tall, 19″ wide, and 8.25″ deep, with handheld straps that have a 5″ drop and detachable, adjustable crossbody straps that have a maximum 16″ drop.
CONSTRUCTION Like its sister products, the Transport Weekender is made of cowhide, with a pebbled leather exterior and a fully lined interior. The main compartment can be closed with a sturdy (though not unbreakable) east-west two-way zipper. There are two slip pocket on one wall and a zippered component on the other.
The base of the bag is unsupported so the bag sometimes topples over when its contents are
unevenly distributed. I suppose metal feet would also be a useful addition to protect the bottom of the bag from wear, though I am wary of this bag getting even heavier with more accents.
PRICE With a retail price of $298, the Transport Weekender is not unreasonably priced, considering the quality of the leather and the level of workmanship. Add in Madewell’s
generally generous after-sales service, even without discounts I would consider the bag a good value. The style, like others in the Transport line, is almost always excluded from store-wide promotions; there are occasional offers for free monogramming ($10 value), but a percentage off discount is rare. Your best bet is buying the bag through Shopbop during one of its friends and family sales or buy more, save more events, for an up to 25% off discount.
The Transport Weekender is available in thee colors: english saddle (tan, pictured above), black with tan handles and straps (the version seen below is retired), and oxblood/burgundy.
The Madewell Transport Weekender is available at Madewell, Shopbop, or Nordstrom.
It is also available in canvas with leather accents here, for less than half the cost of the all-leather version.
