While at the Travel Goods Show this year, I was in the Travelon booth and started talking to a journalist friend of mine who was talking to a fellow blogger. He asked me how much he thought I could get into Travelon's new Heritage Weekender that I was raving about. I said at least a week, including shoes, so on our last trip to Vegas, I challenged myself to just that...
...except I packed two people's clothes and shoes inside to show how spacious it was. The Heritage Carry-All Weekender is a gorgeous bag made of the canvas that the whole Heritage line comes in (which you know I adore, because the more you beat it up, the better it looks) and has a wide-mouth opening that I couldn't stop going on about. It's so hard to get things out of a traditional bag, because the zipper only goes end to end and it doesn't open wide enough to get your arm inside or to see what's in there when it's packed/full.
Eric really liked the size and weight of this bag, and looks awesome carrying it. I love that it's not too big to be hard to carry for a smaller person like me, but it's big enough to get everything you need inside.
Okay, I won't say everything, as I did bring a backpack for my laptop, power cords and snacks. But, I could have used it for all those things if I was only packing for myself.
This wide opening allows you to pack your items with ease. I liked that I could pack in layers, because the weekender has a nice flat bottom, not the usual shapeless duffel design. You can also open it and see everything inside, because the zipper extends past just the top of the bag. It goes along a bit more of the curve of the opening to give you maximum usability.
I packed sandals (because we wore our bulkier walking shoes on the plane) and used them as a means to squash down the rest of our clothes. Even with it full to the brim, the bag closed easily with its heavy-duty zipper.
Here you can see all the things that were inside the bag: two pair of sandals, underwear, 10 shirts, 5 pair of shorts, a skirt, a swimsuit, swim trunks, socks, my mesh laundry basket, and a wrap/sarong. I promise you, everything on this bed (and a few things not pictured) came out of that bag when we arrived.
Inside the bag, you'll find a great RFID-blocking zipper pocket to hold your wallet and/or passports. It's pretty large, so you could get quite a bit in there, especially if you're using this as your personal item size bag and need to be in charge of everyone's passports on a longer trip. I also really love the striped fabric inside, because it makes it brighter inside and easier to find things without a light.
Each end of the inside of the bag has a large elasticized pocket for shoes or other items you like to know exactly where they are, like your toiletries or underthings. I used one for shoes and the other for my laundry basket.
The outside of the bag has a big zippered pocket that can hold a ton of things too. It takes up the whole bottom front of the bag. Use it to keep those things you want to get at quickly, like your phone charger, snacks, or games.
Now, let's talk about the anti-theft features on this bag. The removable shoulder strap is heavy duty, padded, and adjustable, so it works comfortably for everyone. It even has locking clips and is reinforced to be slash-proof. You can wrap the strap around a large object, like a table or chair to deter thieves.
If you choose to put valuables in your front pocket, you're covered, because the zipper clips to a D-ring, making it quite a bit harder for thieves to get to your goods without you reealizing what's happening. They will try to go for someone who's an easier target.
The top zipper also clips onto a small D-ring on the bag, keeping your zipper firmly closed when you want it to be. The bag itself is also slash-proof, so you won't need to be worried if you're traveling to/from the airport on public transit. And if you put it in the overhead on the plane, you can feel secure in the safety of everything inside your bag as well.
As with all larger Travelon bags, this one features a pass-thru strap, so you can attach it to the top of your rolling bag, should you choose to take more than one piece of luggage, saving your back from having to deal with multiple bags when you reach your destination or wandering the airport. I can't tell you how sucky it is to have to carry a bag and roll another one over sidewalks, cobblestones, or asphalt. It's even worse when you have to go up and down escalators and try not to take up so much space on public transit.
I can't wait to take my next trip to use this bag again. In fact, this is going to make a wonderful personal item size for our UK trip. If you have been looking for a new weekender bag, this one should be a top contender. It's simple, but has all the best features you want in a weekender bag.
More details:
Where can I buy these totes? On the Travelon website
How much do they cost? $115 - Use code SHEREENTRAVELS20% to get my exclusive discount.
What colors do they come in? Pewter (shown)
Other specs: cotton-poly canvas & suede, Strap Length: 24" x 52", Strap Drop Length: 15" x 28"
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Disclosure: Travelon sent me the Anti-Theft Heritage Weekender Carry-All for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.
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