Peak Design Travel Duffel Review: I Tried 2 Sizes

I got the original Peak Design Travel Duffel (in the 35-liter size) when it was new: seriously, it was the newest of the Peak Design lineup at the time. I was overly impressed with its durability and structure, its functions and the cool and sleek look.

Now that I’ve owned tons of duffels through the years, I know one thing for sure: the Peak Design Travel Duffel is one of the strongest out there. I picked it up in the 50L size this year, in the new color: Coyote gold.

I have a lot of thoughts on this Peak Design travel bag, as I’ve become close to an expert on how the brand’s products tend to work and turn out over time. Join me as I review the features on the PD Travel Duffel and see for yourself if it could be for you.

Quick facts on what to know

• It comes in 4 sizes (in all colors except Coyote): 35L, 50L, 65L and 80L.
• It has a minimalist and classic build, with pretty clean lines, solid colors and simple straps.
• There are three ways to carry it: Crossbody, backpack and grab handle style.
• The Peak Design Travel Duffels all have multiple purposes (mostly speaking to the smaller ones), from weekender bags to a gym bag, or a photography gear haul bag and a long-term travel duffel.
• A big selling point for Peak Design enthusiasts and photographers is that these duffels are indeed within the PD “ecosystem,” meaning you’ll have clip-in points for Peak Design camera cubes and other accessories that have PD signature Capture Clips.

What else should you know before you dive into buying a Peak Design product? Read up on my Peak Design brand review for all my observations.

Pros and cons

In these main pros and cons, I’m listing what stands out for the Travel Duffel in every size.

Pros

• Materials: They are high-class, like all my Peak Design gear. In the case of the Travel Duffels, the exterior is strong recycled weatherproof nylon with abrasion-resistant zippers.
• Fits within the “Peak Design Ecosystem:” What this means is that the duffels are designed to fit Peak Design camera cubes with “Clip-in points” that hold your other Peak Design products together.
• Travel features: STRONG zipper quality to help ward off theft and break-ins, three ways to carry during transit, pockets for storage, carry-on approved sizing (select sizes).

Cons

• No internal organization (common for duffels).
• I’m not really on board with the recommended “trolley pass-through” for roller suitcase stacking, which is by using the hand straps. I’ll get into this later.
• The straps are not cutting it as comfortable in the “backpack carry” for me.

When to use a PD Travel Duffel

If you’ve gotten this far, you’re probably thinking, “When would I use an extremely strong travel duffel like the ones from Peak Design?”

The first use case is good old travel. I got my Peak Design 35L Travel Duffel originally for travel, which I was doing a LOT at the time—all over the world, long-term, short-term, flying, road trips, you name it. I wanted a travel duffel that would survive anything and the PD duffels seemed to perform for that.

The second use case is photography. Once you get your hands on a Peak Design Travel Duffel, you will see what I mean in how a duffel this strong can really protect your gear. My disclaimer is that of course you should be protecting your camera gear with Peak Design’s camera cubes (that is a no-brainer).

The larger Peak Design Travel Duffels (65 liters and 80 liters: these are really gigantic) are good for taking along bulky or misshapen stuff wherever it is that you are going. Some ideas are camping, skiing, taking your kid to college or camp, or transporting things during a move. They might also be good for very long-term travel, like packing away things you won’t need every day for a camper van trip.

Main highlights

In this section, I’ll go through the stand-out features of the Peak Design Travel Duffel that make it well worth your money. Keep in mind that with four sizes, there is a lot of variation in capacity, weight and volume between the 35L and 80L, for example. I’ll be commenting both on travel uses and photography uses.

Pockets: everyone needs them

I’ve reviewed other duffels that have lasted me for years, like my Patagonia Black Hole Duffel review, and I’ve noted that duffels don’t typically come with many pockets for storage and organization.

The Peak Design Duffels have two internal zip mesh pockets, and four external zipper pockets. This is better than just a few. I find myself at a loss of what to put in the zipper pockets of duffel bags, because without compartments or divisions inside, I’m already packed up with either camera cubes or packing cubes.

Strap system

While the Peak Design newfangled handle and strap system takes about 30 seconds to get used to, it’s seamless after that first learning curve. If you see in these photos of Becca trying out the straps and the un-attaching and reattaching, the “Cord Hook” system is simple and strong.

Also worth noting is that the hand straps can be “reconfigured” (meaning their original configuration as the top duo of grab handles is just for top-grabbing) to be backpack straps. (Although, note again, I mentioned in my “Cons” above that they’re not very padded nor very comfortable for backpack-style wearing).

Travel features

The Peak Design Travel Duffels are pretty simple, but they are called travel duffels for a good reason. There are a few things to name, like the VERY strong and weatherproofed zippers that aren’t easily slide-able: this is good for avoiding theft during travel.

On the other hand, though, some people (like Becca) may get annoyed that the zippers don’t slide very fast. At the end of the day, if you’re using your PD Travel Duffel as a large travel bag, chances are that you aren’t zipping and unzipping it all day long like you would with a handy daypack, anyway.

Peak Design Ecosystem-compatible

As you can see in this photo with the capture clip, you’ll be able to hook in and lock in your Peak Design camera cubes with the clip-in points. This helps with keeping everything steady in a Tetris-like formation, rather than sliding around during transport.

How to decide on which size to get

For me, deciding sizing was simple:

35 liters

My 35L PD Travel Duffel is meant for being my “second item” when I’m packing for a trip. That means I also probably packed my 45-liter Peak Design Travel Backpack and I’m going somewhere far away.

Alternatively, 35 liters is perfect for a weekend away, and I can even pack it with my stuff and Becca’s, and we’ll still have some room. We’ll throw in our packing cubes, my Peak Design Shoe Pouch, the Peak Design Wash Pouch and still have a dab of space left over.

Note: The 35L size is carry-on approved both in the US and internationally (however, your miles may vary on budget airlines around the world with strict rules and weight limits).

50 liters

This is a bigger bag, meant for being the primary bag on a multi-day road trip for me. For years, Becca traveled with a 50-liter backpack when we’d travel anywhere between 5 days and two weeks.

So, we’re familiar with 50 liters being a ripe size for packing in the contents of a longer trip, or conversely, a LOT of photo gear if I’m ever going on a massive photo adventure.

Note: the 50L Duffel is only “carry-on approved” within the United States.

65 liters and 80 liters

Like I mentioned above, getting into bags that are larger than 50 liters turns into being no joke. A 65-liter bag could be a month of packing, and 80 liters is really meant for giant stuff, like more technical equipment (photography, or not).

I used to take an 80-liter duffel to summer camp, and in it was my bedding, towels, some small electronics or appliances and lots of layers and shoes. That’s what an 80-liter duffel can do for you, and with the Peak Design Travel Duffel, your duffel has all the PD benefits like weatherproofing, incredible durability and of course, excellent zippers.

Conclusion: Why get one?

I think the durability with Peak Design products is unparalleled, and the Travel Duffel collection is no different. As you may have seen me mention in my Peak Design Travel Backpack review, I have banged it up and had it thrown off buses and trains around the world, and it looks unscathed.

So for the travel duffels, if you already had your eye on various duffels and you’re deciding, my opinion is that you won’t find one more durable and long-lasting than any of the PD Duffels in the four sizes currently offered. It’s just really difficult, if not impossible, to damage, mess up or beat up these travel bags.

Where to get one

I get all my Peak Design gear on the Peak Design website. It’s simple as to why: there’s always 30-day returns (useful if I change my mind after my item arrived), free shipping over $99 within the US and the Peak Design Lifetime Warranty.

I’m always very glad to have that Lifetime Warranty, as I mention in my reviews of products as important as my Peak Design Everyday Backpack review to accessories like in my Peak Design Shoe Pouch.

Don’t forget, though: Getting a product as big of an investment as a Peak Design Duffel is a great opportunity to shop the Peak Design Pre-Owned Store. There, you can score a deal and a discount and wind up with a good-as-new or gently-used product.