Peak Design Travel Line Review

35L Travel Duffel

The Travel Duffle 35L is not a new product. It is part of the company’s Travel Line.

At 35L, it offers nominally the same volume as the 45L backpack when compressed. However, the Duffle 35L isn’t used in the same way as the backpack, and its design makes it an excellent alternative for photographers bringing a lot of equipment on location.

Physical Description

The Duffle doesn’t look like much on the outside, but in typical Peak Design fashion it hides quite a few tricks.

The bottom is made of sturdy weatherproof nylon.

Each side offers two pockets: one deep and featureless, the other shallower and full of internal storage options.

The two top handles link together magnetically. They can be repositioned or removed altogether. They can even, in a pinch, serve as shoulder straps for short periods.

The wide and thickly padded regular shoulder strap can also be removed, or attached to any of the several cord loops distributed around the bag. This strap is arguably better than the typical shoulder strap on a Peak Design backpack.

When empty, the Duffle folds flat and can be stowed away easily.

The shape of the Duffle is a bit unusual. By default, the shoulder strap attaches at both ends, where the bag “lifts” up to hug the body better. The flaps are otherwise held downwards by magnets, so the bag keeps a more compact shape.

There are grab handles near the bottom on both ends, perfect to pull the bag out of an overhead bin.

The interior is accessed via a long zipper running all the length of the top. The edges of the zipper are stiff and let the bag retain its shape even when open. The opening is wide.

As is expected of a duffle, the interior is one single compartment. There are still small pockets on both long edges.

The interior volume is large. Even though this bag has a different shape than either of the company’s Travel Bags, the interior is mostly organized in the same way. The Duffle 35L holds three packing units, just like the 30L and 45L backpacks. Users can thus switch easily from one to the other if they own multiple bags.

Thanks to the flexible shape of the Duffle, it is easy to cram extra items at both ends, or on the top. The bag can expand can adapt to different shapes. Particularly relevant for photographers, the bulk of the bag can be filled with camera cubes, and the rest of the volume used for clothes, a jacket, or other soft items.

This is probably where the Duffle 35L shines the most. Despite ostentatiously being made for clothes, its design makes it ideal to carry a large amount of photo equipment.

The wide opening means reaching inside is easy. In addition, the way the bag opens will often be preferable to a backpack. With the Travel Backpacks, the front of the bag must be laid on the ground, with the risk of getting it dirty. With the Duffle, the bottom is both expected to touch the ground, and made of sturdier fabric. In addition, the clamshell opening of the backpacks is excellent in a hotel room, less so on location, whereas with the Duffle, there are no dangling parts. Lastly, when filled with three packing units, both Travel Backpacks are essentially full (with the 45L still being able to accept a few small items). The Duffle can accept three packing units, and still have room for a few days’ worth of clothes by using each nook and cranny.

User Report

The Travel Duffle 35L is the kind of bag which comes with low expectations but strongly exceeds them. More than “just a duffle”, it’s a versatile bag with an unexpected number of qualities.

The craftsmanship is on par with what we expect from Peak Design (and at this price point). There are several pockets distributed around the bag. The numerous attachment points make it easy to latch items to the outside (with optional accessory straps) or to reposition the hand or shoulder straps.

The bag can be worn in a typical fashion, with the opening towards the top. The shoulder strap can also be attached to loops on one side, so the bag hangs down and hugs the body better. The hand straps can be repositioned to carry the bag as if it was a backpack. Each strap can also be removed at will.