With summer back upon us with hot rays, short skirts and weekends away, you’ll need a cool bag to take everything you’ll need with you in style. The focus needs to be on either the rugged and manly or the stylish and debonair and the holdall is arguably the best option for either of these.
Our view on weekend bags is fairly straight forward: 1. Little cases on wheels get in the way and look pretty pathetic trailing behind you. 2. A rucksack can come in handy, but wearing one big enough to take things for a long weekend will look bulky and better placed for a camping holiday than a city break or trip to the coast. 3. While a duffle bag like Converse’s iconic League Play canvas duffle bag is a good option, it’s a bit more sporty than the simple style of men’s holdalls.
Top 5 cool men’s holdall’s:
1. Diesel denim holdall
For relaxed style and a more youthful look, Diesel’s denim holdall is definitely a good choice. It’s smart and man’s man without being massively serious. Dark denim goes with pretty much anything too, so you won’t need to worry about it not going with your current wardrobe. It wouldn’t work so well with a suit if you’re looking for a holdall for work as well as summer weekends away, but for a short city break or overnight stay at the coast, it’s perfect.
It’s available from ASOS and Diesel for £175, made from cotton mix denim with top handles, a detachable shoulder strap, large outer zip pocket and a studded pocket. It holds 41l, so there’s a good amount of room to pack everything in, but it doesn’t have any inner pockets and compartments to separate things out.
2. Wood Wood Ali holdall
Wood Wood might not be the most well know of brands, but the Danish cult label is a good shout for your holdall of choice. As the name suggests, it’s inspired by the style of Muhammad Ali, who used to have some very cool holdalls as he jetted off all over the world for his championship fights. Though it is slightly sporty, it’s also stylish and slightly retro with the added rugged feel of the canvas straps.
It’s got a great matte dark charcoal finish with a black underside, canvas handles, an outer zip pocket and a small inner pocket. It’s stocked at ASOS for £105, as well as from Wood Wood directly in a green option for €115. It gives you 42l to play with in terms of room inside and comes with a detachable shoulder strap.
3. Berghaus Mule 40l holdall
Nothing says manly like a Berghaus holdall, and while Berghaus’ bags have slightly dipped in recent years in terms of looking stylish, the Mule still retains enough of the cool of its predecessor, the Titan. it’s rugged without looking too much like it should be kept for camping trips to the Peak District, so it works well for all occasions, even on a business trip.
The dark hard wearing fabric means that it’ll go with anything in your wardrobe and last a lifetime to give you a good go-to short trip bag whenever you need it. It’s available from Berghaus for £55 and again comes with a detachable strap, as well as featuring a good array of pockets and side compression straps.
4. Barbour quilted holdall
If you’re looking for ultimate style, as well as high quality durability, then Barbour’s quilted holdall is a good call. It’ll also be a good choice if you’re looking to impress the ladies, with great lines, a cool quilted finish and attention to detail, like the luggage label. It’s strong and refined and while it’s the most expensive in our top 5, it’s also one of the coolest with understated high impact that will look good whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure.
The obligatory detachable shoulder strap is once again in play with the addition of a leather base for added durability and a padlock with 2 keys for extra security. It’s got strong leather handles, 39l of soace and one internal pocket to keep your travel documents safe and sound. It’s available from ASOS for £219, as well as from Barbour by mail for £219.95.
5. Adidas Originals Holdall
This is a genuinely lovely holdall, with a lot of style that’s built on the rugged, canvas like cotton that it’s crafted from. The lighter colour gives a completely different option to the other bags in our top 5 cool holdalls, but it’ll still go well with a variety of different clothes. Like the Diesel bag above, it’s quite relaxed in terms of style, so it’s definitely more suited to personal trips. It has a darker bottom panel, so it won’t pick up marks as you travel and has the added strength of the thick handles that wrap either side of the bag.
It comes with a comfortable handle fastener, a detachable shoulder strap, outer zip pocket and inner compartments to separate out your items a little. It’s available from ASOS for £85. However, it has a little less space than the other bags, clocking in at 35l.
