Deciding on a quality weekender

[Teme]

I currently have a 18” Tumi brown leather duffle that serves as my weekender. However, I find it to be too soft in structure and lacking in character. So it gets very little use and I am looking to move up into something that addresses these perceived shortcomings.

After much contemplation the two bags on my shortlist are the Swaine Adeney Oxford and the Ghurka Express. The Gurkha appears a tad more casual and versatile, but I have concerns about the quality. I have no opportunity to see it in advance of purchase and there is a lot of negative stuff around on the quality prior to the firms current owners. The SAB is a safe bet in terms of quality and I also have the opportunity to try before purchase.

So I am still undecided. Any thoughts or experiences you care to share?

 

[johng70]

To me, the external pouches are a useless waste of space on a weekender bag - not large enough to really put anything in. The problem, in my eyes with the Swaine is the size. 14" is too small so you have to go up to 19". $2000 for a weekender bag just seems like complete overkill. I'm sure it's great quality.
JW hulme has a great duffle at 1/2 the cost:
https://www.jwhulmeco.com/collections/travel/products/continental-duffle

 

[Teme]

Thank you for your response.

I think the pockets have pros and cons. They do make the design busier and more casual. But on the other hand I could see myself using them for headphones, a phone charger, a passport, a paperback or something like that. Having said that, I do kind of prefer the cleaner look of the Swaine Adeney (plus I would most likely be carrying a tote anyway with my camera, phone and iPad in it anyway).

Thanks also for the tip on the JW Hulme. However, for some reason the looks do not work for me. Too many visible rivets or something.

I did spot another alternative that looks very promising, though. The Frank Clegg Signature Travel Duffel. Significantly cheaper than the SAB, but seems to have a very nice and clean design as well as a good reputation for not much more than the JW Hulme.

 

[johng70]

I can't say I like a blue leather bag - much less with baby blue highlights. For a duffle, I'm also not a fan of the box/rectangle shape. My flight bag is a bit different in that regard (since flight bags are rectangular for a reason). But, a rectangular leather duffle just looks off. It also doesn't look like it has a shoulder strap. Another issue for me. A detachable shoulder strap is a must for a weekender bag to me - a quality bag should provide the user with the option. All-in-all, there are just too many design issues for me to consider this bag.

 

[mintchox]

I agree the shape looks a bit off, but can't pinpoint why. The shape looks better than the SAB and Ghurka examples above though. I also take issue with the baby blue highlights, it makes the bag look less classic / timeless. Price-wise, I think something in the region of US$700 would be fair, but I'd also be looking for features to distinguish from the alternatives like customisation and good quality zippers / interiors. It doesn't (and shouldn't) be complicated, but well thought out.

 

[QP3]

I've been eyeing the Killspencer Weekender 3.0 in full-grain leather. It is a bit square in form, I'm not sure if that will be a problem. It's from a local artisan/designer, which is nice to support the small manufacturers.

https://killspencer.com/collections/weekender-duffle/products/weekender-3-0?variant=42913128398

 

[robxznyc]

It seems you have a high budget so you should have a lot of options. I just saw this Mulberry weekender made of pebble grain calfskin on sale for just over 1/4 of your SAB's full price.

 

[ValidusLA]

@Mmainz
Please stop resurrecting old threads and pretending you aren't repping the company. People here aren't that dense and no one wants threads from 2018 resurrected.

EDIT: the person to whom I was referring has had their post removed. Thankfully