Peak Design 50L Travel Duffel Review

The Peak Design 50L Travel Duffel has a few tricks up its sleeve…er, straps. With three carry methods, the Travel Duffel is a solid option when you need extra space for a road trip, flight home, or to carry your sports gear. Plus, the carry methods make it easy to get your gear there comfortably. How does all of that come together? Let’s find out!

External Components

The primary material utilized by Peak Design to craft this bag is nylon. It’s durable, highly water resistant, and lightweight. It’s so thin that it doesn’t have much structure, and we’ve noticed that it doesn’t hold its shape unless it’s full of gear. Still, how often is someone going to see your empty duffel bag? Likely, not frequently. The materials are recycled and bluesign® approved, too, which is a solid shout, sustainability-wise. The entire bag is PFAS-free, which is another check on Peak Design’s list of sustainable practices.

The zippers on the 50L Travel Duffel are unbranded but are rugged enough to handle the bumps and knocks of travel in our testing. At the time of writing, all of Peak Design’s new gear features unbranded zippers, and we haven’t had any issues with any of this new era’s zippers. If we do, you’ll hear about it!

The Peak Design logo is incredibly subtle, which we dig. It’s on the front side’s secondary compartment and is black, so it blends in. It is printed on a material that feels like Hypalon, which is durable and has a unique texture. We like that it’s there and like its low profile even better! Additionally, there are subdued logos on the handle and shoulder strap.

The handles and shoulder strap are removable, and the hardware that enables that is a mixture of plastic and metal. The former is so durable that we questioned whether or not it was metal, too, but it bends slightly more and sounds somewhat different when you flick it. However, this stuff is still durable. Both work well and are easy to put on and take off, but they won’t pop out when you don’t want them to. The handles attach above the secondary compartments, and the strap attaches to the left and right sides of the duffel.

There are minimalistic handles on either end of the bag, which we think is handy. The top has plenty of places to grab onto, but when stowed, you may only be able to access the bottom of the pack. With these two handles, you can get to the bag more easily. Additionally, there are attachment loops throughout the exterior, which is handy for attaching gear to the outside of the duffel. Like the handles, these loops stay out of the way when you aren’t using them.

There isn’t a ton going on here, giving the duffel the sleek look we’re used to from Peak Design. Does it offer the same comfort that we’re used to, too?

Fit Notes

As mentioned, there are three ways to carry this bag, and we’ll go over each and its usefulness.

First is standard duffel mode. Two handles come together with two snap buttons. There isn’t much padding here, but the material is grippy and comfortable. This is a 50-liter travel duffel bag, so you can fit a ton of gear in here. Though this is an essential inclusion for quick trips, you aren’t going to want to carry a bag like this for more than a short while. Think from the car to the baggage check at the airport, from the taxi to the hotel check-in desk, and from the back seat of your car to the trunk when you have to give more than one person a ride.

The second is backpack carry, which uses the same straps as the first method. The straps have little padding and aren’t aerated for breathability, so this isn’t the most comfortable option long-term. Still, we’re surprised by how manageable this method is, even on a walk as long as a mile. It won’t be as comfortable if the pack is heavier, but this isn’t a bad shout if you need to be hands-free or your shoulder hurts from the third carry method. This is ideal for walking through cities with many stairs or inclines (so you can use the handrails) or on days when you have a long time between leaving the hotel in the morning and going to the airport in the evening.

Last, we’ve got crossbody mode. Before entering this carry method, you can remove the smaller straps we discussed in the previous two paragraphs. They’re easy to pop off; you can stow them inside the bag until you need them again. You don’t have to remove them, but we think the bag looks sleeker without them.

This is the only carry method with dedicated padding, so it’s no surprise that this is the most comfortable of the bunch. There’s mesh for aeration, too, which helps with sweat on warm days. You can adjust the length of the strap, too, so you can tailor it to your needs.

This method is likely the one you’ll use most and works while exploring a new city when you arrive before you go to your hotel room, walking from the car to the locker room at the ice rink for your beer league, or walking from one hotel to the next if you’re staying in two parts of the city during your trip.

Inside The Duffel

Both sides of the duffel have two secondary compartments. Since they’re nearly identical, we’ll only cover one side and then explain the differences.

The top pocket on either side has a long opening with organization inside. One has three medium-sized pockets, and the other has two large. The liner is a unique plastic-like material with holes, so you can semi-see the gear you’ve stowed inside. The front side has an ID slot and a loop you can use to attach your keys to.

The lower pocket on either side has less going on. It’s just as long but lacks organization. This is a solid place to stow maps and other flat gear, as it shares space with the pocket we just went over. While in the airport, this is an easy place to stow your phone and wallet for quick access while browsing the food and drink options.

The main compartment is where the real party is. Seriously, there’s so much space here!

There isn’t much organization inside, but there are a few features we need to discuss before we dive into that. The zipper track is long, extending out further than the base of the pack, which gives the duffel a large opening. This is handy for organizing gear, which you’ll need to do, as there’s so much space to work with. Additionally, there’s a metal bar on either side, which helps with the bag’s structure. They run horizontally, not vertically. There’s an overlap of material that appears to allow you to remove it, but we haven’t been able to do so. This would be handy for stowing the bag, as you could fold or roll it smaller. Still, the added structure is a nice touch, as the materials are so lightweight.

The Peak Design 50L Travel Duffel’s interior sides have identical organizational features, like the exterior. Each side has a mesh zippered pocket, similar to the plastic material in the secondary compartments. This is a solid place to lock down smaller gear you don’t want bouncing around the main compartment, as there isn’t anywhere else inside the pack to lock down smaller items.

There are toggles on two corners inside to attach gear, like packing cubes or a tech pouch. Peak Design makes both, but you don’t have to use theirs when using the duffel. Even if you don’t go with Peak Design, we recommend using packing or compression cubes and a capable tech pouch, as there’s a ton of space to work with here. If you don’t use them, you’ll be fishing around for ages to find a charging cable or your travel rain jacket. With organizational tools, you’ll be able to find your gear more easily.

Overall, the Peak Design 50L Travel Duffel is a solid departure from other, more structured duffel bags on the market. We like that it’s lightweight but retains durability, so we’re not worried that our gear will be compromised or that we’ll break our backs, either!