David King & Co.Extra Large Multi Pocket Duffel, Black, One Size

This bag is the best leather "duffel" bag I have found hands down. I had been researching and looking for a bag that had a few specific qualities: Leather, handles and shoulder strap, fits airline carry-on standards, leather color (not black), and zippered compartments. I wanted something that was big enough to be a travel bag and fit enough clothes, but also small enough to carry on a plane. I had a really hard time finding a bag that was the right dimensions for me, most of them were too small (weekend, or day bags), or way too big (had to be checked at the gates). This one fit perfectly.First, the bag is not rigid. It has a solid bottom inside the bag (and metal feet on the bottom outside the bag so the leather doesn't scuff on the ground), but the sides and top do not have a structure, and will fall down on their own without clothes inside. This is a positive thing for me, since I want to be able to stow the bag easily when not in use. I had no trouble loading clothes inside even without a rigid frame.The pockets on the outside are a really nice touch. I love being able to slide my iPad mini or a paperback book into the longer outer pockets. And used the end pockets for larger things like hats, gloves, toiletries, etc. You can't cram them full of bulky items since they are on the thinner side. But nice to have so you can have easy access to smaller items. The zippers seem very sturdy and I don't expect to have any issue with them. The bronze / brass color matches nicely with the leather. The shoulder strap was a nice addition, but I don't understand why they went with a traditional buckle system as opposed to a clasp / D-ring system. It will take a few minutes to remove the strap every time, so you have to kind of plan ahead. I didn't really use the shoulder strap that often, I usually carried it by the carry handles and rested the strap on top of the bag.Inside the main compartment I was able to fit over a weeks worth of clothes. (Granted I had my wife's checked baggage to put an extra pair of shoes and a larger jacket). But I could use this bag on a week long trip easily. The key is to pack smart and light. I was able to fit 4-5 pairs of jeans and pants, 10 pairs of underwear, 10 pairs of socks, 5 t-shirts, 5 dress shirts, a pair of sweatpants, and a full dopp kit. I even had some extra room to put a hoodie or something on top if I wanted to pack it fully.The only criticisms I have are:1) The velcro that holds the carry handles together is a little cheap. It worked very well, but I would rather have button snaps on a leather bag like this. Not a deal breaker.2) The larger shoulder strap pad is very cheap feeling. It's very stiff, and not very comfortable on the shoulder. I'm sure it helps distribute the pressure of the leather strap on the shoulder, but feels cheap in the hand.Overall I love this bag. I have yet to find a better bag, and most others are even more expensive than this one. I hope david King & co keeps making this bag so that I can buy it again when mine wears out years from now. This is my 2rd leather product from them, and I think I'm going to start looking for more.

I am thrilled with this purchase. I was a little nervous as to what the quality of the leather would be at this price point but was pleasantly surprised that it is soft and smooth. And the size...let me tell you...I searched high and low for an extra large leather duffle bag that was truly extra large, not just called extra large. Well, not only was this one of the largest leather duffle I found but it also happen to be at one of the best prices. Now, that's something that doesn't happen everyday, not to me anyway.Something else I am a fan of is the zippered side pockets on each end of the bag. They aren't so wide that it takes away from the width of the clothes compartment...yet they are big enough for a pair of ladies shoes (or whatever else you want off to the side). With this duffle I can fit two pairs of jeans side by side in the main compartment without them overlapping. Other duffles may be the same exact overall width of this one but the side pockets are so wide you end up getting less room in the main compartment so you wouldn't actually be able to put two pairs of pants or two sweaters side by side. Hope that makes sense. To give you an idea of size, it can fit 5 pairs of jeans & a pair of pajama's stacked up on one side and 5 heavy shirts/sweaters & underwear on the other, plus a hoodie on top (and it's still not jammed pack to the point that you have to force the zipper to close.) toiletries in one side pocket and a pair of shoes in the other side pocket.This bag isn't firmly constructed to stand up on it's own, unless it's full of course. The inside is fully lined but there is no heavy cardboard in between the lining and the leather. So, when it's empty it folds down (collapses) on it's own. I'm sure this is one of the reasons it is priced so reasonably and accounts for it's light weight. It actually doesn't bother me as it saves room in my closet and doesn't add extra weight when the bag is full.Two final things I want to mention are, I have found that duffle's that open like this one (with a u-shaped flap) are much easier to get into than those that just have a zipper that goes straight across the top. Second, the shoulder strap does not clip on & off, it needs to be buckled on both sides like a belt. Not sure why they went that way. (I don't use the shoulder strap anyway.)As long as you aren't expecting the quality of a hand crafted Italian Leather Duffel Bag for this price I think you'll be happy. Amazon had the best price on this bag at the time of my purchase. Shipping was also free. I love Amazon.P.S. I got it in the black. It arrived so fast I couldn't believe it....I'm talking 2 days.UPDATE: Still loving this bag and use it often but wanted to say the velcro they used on the leather piece that keeps the handles together is way too strong. Opening the handles has started to cause the velcro itself to pull away from the leather peice it's sewn to. A lighter duty velcro would have kept the handles together just fine and would have avoided this problem. Hopefully some E6000 will keep the sections bonded.