Are rolling suitcases the better choice for business travel? Or can a case be made for duffel bags? Is one a business-only choice, while the other is only for weekends and trips to the gym? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each bag.
30 inch Tpro Bold Drop Bottom Rolling Duffel
Duffel bags can be a handy alternative for the casual traveler who doesn’t want to lug around all the infrastructure associated with a rolling suitcase. They tend to be lighter and are sometimes easier to maneuver than their upright counterparts in the luggage world.
Better yet, some even come with wheels. A big duffel bag on wheels is narrower than a medium or large suitcase and it could even be a little easier to roll around a crowded airport.
Despite the general lack of structure with a duffel bag, you might have more organizational options in terms of little pockets throughout: on the exterior, the top, the bottom, and the sides. Some duffels even offer the benefit of a divider panel to separate the bag into two main compartments.
TravelPro offers a drop bottom duffel. There’s a large upper compartment where you put the vast majority of your stuff and then down below there’s another compartment that’s not quite as large. It’s a great area to store things like shoes or oddly-shaped items. If you don’t want to use that bottom compartment, you can also zip out the interior separator and just have one big packing space.
Travelpro 21 inch Blue Marquis Spinner
That said, a traditional suitcase usually offers small garment sleeves where you can pack your dress clothes. These sleeves can prevent your clothing from getting wrinkled and protect it from shoes.
Also, rolling suitcases often offer an expansion feature that duffels don’t always have. TravelPro does offer a duffel with expansion, but your average duffels do not. Some of our rolling suitcase models also have expansion features, if you need to pack some additional items.
Bottom line: Duffels can help give a feeling of freedom to your travel experience. A duffel is great for a totally casual trip, especially if you have a lot of shoes or a lot of power cords or odd shaped items. Duffels are great for when traveling with gifts.
If you’re doing a more formal trip, or you want to wheel your bag instead of carry it around, you’ll probably want to stick with traditional luggage, and use the rolling suitcase.
Which do you prefer? Are you a casual duffel-er or do you prefer the tradition of the suitcase? Leave us a comment and let us hear from you.