Luggage shouldn’t ever be baggage. When you pack up and set off on your summer travels, each and every one of your suitcases, backpacks or holdalls should help you along your wayfaring way; offering ergonomic solutions to globe-trotting problems and easing the transition between home, holiday — and back again.
And yet, we still pull cases with wonky wheels, pack bags with broken zips and insist on stuffing the least-streamlined luggage we can find with clobber we don’t need. But no more. Gentleman’s Journal Shop has curated a collection of the finest, most reliable bags and backpacks for summer jet-setting — five choice pieces that will guarantee safe, slick and smooth-running travels.
Begin with a sturdy, staple backpack
First up; a neat, nifty backpack. A strapping staple of the luggage world, there’s a reason that this functional design is so popular. Worn across your back, it’s secure and frees up your hands for toting larger pieces of luggage. And, if you invest in the best, it’ll become a daily help even when you return from your travels.
The best, in our opinion, is this sturdy sand-coloured design from the bag-making mavens at Bennett Winch. Refined, practical and purpose-made to ensure a large capacity and slim silhouette, this leather-trimmed backpack is cut from waterproof cotton canvas and finished with solid brass hardware welded in London.
A good holdall can handle anything
The backpack’s bigger brother, the humble holdall has eclipsed the popularity of the traditional suitcase in recent years. And it’s not hard to see why. It shares the tactile versatility of the backpack above, and promises to stuff and stow itself in even the smallest of luggage compartments. And, available in materials from canvas to leather, it’s as fashionable as it is functional. Especially if you opt for this vegetable-tanned ‘Weekender’ from Charles Laurie. Not dissimilar to Bennett Winch’s canvas option, this bespoke British bag is available in colours from ‘Racing Green’ to ‘Midnight Blue’, with complementary suede linings. There are front zip pockets for easy access, a shoulder strap to mimic the ease of a backpack and even a large laptop pocket inside the body of the bag — which brings us to…
Business travellers need a quality briefcase
Not all travels are for pleasure; some are for business. And, if you are spending your summer working elsewhere in the world, it'll pay to pack a laptop bag you can rely on. Like a backpack that means business, this handy piece of hand-sized luggage is a commercial traveller’s best briefcase-adjacent friend.
And it’s nothing but the best at Gentleman’s Journal Shop. Our choice laptop bag is an Aspinal of London number; handcrafted from only the finest full-grain leather, and featuring a spacious cotton-lined interior that can accommodate a 14-inch laptop — alongside dedicated pockets for smartphones and tablets.
Don’t skimp on a solid wash bag
Another often overlooked piece of must-pack luggage? The wash bag. It’s up there with the most important parts of your summer travelling kit; allowing you to neatly separate your liquids, razor and grooming goods from the rest of your luggage. You could, of course, invest in an airport-ready bag — such as this clear option from Dr Sebagh — but we’d suggest investing in Heath.
The British grooming brand has a bold green option, presented in timeless vegan leather and finished with a hardy bronze zip. But the best part? Buy today from Gentleman’s Journal Shop and you’ll receive it packed with ‘The Face Wash’, ‘The Shower Mask’ and ‘The Moisturiser’ from Heath — as well as ‘The Eye Serum’ if you’ve been struck down by the dark circles of jet lag.
Take a tote along on your travels
And you thought the backpack could do it all. The tote bag outstrips even the holdall in its recent rise to the top; cropping up on crooked arms from the gym to the departures terminal. And, thanks to its incredibly simple design and can-do, do-all attitude, the tote bag has become a must-pack bit of kit for any summer travels.
It’s back to Bennett Winch for the best here. Minimalist and cut from British-dyed, bonded, black waterproof canvas, this tote’s simple style belies the tricks it hides inside — including a padded laptop compartment and convenient phone pocket for any on-the-go gadget use.
Looking to make a sunglasses statement this summer? A pair of coloured frames is the perfect way to do it...
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