The Back-Up Bag

No matter how disciplined of a shopper and packer you are, your belongings always seem to expand by the end of a trip. Cue the last-minute ugly airport suitcase purchase, or a panicked Marie Kondo session in your hotel room to lighten the load. The best solution? A lightweight fold-up tote or duffel that you pack before you leave, ready to carry the inevitable overflow on your flight home. It just takes a little honesty (no, this trip is not different) and a bit of foresight. Here are the ones we—and our expert packer friends—reach for time after time.

1.  “A friend of mine lent me this Porter tote ($224) in London once after I bought one too many Barbours at the Camden Market, and I can’t bear to return it. It’s so sturdy, looks great, and weighs almost nothing since it’s nylon, so it sits in the bottom of the suitcase and comes out if I over shop.”—Matt Hranek

2. Longchamp Le Pliage Original ( $180) – A classic for a reason—so chic, folds up impossibly small, has two small inside pockets that fit your passport, phone and cardholder so you don’t have to dig around, and is very easy to wipe down (a magic eraser will get rid of any pen marks). We also love the expandable version, if we really plan to go overboard.

3. “A Filson weekender ($595) in navy canvas twill. It’s lightweight, fits everything and looks elegant. I hang suits in a garment bag and pack them in.” —Emilie Hawtin, brand consultant and founder of Clementina

4. Paravel Fold Up Bag ($95) – Water-resistant, has a trolley strap, and zips up into a compact pouch—perfect for stashing in your suitcase on the way there and unfolding when you need extra space for the overflow purchases you’ll inevitably make abroad. Plus, it’s durable enough to check on the way home.

5. Vera Bradley Duffel ($100) – “I’m so nostalgic for these and they are totally making a comeback! The vintage patterns are way better (so many good ones on eBay!), but they’re all cheerful, machine washable, and not so precious if you end up needing to check it.” —Carly Shea, associate editor

6. Le Sportsac weekender ($125) in medium – “I’m very into the mid-‘80s retro look of this navy soft-sided nylon bag, which has lots of extra pockets and a sleeve to slide over your luggage handle. (The tote is great, too; love it in army green.)” —Alex Postman, deputy editor 

7. “My Rothy’s weekender ($399) usually comes to Europe with me because it’s soft and malleable (read: expandable and collapsible) and boasts side compartments.” —Marlien Rentmeester, style editor, founder of the Le Catch website and her Substack of the same name  

8. “I bring the Baggu Travel Cloud Bag ($72). I check it on the way there (yes, you can check it!), because I haul so much when I go to India—gifts, snacks, repairs, samples—and then it folds up into almost nothing for use later in the trip, especially if I find treasures to bring back. And when I’m back, I just toss it in the washing machine—it’s good as new.” —Katie McClure, co-founder of MIRTH