Bellroy Weekender Plus Review
The “Plus” line expands into Bellroy’s shoulder carry style bags.
Bellroy Weekender Plus Review Introduction
We’re back again with another review for a Bellroy product. I had two on hand so I was able to test them both out on multiple trips. In case this is your first time coming across Bellroy - they are one of the original Internet wallet/EDC brands and a number of years ago branched out into things like backpacks. They have a sustainable approach to their work, focus on minimal yet professional design language, and put tons of quality into their stuff. I’ve had Bellroy wallets for near-on 10 years and we use a number of their smaller products in our household.
But within the past couple of years I’d say, they've gotten more into travel bags. Which is where I come in! I’ve been dying to get my hands on some of their travel stuff so I was happy to be able to finally put them through their paces.
Today we’re reviewing their Weekender Plus travel bag. At 45L, the largest version of their shoulder-bag style travel companion. Big like a duffel, carried like a tote. Previously we did our Transit Plus review, a travel version of one of their fan-favorite EDC bags so it was interesting to be able to compare this style vs the backpack style. The Weekender Plus was reviewed on an 8 day trip to Italy as a carry on, as well as 3 separate...er...weekend...trips in the Northeast US, all 3 car-based.
This is my Bellroy Weekender Plus travel bag review.
As always for full transparency, I reached out to Bellroy and they were kind enough to provide me with a bag for testing and review. This review is not sponsored in any way however, and the opinions are solely my own as always. I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so and there’s no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
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Bellroy Weekender Plus Bag Overview
At 45L this is a travel bag, heart and soul. I don’t think you’re going to be using this bag for any EDC. But that’s OK, travel bags are our specialty here at Always Wander. it weighs in at 1.4kg or 3.0lbs for us Americans.
The bag is made from water resistant, recycled materials. What’s interesting about Bellroy is that they use different materials for not only different bags, but also for different colorways. So, for instance this bag in Lunar (which I had) is made from a Baida nylon made for its light feel, durability, and extra water resistance. In another color, you might get another one of Bellroy’s cool fabric creations.
Further, while the use of leather on this bag will not satisfy you Vegans out there, it will please the generally conscious-minded buyers in that it’s environmentally certified leather. (Can’t please everyone, but honestly I prefer real leather and like when it’s responsibly made)
The bag is meant for shoulder carry, has a cavernous inside, and also comes with an extra, padded shoulder strap that while we did not use it, it’s nice to know it’s there if you’d rather use the bag in that kind of carry style.
As you can see in the pictures the design of this bag is very understated and professional in its look - making it good for both casual/personal trips but also business trips. The more versatile a bag, the better, we always say. (Also considering this comes in a smaller version, that would be even better for quick biz trips).
Zippers are well made, and YKK of varying sizes.
The bag retails for $279.00 and I’d recommend buying directly from Bellroy if you can. They do have sales on specific colors and fabrics from time to time.
Bellroy Weekender Plus Features
The two biggest “features” on this bag are the sheer amount of space and also the organization. Both being “a lot”. Organization might sound obvious on a bag, but with these cavern-style bags (Does that work? I’m inventing a style and category again. Just let me have this one) one thing that’s often missing is the organization. Duffels come to mind. My Black Hole duffel in particular. While I love the look, feel, and materials on that bag, it’s not exactly going to allow you to compartmentalize things. Most duffels don’t, and that’s ok - it’s not what they are meant for. This bag is different in that area so let's detail it for you.
On the outside, you’ve got two different pockets, one on each side. These are large, and great. One is a wide open canvas and you can paint it however you will. But it’s big and has good volume. On the other side is not only a second large pocket, this time with some organizational sleeves - but this is where they added the laptop sleeve. And I’ll give it to them here, it’s a clever implementation of this kind of thing on this style of bag. The laptop sleeve itself has a very nice, soft lining to keep your expensive gear safe. (Do note this is only meant for 13” laptops” and while your 14” may fit depending on the brand, they make no promises here). This laptop sleeve has its own zipper to keep it closed when you don’t need it. The large pocket here also houses the key ring, which is plastic.
It’s my belief that the zippers on the bag are not the water resistant variety, so keep that in mind. The main pocket does however have a flap that provides some weather protection for that opening. (And remember, overall the fabric is very water resistant)
Inside you’ve got even more org. There’s one big side pocket with more of that soft lining. One pocket on each end that are made to be internal water bottle pockets or shoe pockets (clever), but really, go nuts here. Show that bag who’s boss and put whatever you want in there. Don’t let some Bellroy copywriter tell you how to pack! OK I’m done empowering you for today.
You’ll also find two additional side pockets that you could very easily use as built-in packing cubes. They come with that familiar mesh (well, if you use Bellroy products) that you’ll find all over the line that really does feel nice and upscale as far as mesh goes. It’s a thing, trust me.
Rounding it out you’ve got nice zipper loops for pulling, a couple lash points (when you’re not using the shoulder strap) and a luggage pass through as well. We’re supporters of one bag travel here but hey sometimes life makes you use two bags. Luggage pass throughs are one of those things that make so much sense you wonder why you don’t see them on every bag.
The Good
There’s really a lot to like here on this bag. As per usual with Bellroy - the fit and finish is top notch. And as I’ve said about the Transit Plus, it should be. These are not cheap bags. Premium products should have premium builds and this bag delivers like their other products. You’re not finding loose threads all over the place, nothing feels like it’s going to fall apart over time, they pay special attention to how things are made (and look, environmentally friendly production practices cost more, it’s just a fact of economies of scale so don’t use that as a knock against these companies if they are truly using new processes).
The details as well are very nice here. The leather used, where it’s used, the fact that the logos aren’t pervasive, etc. The mesh and soft lining in some pockets, all great stuff from the team here. Another great detail is the contrast coloring in some of the colorways on the inside of the bag. While my tester did not have that, some other models do and I just think that’s a killer touch.
Organization! You rarely see the kind of organization options this bag has in a shoulder style carry option or duffels. You just don’t. With this bag it’s got enough options for those with pouches, or those who like to use the built-ins. There’s just a ton of options here and it’s all really well thought out.
The Bad
Size could be seen as a negative on this one. 45L is a lot for many people, and you’re going to run into issues on budget airlines at times if there happens to be an overly zealous gate agent bag-spying while you board. Won’t be a problem on most US airlines or car trips, however, and they do make a smaller version as we noted.
The top flap (not bad per say, but not sure in practice it’s that great). It honestly took a while for me to figure out what it was for. I see a lot of bags, and my wife is a fashion designer so she’s used to looking at fabric constructions and we couldn’t figure out what the use was at first. It’s obviously there for some weather protection on the zipper (which is good) but it feels like it should be something that allows you to expand the bag, yet it doesn’t. I figured out while writing this (and combing through the features on their site) that it’s actually meant as a stabilizer for when you’ve got the bag opened and are packing or unpacking to keep things all the same height. Scientifically that’s actually a pretty clever idea, just not sure it works in practice nor if it’s really that intuitive. Don’t get me wrong this didn’t hinder my use of the bag at all, it’s just something I’m bringing up.
The style of packing might not be for you - the cavern bags can make it hard to find things in if you’re not a good packer or don’t use packing cubes. Keep that in mind with this kind of style. Not a knock on this bag in particular, but the type of bag it is.
The Improvement Requests for the Bellroy Weekender Plus Bag
I think a few things could make this bag a complete home run and since this is my forum, I get to voice my requests :)
For one, I’d explore using YKK’s aquaguard zippers. It’s not necessarily a MUST, but they use them on other bags in this price point and I think it would be a nice touch here. At the very least, on the pocket with the laptop in it. (I’m also willing to be corrected if this is already in place and I missed it!).
From a size perspective, again I think going from 30L to 45L is a big leap. And I think you’ll rule out some middle-experience Onebaggers who want a bit more than 30L but don’t need a really big one. I think 40L could have been a nice sweet spot. I get that 30L and 35L is probably too close, so 40L would be a nice compromise. Or do 28L and 35L etc. Not the end of the world, but things to consider in its second life. Some people are also tempted to fill the space they have. So 45L can end up a really heavy bag for someone that can’t resist putting in “Just. One. More. Thing.”
Re-think that top flap? Like I said, it’s not bad per say - it really isn’t - but it’s just not intuitive either so it leaves you wondering what it’s there for in real world practice. Once I found out I kind of liked and appreciated that detail but I’m also a bag nerd. I’m not sure most will figure that out.
Make the key ring metal. Come on Bellroy! I want premium! Maybe use magnets! OK, I’m done.
Packing the Bellroy Weekender Plus Bag
Fits nicely in the back of a small cross-over.
Like I said before, this bag is going to be easy to pack and also easy to over pack. So make sure you put some effort into the not overpacking bit. I’m using my normal packout here - enough stuff for 3-5 days, depending on how people like multi-wear gear.
I packed: 2 travel button downs (Limitless Merino Review and Bluffworks Meridian 2.0); 2 travel focused pants (Western Rise Evolutions and Bluffworks Ascender 5 Pocket review); 3 daily t-shirts (one Aviator Merino, review ); 5 pairs of various travel friendly underwear; 2 pairs merino based socks (Western Rise StrongCore and Darn Tough); 2 Airism undershirts; 1 pair of sleep shorts and one sleep t-shirt (Western Rise Movement shorts and Session T); Bellroy Tech Pouch Compact; NOMATIC Toiletry Bag 2.0 (Review); Laptop. So a pretty straight forward packout. Nothing too frivolous, nothing too barebones either. The shirts, pants, underwear, and socks I brought all were travel focused to allow for more wears and less items if I needed. As you can see, there was no issue with this packing list on this bag.
I'm 5'6 for reference. I could have easily fit my small or medium camera cube in here too.
Final Thoughts On My Bellroy Weekender Plus Review
OK so I think it’s pretty clear, Bellroy has a winner on their hands here. As expected when researching this bag - it’s quality from top to bottom. The build is fantastic, the materials are top notch, and the conscientiousness with which they make this (and all of their products) makes them a company that you should consider supporting when you’re going about your bag search. If that is, you find that kind of thing to be your bag. (See what I did there? Woof, moving on)
I think aside from those much expected pieces, what I liked the most was actually a bit UNexpected. The amount of organization on this bag. My wife made the comment that if she’s not careful she won’t remember where she put things (she’s a creative type and is just getting into organization and packing cubes, so she was making a joke). For those that already love organization or feel they truly need it, this isn’t going to be a duffel/shoulder style bag that will hold you back. It’s got GREAT org to it.
I think the price is going to put it out of reach for some people - and I’ve said this before, that’s OK. There’s no reason you need to stretch yourself for an expensive bag if you can’t afford it. But if you project value as long-term investments in an item (That is, paying more upfront to buy less items or buy-for-life items) or budget is not an option for you this bag is outstanding.
I think that top flap, while clever once I learned what it was, is one of those things that is a Designers insider bonus. Like something they and other designers will be like, “Oh man that’s awesome.” You know, like a “musician’s band”. Musicians all have that band they universally love but might not be that loved by the masses (Steely Dan anyone?). And it IS nice. But in practice I don’t think most people will even realize that’s what it’s for (Ahem, raising hand). That said, it doesn’t detract from the bag in any way and DOES add to it once you know what it is. It’s just kind of superfluous.
Ultimately, the Weekender Plus is an AW Highly Recommended and is currently my wife’s main and fav travel bag. While I most often use backpacks, this bag was great in practice for me as well. For an even lighter version that’s not as big, look at the 30L. They sell directly from their website and have good, speedy shipping:
Travel more - and travel smarter - everyone.
Head on over to our Travel Bag Reviews page for more reviews on bags like the Aer Travel Pack 2 review, or the Tortuga Outbreaker 35 Review. Or, check out our Travel Accessories reviews, Travel Clothing reviews, or Best of Travel pages as well!
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