Gadget: Garment Bag Weekender

Many travellers will know the frustration of packing their freshly ironed dresses or suits into a bag, only discover them hopelessly wrinkled by the time they need to wear them at their destination. Garment bags are the easy solution to this issue, but many travellers don’t want to have to carry their garment bag, a small suitcase and a laptop bag or handbag when just travelling for a weekend or overnight trip. A number of companies have recognised this issue and come up with an innovative solution that combines a garment bag and a duffel bag. These bags lay flat and unzip down the centre, to store a garment, and then you simply fold up the ends and zip up the outside flaps, creating an overnight bag with plenty of space for a couple of days clothes, shoes and toiletries. Hook & Albert offers two versions of their garment bag, for men and for women. The ladies version offers an extension on one end for those longer dresses, both include inner pockets for shoes, a water repellant lining, meet international and US domestic carry-on requirements are made with beautiful leather and come in a range of colours. The women’s Garment Weekender Bag will set you back US$640 and the men’s version costs the same in leather, and is US$440 for a twill version.

If you’re looking for a more wallet-friendly option, Modoker’s Carry on Garment

Duffel Bag is a great choice, available from Amazon for around $60 including shipping.