There are only a couple reasons I’ll check my suitcase when I fly: if I’m traveling on an equipment-based adventure (like skiing) where I need to pack a bunch of bulky gear, or if I’m bringing bottles of wine or spirits home from a trip. In the latter case, I often need to pull some of my own packed items from the suitcase before I check it, and for this reason, I pack a foldable duffel.
That particular duffel is a Paravel Fold-Up Bag. It’s made of water-resistant Negative Nylon, which is lightweight and made from 100% post-consumer plastic bottles (22 of them). It gets sustainable recognition from the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and the Global Recycled Standard. The bag also uses recycled zippers.
There are a few reasons I love this bag. It folds completely flat and zips into a small pouch that packs and stores easily. The recycled fabric is soft and smooth in addition to being sturdy enough to pack your essentials. Once you open it up, there is a deep interior main compartment along with a zippered pocket and an exterior slip pocket. That exterior slip pocket converts to a trolley sleeve so you can slip the bag onto your luggage handle. Finally, it looks nice enough to stand on its own as a day bag or carry-on.
Use the bag on road trips, gym visits, daily commutes, or like I do—as an additional bag on your travels for any of those just-in-case moments. While I’m not usually into monogrammed personalization, for this bag, I decided to add my initials for quick identification in case someone else shows up with the same bag as I me.
The Fold-Up Bag comes in scuba navy, canyon yellow, bebop red, flatiron gray, safari green, and derby black, and lists for $75 on the Paravel site. Personalize it with custom embroidery for an additional $15.