I’m not really a *winter* person, so after the twinkle lights of Christmas have come down, I’m basically grumpy, miserable and cold until spring. Which is why I tend to plan little trips here and there… to help me get through the grumpy season. Looking at January and February, I had a girl’s weekend away, visited Great Wolf Lodge with the family for an overnight, and also am planning to take Jack to NYC to celebrate his birthday.
So, it was kind of perfect timing when a nice person from Bostanten bags reached out to see if I’d like to review something from their collection!
They have an assortment of women’s travel bags and travel weekender bags, but I was intrigued by the Judea Travel Weekender Bag:
The Judea Travel Weekender bag comes in two colorways and retails for $149.99. I liked the black/brown version because I feel like it would hold up better long term, and they generously sent it to me at no cost in exchange for my honest review.
I picked the Judea bag, because I liked that it had a separate section on the bottom for shoes, which keeps them away from the rest of your clothing. It also seemed to be a good size – perfect for an overnighter – which fills a hole in my travel gear. It looks a little more high-end, which would be nice for work travel when I don’t want to be lugging around a backpack.
Here it is in person:
It’s a really nice size and has both the handles and an over-the-shoulder strap. Oh and it has a trolley sleeve if I wanted to take it as an airline carry-on (the pocket in the back slips over a luggage handle).
As it turns out, a few days after the bag arrived, I packed it up for a girl’s weekend:
I was planning to wear the same boots both days, so I used the bottom compartment for my pajamas so that they were easy to grab when I was ready for bed. On the right is everything else I fit in the top portion – a full outfit (jeans, sweater, underroos), my toiletry bag, and also a gift bag of stuff for my friend.
And here it is all loaded up! Of course, as soon as I prepare a travel bag Ollie gets nervous and tries to make sure I don’t forget to pack him.
The Judea bag was great for a weekend trip and I even had a little extra space to add in a few things I purchased while I was away. I was curious to see what would fit in the shoe compartment though, so here are a couple tries:
I wear a size 8.5/9 in shoes, so it looks like I can fit one pair of boots or up to three smaller shoe options… which works great since I wouldn’t need more than that for an overnight or weekend trip.
I really like the Judea weekender bag and it will be a great overnight bag for me for when a rolling travel bag feels a bit like overkill. I like that it has that separate bottom section to keep the bag organized, as well as interior pockets and an extra zippered section.
My only caveat is that while it is called the “Judea Leather Travel Duffle Bag” on the website, later in the description it clarifies that it is PU leather. If you were expecting a leather bag, you might be disappointed. However, PU leather (aka polyurethane leather) is vegan, water resistant, durable and easy to clean. So, for a travel bag, it is a good way to get a polished look for a lower price.
Disclaimer: Bostanten provided me with an item of my choice in exchange for my honest review. I picked the Judea Travel Weekender Bag and as always, all thoughts and opinions are all my own!
