Short-haul travel and quick sailing trips are back on. Plus, it’s summer time, which means packing light. What do you use for that weekend away or two-day work trip? If it’s solely for sailing, a duffel bag or rucksack might suffice, something that can stow away easily. But if, like me, you need to pack a laptop, electronics, some clothing and a bit of sailing gear and you only want to pack one bag, it needs to do lots of things and be comfortable enough to carry distances across airport terminals etc.

In recent years I resorted to a wheeled cabin bag to save my back, which had grown increasingly discontent about lugging rucksacks around airports. But hard cases are impractical as soon as you reach a boat.

Keeping an eye out for a solution, I came across this Adventure Bag from British travel bag company Stubble & Co – my interest piqued by its branding: ‘the ultimate travel bag’.

I’ve since used it for my last few trips.

A real draw of The Adventure Bag is that it’s made from 100% recycled plastic, which is described as weatherproof (the materials are waterproof and the seams are sealed, but it is not designed to be submerged). And despite an array of features, it has been kept light weight at 1.8kg. Its 42L capacity is designed to suit airline carry-on limits and once unpacked, it is all soft, so folds small for easy stowage.

The Adventure bag looks stylish, smacks of quality and as soon as you see it, you can tell there has been a lot of thought put into its design and development.

The padded shoulder straps, adjustable at both the top and bottom, have proven  particularly comfortable. These are aided by compression straps, a breathable back panel, a sternum, strap and a waist belt. The latter can be hidden by a cover, which itself can be rolled away into a zipped compartment, or it can be removed completely.

The clam shell design opens out like a hard case might and I like the bright orange internal fabric which makes it easy to identify contents.

The three different size sections each have their own netted zip retainer. The main/large section has recesses in it for the laptop and water bottle cases (accessed from outside), yet I still found it large enough to take the clothes and shoes needed for 2-3 nights out of season, more for summer clothes, leaving the other sections for electronics, jacket and toiletries etc.  There are a couple of small zipped pockets on the outside which are ideal for items to have to hand, such as passport, keys etc.

In short, the Stubble & Co Adventure Bag is expensive, but looks the part and so far has proven its worth in comfort and durability. Recommended for regular short-haul travellers who need a stowable bag.

Stubble & Co Adventure Bag specifications

Capacity: 42L
Laptop size: 16-inch
Dimensions: 55 x 38 x 24cm

Buy it now from Stubble & Co

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