(Disclosure: Bag was given to me in exchange for my opinion and honest review of the product)
I'm generally a big fan of duffel bags as opposed to hard case luggage. Bags are more flexible and tend to fit more in it while still easily fitting in overhead bins when traveling. I'm going on an overseas trip later this year and this is where my experience with Hook and Albert comes in. Hook & Albert Website
Hook and Albert (a brief history on who they are)
Hook & Albert was founded in 2011 by Adam Schoenberg and Cory Rosenberg. As most of us now know them as a luggage company, they started out selling men's accessories (ties, lapel flowers, etc.) quickly expanding into other areas of mens wear.
The Bag
I was pretty impressed right off the bat when I opened the box. The leather is incredibly smooth and supple. It can be hard to tell how big or small something is from the online pictures, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bag is quite roomy. It features a large main compartment for the majority of your things with a zippered pocket within and two other open pockets to stuff things in.
In addition to this it has two other smaller compartments on each side of the larger compartment to fit smaller items in. Although the "smaller" compartments are still on the larger side with mesh pockets of their own within. I can easily see myself being able to pack for a 10-12 day trip depending on what I bring. Although it isn't pictured in my album, the bag includes a shoulder strap if you prefer to carry it on your shoulder rather than by hand.
The bag features extremely minimal branding, only a small Hook & Albert logo in silver in between the straps. The zippers seem quite high quality as well. They are a gunmetal grey color with the Hook & Albert logo stamped into them, which I think is a nice touch rather than your typical YKK zippers.
The bottom of the bag has 5 small metal knobs to prevent the leather from sitting entirely on the floor. A small detail, but can be nice and I am sure will help sustain the leather if you end up checking the bag at an airport.
If there was one thing I wish this bag had, it would be a little bit more structure. If you do not have anything in the bag and you lay it on the floor it will collapse to about 2"-3" tall (see first picture in album). Okay, yes this could be a pro or con depending on the person and i'm sure it is meant to be intentional, but personally I wish it would stand up and hold its form even with nothing in it (it just looks better, like the pictures they have on their website).
The Details
The nitty, gritty details in bullet form:
* $545
* Top-grain leather
* 22" x 13" x 10"
* 3 compartments
* 1 zippered pocket (in the large compartment)
* 2 lined pockets (in the large compartment)
* 4 mesh pockets (2 in each of the smaller compartments)
* Shoulder strap
Conclusion
If you find yourself needing more room than a backpack or small bag when traveling, but don't want a massive duffel bag then you should definitely consider this bag. It's very simple, has plenty of room and it just works.
