Weekend Bags: What To Throw In Your Car

Weekend Bag
Stephanie Van Aken covers all possibilities with 3 weekend bags

Perfect Weekend Getaways Require Special Baggage

Whether you plan your weekend trips well in advance, making reservations at hot restaurants and buying a new bathing suit, or grabbing  last minute hot deal on Kayak or Travelocity, you need to have the right bag. You don’t want to alarm your hosts if you show up with a giant wheelie, but you need to pack enough essentials that you can combine a beach trip with wine tasting, a hike in the woods and a fancy dinner.

Ready For Adventure

Sara Leeper, Manager, Grassroots Communications at General Motors, said her favorite weekender bag is a Vera Bradley’s Large Duffel in a Sun Valley print. “This bag is the perfect size for a quick weekend getaway in my Chevy Equinox. No matter how much

Weekend Bag
Sara Leeper ready to roll with her Vera Bradley weekend bag and Chevy Equinox

you pack into this bag (and you can get a lot in there!), the padded construction keeps it comfortable on your shoulders. The bright, fun pattern reminds me of my Arizona roots and makes this a stand-out all-around bag for year-round travel.”

Weekend Times Three

Stefanie Van Aken, Las Vegas TravelingMom, also favors Vera Bradley bags – so much so that she has three! Stephanie said her weekend bags include the Grand Cargo Bag, which she says has “interior and exterior pockets to stuff stuff and enough space for bathing suit, flip flops, cover up, sundress, heels and other weekend essentials.” She also uses a Puffy Back Pack, which she describes and lightweight with comfortable straps. “This is my business bag where my laptop lives along with last minute trip essentials like a make up tote, chargers, pens, biz cards etc. Always ready to grab n go!” Finally, she has a large Color Block Tote: “Everything packed and ready to go, but few random things left to go? Toss them in this spacious tote! Easy to carry and rectangular design is easy to fill.”

Weekend Bag
Beeb Ashcroft is devoted to her weekend bag

Holding On To A Classic

Writer and fashion maven Beeb Ashcroft related that her perfect weekend bag is no longer available. She said her “stylish Africa Big Bag by Saint Francis Couture is a large carry-all perfect for short overnight trips. It has space for clothing, flat irons, makeup, along with some small pockets that are well suited to jewelry. Saint Francis Couture also made a pair of high heels to match the bag, the Africa Ankle Boot, to create a truly coordinated ensemble. I’ve toted this quite a few places over the years, from out-of-state concerts to blogging conferences; so it pains me that Saint Francis Couture has since gone out of business. Luckily, the bag is sturdy, as it will have to last me now!”

Expanding Tote

Christine Jew, Assistant Manger, Product Planning at Hyundai Motor America said her expanding tote bag is best in class in interior volume, just like the all-new Hyundai Sonata. She said, “whether I’m

Weekend Bag
Christine with her weekend bag and the Hyundai Sonata

traveling for work or a quick weekend getaway I always bring my Longchamp Le Pliage Medium Extendable Tote. The best feature about this bag is its versatility.  This Le Pliage is foldable for easy packing, and then can expand to two different sizes. Once opened to its regular medium size it holds all my basic necessities for travel and then some!  And in case you want to bring back souvenirs for friends & family, the bag unzips in the middle to expand by 5 more inches lengthwise.”

Christine helped introduce the Sonata to writers and bloggers recently, and added,” Needless to say, I was a pretty happy traveler as we cruised down the highways of Alabama – the ventilated front seats in the Sonata kept me cool from the humidity, and I had the peace of mind I could stow some antiques and souvenirs with me on the way home.”

Judy Antell
Judy Antell

Judy Antell, who is TravelingMom.com's Free in 50 States editor, lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with her husband and three daughters. Between road trips to visit colleges, travel sports and seeing East Coast sights, she spends a lot of time on the road for a city girl.

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