The heroic holdall bag – also known as a duffle bag, overnight bag, weekend bag or travel bag – is so-called because it holds everything you need for a short trip away, and can carry multiple belongings from your home to the office to the gym and back again.
Typically crafted from a durable fabric, a holdall’s flexible roominess can provide a real advantage over hard-sided suitcases on-the-move, which is something we discuss in our carry-on suitcase vs travel bag: which luggage is best when travelling? article.
And yet, while their cavernous qualities can leave you feeling like the owner of a magical carpet bag à la Mary Poppins, rummaging around for possessions when they’ve fallen to the bottom and you need them fast can be a frustrating task unless you remove half the bag’s contents first.
But that’s certainly not the case with The Fraser Holdall from new luxury, sustainable bag brand Becket. Sleek, stylish, and engineered for impeccable organisation, The Fraser Holdall reimagines how we carry our belongings for work, working out, and the weekend with multiple compartments to keep everything in its place and accessible in seconds. Want to know why it deserves a spot in our best travel bags guide? Read on.
BECKET THE FRASER HOLDALL REVIEW: PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
The Becket Fraser Holdall is available to buy now directly from Becket London and select retailers like Wolf & Badger for a recommended retail price of £349.
BECKET THE FRASER HOLDALL REVIEW: UNBOXING
In all my years of unboxing products for review, I can honestly say that my experience of unwrapping The Fraser Holdall was by far the most exciting.
Just when you think you’ve discovered everything this holdall has to offer, you find another design feature, and another, and another. In short, I defy anyone not to get as excited as me by the holdall’s extensive, highly practical and carefully considered touches.
The Fraser Holdall arrives in a branded, extremely sturdy cardboard box. Once you uncover the layers of protective paper inside, you’ll find a card featuring a QR code you can scan to discover all the bag’s features, but I’d almost recommend putting that off for a bit so as not to spoil the fun of discovering them for yourself.
The holdall is presented in a roomy black drawstring bag for added protection when not in use - as is de rigueur with any luxury bag - and every single metal fastening, popper and accessory is covered in a protective layer of film or tissue paper. It’s fun to remove the wrappings whilst checking out all the features on the outside of the holdall, but it’s once you get inside the bag that the magic really starts to happen.
BECKET THE FRASER HOLDALL REVIEW: DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
Measuring 50cm long x 30cm wide x 23cm tall with a capacity of 34 litres, The Fraser Holdall is roomy enough to hold everything you need for a weekend away while remaining the approved size for cabin luggage on most major airlines.
Made from premium, high-performance materials, the black exterior is constructed from a matt pebble grain microfiber Vegan leather fabric that is water-resistant and possesses antimicrobial properties to resist up to 99% of germs and bacteria for an added layer of protection.
This Vegan leather is also incorporated into the bag’s innovative compartmentalised interior (more on that later), which is fashioned from a polyester material that is again water-resistant and antimicrobial. Overall, the holdall is less susceptible to stains, odours, and degradation to extend its lifespan and protects your home from the germs you might encounter on your travels.
Designed and tested to withstand everyday use, both the interior and exterior fabrics are durable and easy to keep clean with the wipe of a damp cloth. The holdall also features the PETA-Approved Vegan logo to certify that it doesn’t contain any animal-related materials, and customers benefit from one-year’s warranty protection from the date of purchase.
The overall design of this unisex bag is sleek, sophisticated and minimalist to help you seamlessly transition from the boardroom to the gym, with subtle branding and silver metal fastenings and YKK zips.
The Fraser Holdall offers various carrying options for comfortable transportation, including two detachable straps that convert the holdall into a backpack and feature a chest strap for those times when you’re carrying a particularly heavy load.
Naturally, there’s also a wide, adjustable and detachable strap for you to carry the bag on one shoulder, or you can use the handles of the bag itself, which feature a great little fastening to keep the handles together for easy picking up at any time. Whichever method of carrying you choose, all are very comfortable to handle or wear.
BECKET THE FRASER HOLDALL REVIEW: FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE
If you’re tired of the chaos and clutter that comes from carrying a bag full of sweaty trainers, gym clothes, work essentials, personal items, and your packed lunch, The Fraser Holdall is the bag for you.
Inside, you’ll find five water-resistant compartments for your essentials - including a padded 15” laptop pocket and two ventilated pockets that can be used for shoes or trainers - all sewn together to form one made-to-measure packing cube that maximises space and prevents anything from moving around, even the bag is half empty.
Rather brilliantly, these compartments are detachable so they can be removed in a flash, serving two purposes. Firstly, it gives you the option of using the bag like a traditional holdall, which is handy for carrying large bulky items. Secondly, removing the compartments from the bag makes filling them so much easier and, once you’ve packed, you can simply zip them back into place.
The holdall comes with several internal accessories, including a reusable eco-friendly laundry net for storing dirty clothes and a matching Vegan leather washbag that is sturdy and roomy, fits perfectly into four of the compartments, and has a handy internal hook for hanging.
Many of the compartments feature additional easy access pouches and zipped pockets to keep smaller electronics such as phones, earphones and chargers safe, plus two clips for keys. On the outside, you’ll find a luggage tag, plus a hidden hanging function inside a zipped pocket for hanging the bag in confined spaces like gym lockers so you can better access your belongings.
In short, this holdall has a place for everything so you can find exactly what you are looking for at a moment’s notice and remove it out without disturbing the rest of the contents. It’s a game-changer in all honesty, and it also makes packing a much easier, less stressful experience because you can clearly see what you have packed and what you haven’t.
I genuinely felt that words and images alone weren’t enough to do this holdall’s extensive features justice, which is why I made the below reel to show them all in action. Every time I use this bag, I am astounded by how much I can fit it, and I take great pleasure in retrieving things I need on-the-go is seconds, without making things messier.
The antimicrobial and water-resistant internal compartments promote peace of mind too, keeping potentially messy toiletries and packed lunches separate from my laptop, electricals, and clothes. If any accidents do occur – like an exploding shampoo bottle or a leaky lunchbox - I know I can simply wipe the compartment clean afterwards and my other possessions won’t be ruined.
BECKET THE FRASER HOLDALL REVIEW: VERDICT
The Becket Fraser Holdall has multiple water-resistant compartments and pockets to keep belongings safe and organised to perfection. Made from a sophisticated PETA-approved Vegan leather that resists up to 99% of germs and bacteria, no attention to detail has been spared in the making of this luxury bag, from the hidden hanging function and straps that convert it into a backpack to the matching washbag and padded laptop pocket.
Sleek, modern, and the approved size for cabin luggage on most major airlines, it will transform the way you carry your belongings for work and play with a place to store everything so you can retrieve your possessions in seconds. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s built to withstand the rigours of daily use using sustainable materials and may well change the way you feel about packing for good.
