Review: Excursion Duffel by Moral Code

We love luggage and we try to review a few new items every year. Moral Code sent us a pair of items to review, their Excursion bag was so luxurious I refused to give it up and it is now my go-to duffel.

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Premium Material

A few bags have nice leather on the exterior and then completely neglect the inside lining. For me, it’s one of the most important parts. Why? Because the outside will get worn, creased and stained over time the more I use it. The inside, however, is for me and is shielded from that aggressive exterior contact. On the inside of this duffel, supple – yes, supple – light tan suede hugs your laptops and personal effects with clever compartments and an open middle.

I selected the Excursion with a soft, light tan leather. It comes with a matching shoulder strap, a passport slot (with zipper) and handles wrap that snaps closed when carrying. They offer premium black leather, with nickel features and this model but I prefer mine.

The outside is for everyone else, the inside is just for you.

It’s like a secret that is better the longer you keep it. Rich, supple lighter tan suede greets your belongings when you open the case. Leather piping wraps the pockets and it’s clear that Moral Code put as much effort into the inside of the bag design as they did the outside.

Side note: I once designed a bag that had a unique feature (before there was a cottage industry around such hand-crafted items) but just couldn’t find the right resources to make a prototype for me. One of the key features was the liner because I always felt that designers just kind of forgot about the interior to a duffel. It never got made but I would still love to make one if the right opportunity presented itself.

Lining the interior walls are sleeves for business cards, pens, a laptop, and a leather keychain. It demonstrates that the designers are travelers themselves. As soon as my vehicle is parked or I leave the house, my keys are the first thing to come out of my pocket and make it into the bag. The leather strap holds on them and makes it easier when coming from a trip.

Size

The Excursion is perfect for a weekend in the city or down to the beach. With room for about two days of clothing for a couple (a long weekend if you’re flying solo) and some other critical items, this bag is perfect for 2-3 days out of town, more if you’re heading somewhere hot. It measures 18” long by 10” wide by 10.4” high (45.72cm by 25.4cm by 26.42cm for our global readership) and most importantly fits under the seat in front of you if you are flying.

One drawback of this bag (and really, any bag in the category) is that it’s not easily expanded so if traveling in the winter, I could imagine that heavier clothes combined with full pockets of tech gear would make the Excursion a one-party bag. That being said, it’s not winter and we had no trouble packing for two for a couple of days at the beach. We had enough room left over for some Lucy items inside the Excursion and we were able to easily add it to our rollaboard as part of a longer trip.

Use

The Excursion zips down halfway on each side to make for easy loading. For our short trip to Mexico, I slipped in some pressed collared shirts for Carly and me, some jeans, a pair of swimsuits, flip-flops (here come the commenters) and a Dopp kit. My laptop, charger, cords, and plugs could have fit inside. They didn’t because I take far too many cords and chargers with me because I am a hoarder, but a normal person like my wife would have been able to skip her usual backpack in favor of using just the Excursion.

Make sure you clip the shoulder straps to the opposite corresponding handle rings to secure it. Clipping it elsewhere can cause the bag to flip.

Should You Get One?

If you have the means, absolutely indulge yourself. I have mentioned in other posts that part of the enjoyment of travel is the excitement of the journey building step by step as you stride through the airport. When you look like a million bucks, you feel like a million bucks and this bag does all of that heavy lifting for you. Sliding your laptop into the suede pocket, zipping the top closed along solid metal teeth and slipping the shoulder harness over your neck – you’re striding in slow motion through the airport with this bag around you.

You can pick one up here if you like.