Duffel bag

William J. Donovan’s drawstring Duffle Bag, circa 1922

A duffel bag, duffle bag, or kit bag is a large bag made of either natural or synthetic fabric (typically canvas or nylon).

History

Historically a duffel bag had a top closure using a drawstring. Later bags had a webbing hand grip, along with a shoulder strap with clip that closed the opening by nesting grommets from around the rim of the bag. An over padlockable eye loop and an independent pair of ruck sack straps were also used.

Generally a duffel bag is used by non-commissioned personnel in the military, and for travel, sports and recreation by civilians, especially schoolchildren, who may use them to carry their physical education or football kits. When used by a sailor or marine a duffel is known as a seabag. A duffel's open structure and lack of rigidity make it adaptable to carrying sports gear and similar bulky objects.

A duffel bag is often confused with a hoop-handled hard-bottomed zippered bag, generically also known as a gym bag.

Some of these misnamed duffle bags are also cylindrical but zip open on the long, horizontal side, and have handles like a tote bag.

• 
  Single shoulder strap, 1962
• 
  Sailor walks with his duffel bag, 2002.
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  Padlocked duffel bags, 2011
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  Dual shoulder straps, 2013

Name

The origin of the name is disputed. Most sources maintain the name comes from Duffel, a town in Flanders, Belgium, where the thick duffel cloth used to make the bag originated in the 17th century.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word dates back to 1649, used to describe ‘a coarse woollen cloth having a thick nap or frieze’. The earliest reference of the word specifically referring to a duffel bag is 1768.

See also

• Duffel Blog, a satirical military website
• Duffel coat
• Hold-all
• Rucksack

External links

• Media related to Duffel bags at Wikimedia Commons