Weekend getaways have been surging over the past several years, and with good reason. Most Americans simply don't have the time, vacation days, or budget to take long trips throughout the year. The weekender option provides the opportunity to indulge in travel while maintaining a busy work schedule.

We're launching a series for bag enthusiasts and packer newbies alike, to help you prep more efficiently for those shorter trips. Our focus will be on making your travel easier using a single (or two) travel bag options and how to realistically pack your best weekend life into them.

My first nod to weekender travel bliss goes to Floto, also known as Floto Imports. My bag compass usually leads me to high quality and well known brands that offer a great warranty or have a great reputation. My fiance surprised me with this bag as an alternative to our oversea trips. We did a bunch of research on different products out there and landed on this brand. I also rely heavily on word of mouth so why should this be any different. I first heard of this company in the same sentence as Italian calfskin, Brooklyn, and Tuscany. Naturally I was hooked.

Roma Duffle

A bit about Floto. Their core mission is to produce high quality leather bags for men and women by using modern technology to refine old world leather crafting methods. On average a Floto leather bag will pass through 28 different work benches at their factory in Florence, Italy. Every original Floto design is sketched at in Brooklyn, NY and hand produced in Italy. As a result, Floto produces timeless and iconic styles that provide simplicity in travel.

Double stitched seams add a nice touch

The hardware on this bag features an antique finish, with a solid/sturdy construction. The Roma Duffle is 13” high x 10” wide x 20” long. These dimensions still keep it well within standard carry-on luggage rules for most airlines. It weighs in at 4.2 pounds.

Lightweight yet roomy enough to fit all the essentials

Floto is an American brand and produces the bag lining at a textile mill in South Carolina. The American made 8 ounce cotton duck canvas lining is more durable and lightweight than the standard synthetic liners out there.

The inside pocket with zipper is big enough to fit a considerable amount of items while providing separation from your clothes. On the side of the exterior, there's another zip pocket which comes in handy for quick access items like passport, wallet, phone, etc.

Conclusion: After a full year of weekend getaways out of the city, I have nothing but praise to sing for these folks. The Roma Duffle is reliable, well constructed, and appealing to carry around. Between the high quality and Floto lifetime guarantee, it's hard to go wrong with this one. Floto's latest sale gets you the opportunity to own one at $279, marked down from the usual $399.