Traveling with your normal, casual apparel is hard enough. But if you’re jet-setting for business purposes, you likely also need to bring a suit and tie along, which poses an even bigger issue: moving your suit from A to B without wrinkling and/or creasing it. But that’s exactly what garment bags are for.
There are a lot of options out there for garment bags. And if you’ve purchased a luggage set, it’s pretty likely that you’ve got one. However, not all of them are created equal. If you really care about your formal wear and the vessel you use to transport it, you might want to invest in a dedicated, purpose-built garment bag. You can find the best of the best on our list of the twelve best garment bags for men.
What Is A Garment Bag?
And What To Look For
Most suitcases, backpacks, and duffel bags do a pretty good job of hauling gear to and from various destinations. However, they were not made for transporting suits. Typically made of high-end fabrics, suits are actually a bit more delicate than most other menswear and, as a result, are prone to wrinkling and creasing. Garment bags, however, were made specifically to minimize that possibility. Their format is well-suited to suits, no pun intended, by offering the ability to store them without folding them in a way that might crease or wrinkle them. Even still, some are better than others. If you’re on the hunt for a garment bag, here are some things for which to look out:
Closure: The format of your garment bag will likely determine both how well it keeps your clothes wrinkle-free and how compact it is. However, this is always a compromise, as the two factors are opposing. Some garment bags roll up, making them very compact but increasing the risk of wrinkles. Others offer a more gentle half-fold, but take up more space than their rolling counterparts. You’ll have to decide which is more important to you: fewer wrinkles or better packability.
Exterior Material: You’re probably unlikely to find yourself in a thunderstorm in your travels, but it’s still a good idea to consider the possibility. That means you should pay attention to the external material of your garment bag. Many nowadays are made with coated fabrics that help repel water — keeping your suit safer than it might otherwise be. The tradeoff here is that more weatherproof and durable fabrics tend to be more expensive, so you’ll have to weight the options against your budget.
Interior Lining: Typically, this is not an important consideration, as most every garment bag on the market has a soft liner that’s easy on your delicate apparel. Still, it’s important to be aware of the liner material and how it might affect your travels and your garments. As you might expect, the softer the material, the better it likely is for your suit(s).
Carry Handles: Much like the closure style, the way you carry your garment bag is a fairly big factor to consider. Some offer little more than a pair of suitcase handles, while others might offer wheels and telescoping handles or even backpack straps. If you’re carrying multiple bags through the airport, one of the latter options might be the best. But if you’re only hauling the garment bag, then suitcase handles will work just fine.
Extraneous Details: First and foremost, your garment bag should be a suit-hauler. But they often offer a bit more than can make them all the more enticing for travel. In some cases, they have a couple of extra pockets for accessories and/or other gear. Others are more comprehensive in how much they can carry. It all depends on your individual needs. Just be aware of all these factors when making your considerations.
Henty Wingman Commuter Suit Bag
Most garment bags out there are decent for travel but are cumbersome and difficult to manage for just about any other kind of commuting. By contrast, it seems like the Henty Wingman Commuter Suit Bag was made to be good on any kind of transport. With backpack straps, it’s easy to haul around from cab to train to plane and back again, but it still features a roll-style closure that will help keep your suit wrinkle-free. It’s also water-resistant and even has a dedicated laptop sleeve — making it great for bike commuting to and from work in the city, as well.
J. Crew Ludlow Garment Duffel Bag
J. Crew has been a pillar of the men’s style industry for literal decades, so you can count on them to create a stellar garment bag. The Ludlow, which does double duty as a duffel bag, is made from durable cotton canvas, has handsome leather accents and briefcase straps, comes with a removable shoulder strap, and can completely open up for unheard-of access to everything inside. Perfect for air travel, this bag can fit everything from your suit to your toiletries and shoes and everything in-between. And. of course, it looks handsome, as well.
LAT_56° Red-Eye Carry-On Garment Bag
One of the drawbacks to most garment bags is that they’re soft-sided. That means, if you’re traveling and you check your bag or you’re on a very full flight, it could get crushed — resulting in a wrinkly suit. The Red-Eye Carry-On Garment Bag, however, has a unique mil-spec molded EVA construction — giving it structure and much more protection than the competition. In fact, the brand claims they ran over it repeatedly with a Land Rover and it didn’t leave a scratch. It’s also water-resistant, comes with a removable shoulder strap, and has a handy internal organizational system.
Filson Rugged Twill Suit Cover
One of the more traditional-looking garment bags on our list, the Filson Rugged Twill Suit Cover is actually hiding away some pretty impressive features. For instance, the exterior doesn’t just look good — it’s also water-repellant, making it perfect for travel when the weather is questionable. It also has sturdy bridle leather straps and accents that are both beautiful and handsome. And it folds in half, rather than rolling — meaning there’s a smaller likelihood of wrinkles in transport.
Suitsupply Holdall Suit Carrier
As you might’ve guessed from their name, Suitsupply specializes specifically in crafting beautiful, custom suits and accessories therein. So you should expect that, had they ventured into the realm of bags, that they’d absolutely nail it. And you’d be right. Their Holdall Suit Carrier is practical, elegant, reliable, and sturdy. Made from cotton canvas and Italian leather, it also comes with a removable shoulder strap, has a cotton lining that’s gentle on all your gear, and it has plenty of internal space for your suit and more.
Vocier C38 Carry-On Luggage
While we love the idea of garment bags, some of them can be annoying to haul around, especially if you’ve got a backpack or something else you’re also carrying. But Vocier helps made short work of that issue with their C38 Carry-On Luggage — a garment bag that also doubles as a rolling carry-on. That means it has a telescoping handle and wheels to make your trek a bit more manageable. It’s also made from sturdy nylon and beautiful Italian leather, comes with reliable YKK zippers, and has a nylon lining. And, as if that’s not enough, it’s loaded with the brand’s patented Zero Crease tech, which helps stave off wrinkles on all your clothes.
Victorinox Lexicon Dual-Caster Garment Bag
Alongside their stupendous watches and, of course, legendary Swiss Army Knives, Victorinox also makes a wide variety of excellent luggage for travel. As such, it should come as no surprise that they’ve built a spectacular garment bag. With a 97L capacity, it’s plenty large enough for even long trips and is also airport-friendly thanks to eight caster wheels and a telescoping handle. It can also fully open for easy access to everything inside. And it even has separate pockets specifically for ties and dress shoes.
Hook & Albert Leather Garment Weekender Bag
Yes, garment bags are purpose-driven haulers, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also be absolutely beautifully-crafted, as is evidenced by the Hook & Albert Leather Garment Weekender Bag. Built from beautiful full-grain leather, this spacious hauler can open fully for complete access but zips up for easier hauling. It’s also got plenty of extra room and organizational pockets for a wide variety of gear outside of the suit or suits you’re bringing along. Perfect as an all-in-one short getaway solution, this garment bag is a tough one to beat.
Moore & Giles Gravely Garment Bag
If you’re looking for a more traditionally-styled garment bag, you could do far worse than the Moore & Giles Gravely. Not only is this bag drop-dead gorgeous, but its waxed canvas and leather exterior is also durable and tough enough that this could end up becoming an heirloom piece you pass on to your children. Of course, it also still has everything you’d expect out of a solid garment bag — like a soft liner, organizational pockets, a complete-access opening main compartment, and so much more.
TUMI Garment 4 Wheeled Carry-On
TUMI is one of our favorite luggage manufacturers, and for very good reason. In fact, their Garment 4 Wheeled Carry-On serves to exemplify just how good they are at creating travel solutions. Not only does this bag offer enough space for your suit and all the necessary accessories, but it also features omnidirectional wheels and a telescoping handle for convenient hauling through the airport, train station, or even city streets. And yes, it’s compact enough that you could bring it into the airplane cabin with you when you travel.
Bennett Winch Leather S.C Holdall
One of the most beautiful and well-made garment bags ever built, the Bennett Winch Leather S.C Holdall is more than a bag; it’s a statement. Of course, look past its exceedingly well thought out detailing and you’ll find plenty of substance, as well. That includes a small external-access pocket, a removable waterproof shoe pouch, an included coat hangar, and even mil-spec webbing removable shoulder straps. Best of all, it’s sized perfectly to meet the carry-on requirements of most major airlines.
Ghurka Packet No. 83 Garment Bag
Far and away the priciest bag on our list, Ghurka’s Packet No. 83 Garment Bag might also be the most beautiful and finest-made on the planet. Crafted in its entirety from top-grain leather, it features a convertible hanging system to meet all your needs, can fit up to three suits at a time, has a heavy-duty brass zipper, comes with an adjustable shoulder strap, and even comes with its own luggage tag. It’s an investment, to be sure, but this is the kind of bag that will be in your family for generations, so long as you take good care of it.
The 10 Best Online Suit Shops
Now that you’ve got a suitable garment bag, it’s time to find outfits with which to fill it. Find your ideal attire on our list of the best online suit shops.
