Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender review: a business trip essential

As a frequent traveller, I often always have one bag packed for my next trip, whether it’s on a business trip or a quick weekend away to see friends and family. While I love the ease and wheeled convenience of a suitcase, I often feel like I packed too much for trips due to the size of the suitcases I own, which is why I was on the hunt for a ‘weekend’ bag.

Enter: the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender. The Compact Weekender by Carl Friedrik was already a popular bag from the brand, but its collaboration with Hackett London reintroduced it in a new colourway and styling accents.

During the past couple months, I’ve been testing the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender during weekend stays and business trips, and have found both positives and negatives – here’s my full review.

Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender review: price and availability

The Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender is £325 in nylon or £395 in Nubuck leather and is available to buy at Carl Friedrik and Hackett London. It comes in one size and is available in navy – which is the Hackett London collaboration – chocolate, olive and charcoal.

Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender review: design and features

The Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender measures 28cm height, 46cm width and 18.5cm depth. It offers 24-litres of capacity, and has two interior open fabric pockets and an external slip pocket for additional storage. The main compartment of the bag is opened and closed with a wide zip and the interior is lined with nylon.

The main part of the bag can fit a good amount of clothes and toiletries inside, plus it has little pockets to hold objects upright, like shampoo or water bottles. The external pocket on the front of the bag is ideal for travel documents that you need to grab quickly, and the back of the bag has a leather slip or strap which can go over the handle of a suitcase to attach the two together.

The Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender has two handles and it comes with a 40mm shoulder strap that attaches to the handles via metal sliders. Other than the navy material, the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender has stylish brown accents and straps, and the brand’s names are printed on the front pocket.

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Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender review: performance

I took the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender with me on a few weekends away, and on a day-long business trip. I found that it made for ideal carry-on luggage as it easily fits in cars, under chairs and in overhead compartments on both planes and trains. It takes up very little space even when full and doesn’t get too heavy or bulky either.

I loved the look and feel of the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender. The nubuck leather – while not vegan friendly and marks a little easily – is extremely stylish and has a premium feel that matches well with the brown leather accents. The handles feel extra sturdy, and I enjoyed the additional long handle so I could carry it around my body.

The Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender has a good amount of compartments on the inside and outside. I often found that I just stored everything in the main body of the bag rather than use the internal pockets but it was nice to have them there, especially for things I wanted to store upright to avoid spills.

After using the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender for a few weeks now, I’d have to say that the bag is better for day trips than a three-day weekend. I went on a quick work trip and easily fit in a change of clothes, toiletries and chargers, but if I needed to pack a pair of shoes or extra clothes, the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender struggled a little. It got full very quickly, so I’d probably use it more as a carry-on bag rather than your sole bag for a trip.

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Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender review: verdict

If it’s style and luxury you’re after, you can’t go wrong with the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender. The navy and brown colour is beautiful and the materials feel extra luxurious. It has a good amount of compartments and the handles and zips feel extremely high quality.

The main negative I found when testing the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender is the size. As it’s dubbed a ‘weekender’, I did expect it to be able to store more but I could only manage two outfits and some toiletries rather than what I’d really take on a weekend away.

If you often take business or day trips, the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender would suit you well, but I do question whether you’d want to spend almost £400 on a day bag.

Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender review: alternatives to consider

The Harber London Overnight Bag is a similar day trip style bag as the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender. It has clever pockets and is made of luxurious and quality materials.

Another option is the Beckett The Fraser Holdall. Unlike the Carl Friedrik x Hackett London Compact Weekender, it’s made of vegan leather and has a much bigger size, although it’s not as stylish.