You need clothes for the trip and a laptop bag for the meeting. WaterField’s 48-Hour Travel System lets you pack both together, then pull out a separate brief when it’s time to get to work. Your clothes can stay at the hotel while your laptop, chargers, and documents go with you.
The $729 set includes the Carryall, removable Slim Brief, two Monolite Packing Cubes, and a Supreme Suspension Strap. Introduced in July, it’s a five-piece setup for short business trips and commutes that call for more than your usual work bag.
Price: $729
Where to buy: WaterField Designs
One Carryall, two useful modes
The Carryall measures 17 by 12 by 7 inches, with 23.4 liters of overall capacity and a 16.7-liter main compartment. WaterField designed it around airline personal-item limits, but compare those dimensions with your airline’s allowance before relying on underseat fit.
Inside, a dedicated rear compartment holds the removable Slim Brief. The brief can stay installed while still providing access to its laptop sleeves, or it can be removed entirely for a flight, meeting, conference, or day of work.
That removable brief is the strongest idea here. You don’t have to move your work gear between bags every time you switch from traveling to working. It can also come out for the flight, keeping your devices and documents close while the Carryall goes overhead.
The Slim Brief measures 15.5 by 10.5 by 2 inches and has two padded device pockets. The size guide gives a maximum device footprint of 14.25 by 10 inches, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro and similarly sized laptops. Check your computer’s dimensions rather than going by screen size alone. Its front pocket organizes chargers, cords, pens, and keys, and both bags have concealed AirTag pockets.
Designed for a realistic two-day load
The Carryall includes two custom-sized, translucent Monolite Packing Cubes. They fit side by side in the main compartment and are sized for the contents of a short trip rather than an extended vacation.
You can see what’s packed through the translucent mesh without opening each cube. Three-sided zippers open them broadly for packing, and the compressible construction packs down when they’re empty.
Each cube measures 11 by 4 by 8.25 inches and weighs 1.3 ounces. The Carryall’s translucent interior pockets separate toiletries and other small essentials from clothing, while its side pocket takes a water bottle up to 3 inches in diameter.
The lid-style opening is another practical detail: it gives access to the contents without spreading two clamshell halves across a hotel bed or desk. Exterior pleated pockets keep smaller items accessible without opening the main compartment.
Carry it like luggage, a shoulder bag, or a backpack
The Carryall supports hand, shoulder, and backpack carry. There’s also a luggage passthrough for attaching it to a rolling suitcase, so you can wheel the two together through an airport.
When you don’t need the backpack straps, they tuck behind a zippered panel. Magnetic buckles attach them for backpack carry, and magnetic flaps hold the Carryall’s handles out of the way. The Slim Brief has its own leather-wrapped handles, shoulder-strap attachments, and luggage passthrough.
Foam reinforcement gives the bags structure and device protection, while the gold nylon lining makes the interior easier to see. The zippers are rated as water-resistant, so don’t treat the bags as waterproof.
You can choose tan waxed canvas with chocolate leather, black ballistic nylon with chocolate leather, or black or navy EcoPak with black leather. Material choice changes the empty weight: the Carryall is 2.5 pounds in EcoPak, 2.9 pounds in ballistic nylon, or 3.5 pounds in canvas. The separate Slim Brief adds 1.3, 1.5, or 1.8 pounds, respectively, before you pack your gear.
Where the value is strongest
At $729, this isn’t a budget travel setup. Its appeal depends on how often you’d use the removable brief and the different carry options. If you already have a work bag and an overnight bag you like, matching them isn’t much of a reason to replace both.
The set is better suited to someone who wants work essentials to stay packed while clothing and travel gear come along for the ride. That includes a one- or two-night business trip, or a commute with gym clothes and a change of clothes.
The 16.7-liter main compartment sets the packing boundary. Clothing, shoes, and toiletries all compete for that space, so the modular design doesn’t turn it into a larger suitcase. The listed empty weights also deserve a look if you usually travel with a lightweight backpack.
A customer-designed travel system
More than 700 customers contributed to WaterField’s Community Design process, helping shape the dimensions, pockets, carry options, and modular layout. WaterField tested prototypes on flights, road trips, and commutes.
Price: $729
Where to buy: WaterField Designs
WaterField handcrafts the set in San Francisco. The reason to consider it is the brief you can take out without repacking: one organized load for the journey, with a smaller work bag ready when you arrive.
