I had been in the market for a replacement travel bag for a while when the Monos Metro Duffel popped up on my Instagram feed. Having lost my favorite weekender to an unfortunate incident involving a bottle of chili oil, and tired of making do with old totes and overstuffed handbags for a whole year, I surrendered to one in a deep Mahogany brown.
Despite having parsed through a gazillion reviews to affirm my decision, I still found myself wondering if it would look as good when it arrived—or work as well as it claimed to. And should I have got it in the juniper green instead?
The first thing I noticed when unboxing the bag was, predictably, its looks. I had picked the vegan leather finish, but at first glance it looked like the real deal. Its streamlined, handsome design was almost better in person, and offered much more structure than the floppy weekender bags I was used to.
I discovered it had more going for it than just its looks. Its interior is incredibly roomy, and comes with a sleeve that fits your laptop and books, but also side pockets for your umbrella and water bottle. Once you’ve organized your accessories, you can decide what to do with the main compartment, which I’ve used to store a whole weekend’s worth of clothes. And on a recent trip to Copenhagen, left completely empty for the souvenirs I knew I’d bring back.
When you run out of space inside, there’s more on the outside, including a genius clip-on pouch that serves as a convenient place for storing all the odds and ends—AirPod case, passport, and hand sanitizer. Being able to clip off the pouch also means your essentials can stay with you, without you needing to rifle through the bag to get to a charging cable.
Every duffel comes with this exterior attachment, but adding on a second Folio Kit just ups the flexibility, because truly, no two travels look alike. I’ve used my classic kit as a toiletries bag to hold just enough for freshening up before arrival at my destination, and the Folio Kit, which is both wider and more rigid, for my passport, cards, and travel documents. I’ve clipped my Folio Kit to the bag, but also used it separately as an organizer. I’ve even used it as a clutch purse when I’ve forgotten to pack one.
The Metro duffel is designed to be an excellent travel companion. Its form holds no matter where—or how carelessly—you plop it down. In one instance where it was squished into a crowded overhead bin, it bounced back into shape when I pulled it out, contents intact. You can actually avoid that situation altogether because, with a little maneuvering, it fits fairly neatly under the seat in front of you, which means it handily qualifies as a personal item.
The Metro is available in nylon, or you can upgrade to vegan leather. Both finishes are water- and scratch-resistant (so, go forth and get that light ivory color)—and quite frankly, whichever you choose, it will make a sleek addition to your travels. Which, by the way, will never be the same once you start securing its trolley sleeve around the handle of your suitcase: no more flopping bags as you dash through airports. At 3 and 3.6 pounds for the nylon and vegan leather respectively, the Metro isn’t the lightest bag on the market, so this feature definitely comes in handy. But if you’d rather use its detachable shoulder strap, just zip up the trolley sleeve at the bottom and voilà, it turns into even more storage.
I’ve made five assorted trips since I got this duffel and it’s come with me on all of them. I call it the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of travel bags, because it shape-shifts for each set of needs. It has also turned me into the most organized traveler I’ve ever been: I haven’t misplaced a single AirPod, charging cable, or lip balm since. Plus, it gets loads of compliments wherever I go. And who doesn’t enjoy a bit of that?