In this hands-on review, we’ll share our thoughts on some of Herschel’s products to help you decide if they’re worth buying.

Herschel is an extremely popular brand that’s known primarily for its bags. I tested out their Novel Duffel Bag and Chapter Toiletry Kit on a couple of trips. Here’s what I think about them.

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The named their company “Herschel” after the small village in Saskatchewan where a few generations of their family grew up.

Our goal is to create a timeless product with fine regard for detail.

From Herschel’s About page

Herschel’s retro-inspired products are widely popular. They make bags, accessories, and apparel of all kinds.

The Novel Duffel

I got the Novel in the peacoat/saddle brown colorway, and it looks great. It’s a nice, classic colorway that compliments the bag’s minimal design.

Speaking of minimal, the logo isn’t a design that I really like, but I give Herschel credit for making it small. There’s one logo on the side corner and another one on the strap. That’s minimal enough for me!

The Novel is a big bag which is good or bad depending on your needs. On a four-day trip to New York, my girlfriend and I actually shared this bag as a carry-on, and each took a personal item. The bag was totally full, but it accommodated two people for four days. It’s a big bag!

On a week-long trip to Chicago, the Novel worked great for me, but I think it’s too big to use as a weekender. Luckily, Herschel does offer a mid-volume size that’s smaller than the standard.

If you’re a man of modest height, I would definitely avoid the full-sized version. I haven’t tried the mid-volume size, but I’d imagine it to be more suited for shorter gents or anyone looking for a weekender bag.

The strap is a nice addition, though I wish it were more padded. The plastic pieces on the straps feel pretty cheap, and I don’t expect them to last a very long time. It would be nice if they were made of metal instead.