A duffel bag, duffle bag,[1][2] or kit bag is a large bag made of either natural or synthetic fabric (typically canvas or nylon).
History
Historically a duffel bag had a top closure using a drawstring.[3] Later bags had a webbing hand grip, along with a shoulder strap with clip that closed the bag by nesting grommets from around the rim of bag, over padlockable eye loop, later an independent pair of ruck sack straps were used.
Generally a duffel bag is used by non-commissionedpersonnel in the military, and for travel, sports and recreation by civilians, especially schoolchildren, who may use them to carry their physical education or football kits.[4] When used by a sailor or marine a duffel is known as a seabag. A duffel's open structure and lack of rigidity make it adaptable to carrying sports gear and similar bulky objects.
A duffel bag is often confused with a hoop-handled hard-bottomed zippered bag, generically also known as a gym bag.
Some of these misnamed duffle bags are also cylindrical but zip open on the long, horizontal side, and have handles like a tote bag.
The origin of the name is disputed. Most sources maintain the name comes from Duffel,[5] a town in Flanders, Belgium, where the thick duffel cloth used to make the bag originated in the 17th century.[6]
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word dates back to 1649, used to describe ‘a coarse woollen cloth having a thick nap or frieze’. The earliest reference of the word specifically referring to a duffel bag is 1768.[7]
