I’m Already Planning My Autumn Escape, And These Are The Antler Bags I’d Take Everywhere
Image by: Antler
Discover the Antler Icon suitcases and travel bags designed for two-week holidays, weekend escapes, work trips and hand-luggage-only travel.
Schools are back, the out-of-office replies have slowed to a trickle and the heatwave has been replaced by that first, slightly rude hint of autumn. So, naturally, I’m looking at flights.
If you are a seasoned traveller who put plans on pause during the school holidays, you are probably itching to go somewhere by now. You are not alone: ABTA found that 24% of Britons planned to holiday in September. Plus, this is one of the best times of year to get away. The heatwaves at home have died off, while many European destinations are still holding on to the warmth. Crete and Rhodes make a convincing case for lingering poolside; Mallorca and Ibiza are calmer once the summer crowds thin; and Biarritz delivers Atlantic air, excellent food and a change of scene without demanding two weeks of annual leave.
For those who live to travel, no-one understand this wanderlust personality type like Antler. Since launching in 1914, the British company has been creating considered, durable pieces for people who want to move through the world with less fuss. Its designs focus on the details that become increasingly important the more often you travel: dependable wheels, useful organisation, stylish enough to immediately spot at the baggage claim. It's Icon collection in particular has garnered legions of loyal fans who keep coming back for more. The best luggage for frequent travellers is rarely one heroic bag expected to do everything. It is a considered collection that offers the right format for each journey. Hard-shell suitcases, weekend bags, backpacks, totes and smaller styles, all designed for different journeys, because a spontaneous weekend, overnight work trip and a fortnight in the sun require very different things from a bag. Wherever your diary takes you, there is an Icon designed to go too.
So if you're booked and ready to go, scroll on to discover the Antler Icon bags and suitcases made to go with you.
Icon Stripe Large Suitcase
Antler
£255.00
For a two-week holiday, a large, practical suitcase lik the Antler Icon Stripe Large Suitcase gives you enough room to pack properly without turning every outfit choice into a negotiation. It's designed for longer trips, combining serious capacity with the organisation and easy movement that matter once a case is full. A hard-wearing polycarbonate shell protects everything inside, while compression straps and zipped pockets stop smaller essentials disappearing beneath the linen shirts. An expander offers extra depth when needed, and Silent Glide 360 spinner wheels work with a comfort-grip handle to keep things moving through airports, stations and hotel lobbies. This suits the traveller who wants space for a complete holiday wardrobe, several pairs of shoes, toiletries and the purchases that inevitably make the return journey. Pack once, zip it up and get on with the important business of going away - worth every penny.
Editor's tip: Get your hands on the latest autumn colourways. Inspired by open water and endless horizons, calming Ocean Blue is a zen shade you'll know is yours a mile off while Pebble Grey, inspired by weathered coastlines and smooth stone shaped over time, is the ultimate versatile neutral.
Icon Stripe Cabin Suitcase
Antler
£185.00
A short-haul break rewards packing with discipline, and the Antler Icon Stripe Cabin Suitcase is built for exactly that: a hard shell that survives a crammed overhead locker, with pockets, dividers and compression straps that make cabin-sized space feel genuinely usable rather than just small. It's the case that gets you from aircraft door to hotel with almost no admin, which is the whole point of travelling hand-luggage-only. Airline allowances vary, so check the dimensions against your fare before you fly (yes, Ryanair, we're looking at you).
Icon Weekender Bag in Black
Antler
£160.00
The right weekend bag should carry two or three days of clothes without encouraging you to pack as if you are relocating. Antler’s Icon Weekender Bag hits that sweet spot: room for outfits, toiletries, spare shoes and the book you're still optimistic about, in a soft-sided shape that lifts easily into a car boot or luggage rack and still looks polished walking into a smart hotel. It's the bag to keep by the door for the trip you decide on at lunchtime and leave for by six.
Looking for something smaller? Try the Icon Overnight Bag instead
Icon Backpack
Antler
£84.00
Work travel asks one bag to do three jobs, and the Antler Icon Backpack is the one that manages all of them: a laptop and a day's essentials carried hands-free and comfortable on the commute, in a clean, structured shape that arrives at a meeting looking considered rather than like it's just come off a hillside. It's the piece that quietly bridges a day starting at your desk and ending at a departure gate, which is exactly what a work-trip bag should do and most don't.
Alternatively, the Icon 2-in-1 Tote Backpack offers extra flexibility. Plus, switching between a polished tote and practical backpack makes the latter especially useful when the day begins at a desk and ends at a departure gate.
Icon Crossbody Bag
Antler
£27.50
Once the big case is checked in, the bag that earns its place is the smallest one you're wearing. The Antler Icon Crossbody is the one I'd take through the whole journey: sized for passport, phone, cards and headphones, worn hands-free and close to the body, so it carries you from the security queue to dinner on the first night without ever taking over the outfit. It's the rare travel bag that doesn't become dead weight the moment you land, which is why it's the one to keep on when everything else goes in the overhead locker.
For anyone who requires more room, get yourself a good tote. A good travel tote for flying should keep in-flight necessities accessible without requiring you to unpack on the terminal floor. The Icon Mini Tote Bag can handle a laptop, water bottle, scarf, book and all the other things that somehow become essential in transit. Fancy something small and inconspicuous for siteseeing? It's all about the Antler Slingbag.
Packing Cubes in Monogram - Set of 4
Antler
£55.00
If you want to stop excavating your case for one missing sock, Antler's cult Packing Cubes are an instant fix: a set of four (one large, one medium, two small) with strong compression zips that flatten bulk and mesh panels that show what's inside at a glance, made from recycled polyester and sized to slot neatly into the Icon Stripe suitcase. They're the simplest upgrade to how you pack, and they earn their keep most on longer or multi-stop trips, where they lift straight from the case into a hotel drawer and back again. Consider your rummaging days officially over.