Review: Bleu de Chauffe’s Cabine Travel Bag Is Just Simple Enough

Bleu de Chauffe is a bag brand that produces just-a-little-bit-vintage-style bags in a picturesque workshop in the French countryside.

If you’re the kind of guy who likes uncomplicated, super durable bags that are handmade with traditional materials like leather and canvas, their designs offer a really interesting alternative to brands that lean into the rugged American mountain man aesthetic. Bleu de Chauffe’s bags are casual and traditional, but they also feel grown up and refined.

Bleu de Chauffe’s Cabine Bag: The Pros and Cons

Here’s what I liked and what you might not like about this brand’s take on the travel duffle, the Cabine. (This is after bringing it on a multi-city tour of New York, London, and Amsterdam — though I didn’t take the best photos of this bag in use!)

What I liked:

• Functions like a traditional duffle, but looks more mature and versatile
• 40-liter capacity: expands to give more space, meets carry-on requirements if you don’t
• High quality, longlasting, all natural materials
• Ethically made in a sustainable countryside workshop
• Has an internal zippered pocket and a small external slip pocket, elevating it above the usual “sack” form of a duffle
• Solid value for a bag like this that’s made in a developed country
• Not made on an assembly line: each bag is made by one person from start to finish, and they sign your bag for an extra personal touch

Downsides, but not dealbreakers

• Low on pockets: there’s one internal zippered pouch and one shallow slip pocket on the outside
• If you’re happy to use a bag made of nylon or other synthetics, there are cheaper bags out there
• If you’ve expanded the bag and it’s full to the brim, it’s hard to carry by the handles (see above)
• Not a technical bag for guys who want a bag optimized for ergonomics or waterproofness
• Unpadded leather handles take some use to soften and get comfortable in the hand

What Makes the Cabine More Functional Than a Standard Duffle?

Not a lot; the Cabine is a pretty simple bag. But besides the classy design and high end materials, you also get:

• A zippered pouch on the inside to secure valuables — and you can detach the pouch from its snaps if you like
• A hidden slip pocket at the base of the handles on one side
• Stud closure cinches on either side that let you expand the size

Who Are These Bleu de Chauffe Guys?

Bleu de Chauffe are just the right kind of different.

They’re what you’d call a “heritage” bag brand in that they heavily emphasize aesthetics and materials that are old fashioned, casual, and durable — like twill, canvas, and vegetable tanned leather.

(It has to be vegetable tanned, a process thousands of years older than the far more common chrome tanning invented in the 19th century.)

The vast majority of “heritage” brands on the market are either American or inspired by American designs. Bleu de Chauffe, though, draws on the tradition of French workwear, a country that many associate with luxury brands but has its own rich history of apparel and gear that was tested and honed by centuries of agriculture.

After all, France is responsible for the word “denim”: it come from de Nîmes, meaning “from Nîmes,” a town in southern France not far from Bleu de Chauffe’s workshop. The French also invented the chore coat, and some will even tell you the classic blue chore coat is the origin of the term blue collar.

But in French, it’s called bleu de chauffe.

Who Should Buy Bleu de Chauffe’s Cabine Bag?

The Cabine is a great bag for anyone who likes simple, timeless designs.

As a New York City resident, it’s ideal for people who don’t have a lot of space: you can roll this bag up into a roll and shove it under your bed with ease. You can’t do that with structured suitcases or even most of my other duffles.

It’s for anyone who likes hardy, natural materials like thick cotton twill and traditionally tanned leather — materials that last forever and improve with wear.

(Note that Bleu de Chauffe call this material canvas on their website but it’s actually twill. It’s an understandable mistake as the distinction isn’t as clear in French, and the difference between canvas and twill doesn’t really matter when you’re talking about bags.)

One word I keep coming back to when thinking of the Cabine is that even though it’s a cotton duffle it manages to look refined. If you’re someone who likes uncomplicated bags like this, you’ll know that most of them evoke either military fatigues or bearded frontiersmen.

This is a duffle that doesn’t look too knockaround if you carry it with a smart outfit, even though it will indeed last for decades: they aren’t super loud about a repair-wear-and-tear warranty, but they told me they’ll repair any old bags.

Who Shouldn’t Buy Bleu de Chauffe’s Cabine Bag?

People who prefer wheels on their travel bags to make them easier to get from, say, apartment-to-subway-to-another-subway-to-airport.

When it’s a bag you carry, I tend to prefer carry handles that have padding and that join underneath the bag to help cradle the load and protect the bag’s seams. Filson’s does that. They make good bags.

Still, this bag is made super tough and if it picks up any damage, it’ll be easy to repair. It’s made the way we used to make bags when we expected them to last.

Price: Is Bleu de Chauffe’s Cabine Worth It?

• $375 – $425 depending on the exchange rate

Let’s compare the Cabine bag with other 40-ish liter canvas travel bags. And keep in mind that it’s made with thick twill (17 ounces, some 50 percent thicker than jeans) and, very importantly, it’s made in a developed, “first world” country.

• Filson’s Medium Duffle: $600, 43 liters, no extra pockets, made in USA.
• Bradley Mountain’s Ranger: $499, 42 liters, lots of pockets, made in USA.
• Thursday Boot Co’s Weekender: $350, 44 liters, lots of pockets, made in Mexico or something.
• Rov’s Duke: $420, 38 liters, lots of pockets, made in USA.

I’ve used all these bags and listen, Bleu de Chauffe’s is probably the best value and the best looking.