A good quality cheap holdall is a bit of a must have item in our locker. There are so many uses for them. A great weekender bag, a handy gym bag, an over night business trip and so many more.
The big problem with how handy having a holdall bag is, is that they are pretty popular and in being so, can be fairly expensive. So it pays to do some shopping around and getting a good quality cheap holdall.
A nice fashion statement leather holdall from a named brand can cost upwards of £300. This is out of the means of most peoples budget, but there are some good alternatives, that's look and perform just as good, but cost a fraction of the price.
What to Look for in a Cheap Holdall
There are certain must haves that you need to be getting out of your cheap holdall. Let's go over the main ones here:
Capacity A decent holdall needs to have a decent amount of capacity. It isn't just a fashion statement. It does actually have a function to serve, and if you get one that looks great, but can't even fit half of the things you need in it, then it doesn't really offer much in the way of value for money. 40L is the maximum you should look for though. Any bigger and it won't be able to be classed as a carry on bag at the airport and you'll have to check it. Which kind of defeats the point of getting a cheap carry on holdall. We find shopping for one between 30L and 40L offers the perfect size for a holdall and is suitable for most weekend travellers.
Shoulder Strap Carrying round a weekend bag to where you're going without a shoulder strap is no fun whatsoever. A holdall should defiantly not have wheels, this is a big no no. So with no wheels, a shoulder strap is a must. Yeah, you can use the carry handles, but this will get hard if you're doing anything other than taxi, airport and then taxi. Even then, a long airport walk to terminal, using the carry handles can get tiring.
Inside Pocket One thing that is often overlooked when shopping for a cheap holdall is the bonus of an inside pocket. Because a holdall is just one big open space, having a separate small zip pocket on the inside is great for getting to the things you'll need to have within reach. Things like your passport, wallet, mobile phone and so on. Most of the ones we have reviewed have some sort of an inside pocket. However, some of the cheaper ones will not have this feature.
The best place that we've found to get your hands on a cheap holdall is by far Argos. They have some great low priced budget brands, as well as some high end, but cheap holdalls too. They have Nike holdalls for really cheap, and Adidas holdalls too. They also sell there are brand. it's called Simple Value and that is just what you get with it. It is a great cheap holdall that is the perfect carry on size. And it's available for under £10. There cheapest Nike holdall is a nice looking grey holdall that you can buy for only £17.99. Great value for money on the biggest sports brands in the world.
Ages also have some pretty expensive looking holdalls too. granted they are not real leather, but look pretty good when not looked at too closely. The cheapest faux leather holdall that they sell is made by Go Explore. This is a top brand for low priced quality outdoor clothing and accessories. It comes with a shoulder strap, one of our must haves, and it's also splash proof for those rainy weekends in the city.
If you are looking for a slightly better brand, but still saving the pounds, Antler have some really good styles on offer. One that has caught our eye is the Antler Urbanite. It has a number of outside pockets, as well as an inside pocket too. Plus the invaluable shoulder strap.
For those looking for a real heavy duty holdall, Vango are the ones to go for. They are a well known outdoor brand that do quality, at affordable prices. This is more of a military style canvass bag, with some serious heavy duty straps. This is probably not the bag to go for as you will be able to fit to much weight in it to be classed as a carry on bag. But for a weekend away in the car, where you will be carrying more stuff, this is perfect. Or even a nice camping trip. This bag is more than capable of these feats.
Thule are a top outdoor brand too. They made there name making the best car racks and car luggage transport that you can find. Sadly they don't have much in the way of small to mid size holdalls, just the bigger check in size. Still, Argos have Thule holdalls at great prices and if you're after this size of holdall then you should defiantly check out there offers and deals on them.
If the sporty one is still more your style, but you're not a fan of Nike, then plump for an Adidas holdall. These are a little cheaper and some people are loving the retro styles that they do. They have a cool, if not for everyone, bright red adidas holdall for under £20. Top value for money for a cheap, but quality bag.
Lastly, there are some Carbrini holdalls. These are not that well known, but this often means you can get the best deals on them. They have 2 sizes to suit your needs. Both on sale really cheap at Argos.
All these brands are at Argos and are all really good value for money. They do have some more that we have on display on this page. You can check them out from the cheapest, up to the most expensive.
So thanks for checking out the cheapest holdalls from Argos. Take a look and see if you can find one that is best for you.