From a Belgian town to a travel staple
Duffel is a town near Antwerp, and its name became associated with a thick, coarse woolen cloth made there. The material was valued for being sturdy enough for hard use. As bags were made from it, “duffel bag” named the container by the cloth it was made of—a pattern also seen in names such as “canvas bag.”
The name outlasted the fabric
A bag’s construction can change while its name stays put. Modern duffel bags may be made from canvas, nylon, or other materials, rather than Duffel cloth. The word now describes a general shape and use: a roomy, flexible bag, often with a long main compartment and handles or a shoulder strap.
That history leaves a small trace of the object’s earlier life in its name. What sounds like a description of a bag’s design began as a reference to the material associated with a place in Belgium.
