Louis Vuitton Duffle Bag: Is It Worth It? – Luxury LV Keepall Bag Review

Louis Vuitton is one of the most valuable and recognizable fashion & luxury brands in the world today. They have a long, innovative, and at times controversial history, but most people today know the brand for the LV monogrammed logo that’s plastered all over their products. But are said products (and in particular, their carryall duffle bags) worth your money?

Despite the fact that now, even mainstream consumers aspire to have a Louis Vuitton item, it remains as fashion’s great status symbol. Because of that, their procuts are heavily counterfeited, so we bought our Keepall BANDOULIÈRE 55 at the local Louis Vuitton store to ensure it was a genuine product. Before we get to the bag itself, here’s a history of the company and its founder.

A Brief History of Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton was a remarkable man. Antagonized by his stepmother, he left his small Swiss border town in France in 1835 and made his way towards Paris over the course of the next two years. After apprenticing with another trunk maker in Paris for 17 years, he finally opened his own store in 1854. By that time, he was also servicing royal clientele.

Back then, pretty much only rich people traveled and they had staff, so their luggage consisted of huge trunks that were carried along by those people. Mr. Vuitton was inspired to create a flat-topped trunk that was more easily stackable than the previously domed or round ones. He also experimented with canvas versus leather, which resulted in a lightweight trunk. Because of that level of innovation, Vuitton trunks were a big commercial success. Unfortunately, in 1870, the Vuitton Atelier (along with the rest of Paris) was destroyed during the Franco-Prussian War. After successfully rebuilding the business, he launched a new line of trunks with a characteristic bright red and beige stripe, as well as a brown and a beige stripe which became some of the hallmarks for Louis Vuitton trunks. Looking back, it was an early attempt to fight off imitators of his products.

To keep its competitive edge, Vuitton kept innovating. In 1886, he developed a lock system with two spring buckles that was so effective that not even Harry Houdini could escape from it. By 1888, Vuitton’s business suffered from numerous imitators, and so he came up with a checkerboard canvas called Damier canvas, which is still around today. In 1896, his son, Georges created an “LV” patterned canvas with quatrefoils and flowers. This was another attempt to prevent counterfeiting, and that same pattern is on the keepall we’re reviewing today. It seems to have worked at least somewhat, because by 1900 Vuitton had expanded to around 100 employees. However, it took until 1930 for the first Keepall bag to be introduced by Vuitton.

During World War II, the house (then run by Louis’ grandson, Gaston Louis Vuitton) was forced to collaborate with the Nazi regime in Vichy France. They actively aided the puppet government run by Marshal Philippe Pétain, and they enriched themselves by working for the Germans. Vuitton even set up a factory to create busts of Marshal Pétain. Fast-forwarding to 1959, the way people travelled had changed and so smaller leather goods were introduced into the range of Louis Vuitton.

In 1987, Louis Vuitton merged with champagne brand, Moët & Chandon, and cognac brand, Hennessy, to create the large luxury conglomerate known today as LVMH (or Louis Vuitton, Moët, Hennessy). These days, the conglomerate has revenues of around $50 billion a year, and Louis Vuitton is a high-fashion brand that produces clothing including sneakers, watches, leather goods, and accessories. It seems like they maintain workshops in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the US, so they have not outsourced production to low-cost countries. They are rated as the #12 most valuable luxury brand in the world, and they’re highly profitable.

What Do We Think About The Louis Vuitton Keepall BANDOULIÈRE 55?

Now that you know a little bit about the history, it’s time for an in-depth review of the Louis Vuitton Keepall BANDOULIÈRE 55. We chose the classic color combination of a brown monogrammed canvas with undyed cowhide leather accents. Essentially, you could buy the bag without the shoulder strap, but then it would simply be a Keepall 55. The additional shoulder strap (which costs $400) makes it the BANDOULIÈRE.

Handles

Frankly, the leather handles on the bag are so small that without the shoulder strap, the use of the bag would be very limited; you can’t even carry it over your shoulder. In the US, with the strap, it retails for $1,820 without tax (or $1,420 without the shoulder strap). If you add the tax, it gets you over fifteen hundred or close to two thousand dollars, respectively. Four hundred dollars for a leather shoulder strap is definitely a lot but honestly, without it, it’s just not as useful. 

Material

Before we bought the bag, of course, we did some research–but their website provides pathetically little information about the bag, the origins of the materials, or how it’s made. The biggest point of uncertainty for most people is whether the bag is made of leather or canvas; many assume that this Louis Vuitton Keepall is made out of leather because it has a leather-like texture underneath the logo canvas. On the website though, they call it a canvas and not leather, so they’re not trying to be deceptive about it.

Essentially, it is an unknown fabric coated in PVC, which stands for polyvinyl chloride and is also known as vinyl. It’s the world’s most widely produced plastic polymer, and it is a very cheap material. Because of that, I wasn’t surprised that the whole PVC part was not marketed or advertised on their website. If you look at the backing, it seems to be a cotton, but it also could be nylon or a polyester-cotton blend. The only real way to figure it out would be to send it to a lab or maybe do a burn test, but we refrained from doing so. Ultimately, finding such a cheap material was a little disappointing for a bag that’s this expensive.

While the material is quite lightweight, which is great for travel, the “con” list is a lot longer. First of all, it’s a lot less durable than leather, and it doesn’t develop as nice of a patina. Generally, PVC is a very pedestrian material that is used in cheap bags or as a tile alternative in your kitchen. Now, the Louis Vuitton Keepall doesn’t feel as cheap as some other vinyl bags, but it doesn’t feel as nice as a high-quality leather bag either.

It seems that this vinyl is not really meant for traveling. When I went to their website and checked their care instructions, I thought they were just flat-out ridiculous. “Beware not to scratch or rub your product against abrasive surfaces, especially the leather trim. Keep your product away from damp or humid environments, avoid direct exposure to sunlight, keep it away from any direct source of heat like radiators, car interiors or heat from the sun, etc.” Really? When I travel, I’m not supposed to keep my bag in the sun? I mean, how is that possible? It goes on about keeping the bag away from greasy substances, cologne, water, dirt, and all those things that naturally happen when you travel. They also suggest to store the bag in a cotton pouch when not in use. This is fine, but overall, I’m getting the feeling that this is a bag that you should pamper and take care of, rather than a bag that you can just travel with and forget about.

Another thing that surprised me was that there’s actually no feet or reinforced corners that protect the vinyl coated fabric from wearing out at the edges, so it’s really not a bag that’s meant to be put down on the floor (another difficulty for travel). While properly taking care of the Louis Vuitton product according to those instructions may allow you to keep the beauty for years, it’s also a huge pain.

My bag isn’t just all vinyl-coated fabric, as it has cowhide leather trim and handles. Everything that is that beige color that you see in the bag is made of what seems to be an undyed, vegetable-tanned cowhide of high quality. I really like the look of the combination, with this semi-translucent burgundy edge-painting applied throughout. Their workmanship is very detail-oriented and not sloppy at all. But for a bag of this price, I would expect that. Because the leather is open-pored and uncoated, it will pick up dirt and scratches, but I think that’s part of developing a patina for a travel piece. To me, that’s not a downside. For some people, it may be.

Zippers

Now, let’s look at the double zipper, which opens or closes from both sides. It’s sturdy and machined out of brass, rather than injection-molded. On the inside you’ll find a smaller zipper that is likewise machined and not injection-molded. It seems like a 24-karat gold plating, but again, I’d have to send it to the lab to figure out exactly what the alloy is. Upon closer inspection, the zippers are marked with Louis Vuitton logos; this is atypical, because most brands have a YKK zipper. Louis Vuitton zippers are made by Riri, which are the best zippers money can buy, and they’re made in Switzerland. So you pay a high price for the bag, but you also get a quality zipper

Workmanship

It seems to me that generally, Louis Vuitton makes their Keepall bags in France, Spain, and the US. This particular one was made in the US, and the workmanship is very neat and of high overall quality. The yellow contrast stitching looks nice; it’s doubled up so it won’t come apart, and it will likely last you for a while. It also comes with a nice leather luggage tag on the strap, and the stitch density is very consistent and good. There was just one area on the strap where I thought it could have been better, but this was minor.

Hardware

Prior to 1970, Louis Vuitton used exclusively brass on their bags. Today, it only uses brass on some of its bags, not all of them. For the specific bag that we bought, the online listing didn’t provide detailed information about the hardware. The same style of bag in the darker monogram eclipse canvas said it had “silver-colored metallic pieces,” which sources outside of Louis Vuitton say means a metal alloy rather than brass. On the other hand, the Damier canvas bag on the website (which is also the same style) says it comes with “metallic pieces in shiny silver brass” which I had to look up to clarify–it’s actually brass that is then plated. Anyhow, for the specific bag we bought, we don’t know exactly if the hardware is made out of brass or of an alloy. Overall, that’s pretty sad if you ask me, because at that price point, I expect to know exactly where things come from and how they’re made.

Also, the gold plating here is rather inconsistent. For example, if you look at the d-ring and the zippers, they have a yellowish, greenish gold. If you then look at the gold of the strap, it’s more red, and the lock is a more intense yellow gold. If you put them all together, you’ve got two zippers, one d-ring, and one lock, in three different gold tones. It’s probably because they plate things in different facilities, but from Louis Vuitton, I would expect it to be uniform.

Sizing

The bag is 55 centimeters long, which is where it gets its name from. It’s also 31 centimeters tall and 24 centimeters wide. In inches, that means 21.7 inch long, 12.2 inches high, and 9.4 inches wide. That means it’s slightly shorter and slimmer than my brown leather weekender bag, but it’s also slightly taller and the capacity is about the same. It’s a good carry-on size so you won’t have to check your luggage, and you can still fit a decent amount of stuff in the bag.

THE VERDICT

So, is a Louis Vuitton Keepall BANDOULIÈRE 55 bag worth it? In my opinion, the one-word answer is no, and here’s why. In summary, here are the upsides of the LV bag:

1. The zippers are of superior quality.
2. It comes in a very good size–a weekender, indeed!
3. The leather is of high quality. But unfortunately, it’s not used in very many places.

The list of cons is a whole lot longer. First, PVC vinyl coated fabric, seriously? I wouldn’t even buy a $100 bag made from such a material. For me, that’s an absolute no-go! Now, I know that most Louis Vuitton customers don’t care so much about that, because it’s more of a status symbol. Being able to communicate “I’m rich and I can afford to spend two grand on a bag” is definitely more important for some people than the quality of the bag itself, and this is often true for modern Louis Vuitton. Since we really care about the quality and workmanship, we’re not the perfect target market for Louis Vuitton bags. While they had a great tradition of innovation, craftsmanship, and workmanship, I think that today it’s all far overshadowed by the brand and its status. I think if you spend close to $2,000 for a bag, you should be able to know where things are made, what materials are used, and why. But hey, who am I to tell Louis Vuitton what to sell or what not to sell? They obviously know their customer, they’re highly profitable, and they have very high revenue, so kudos to them!

Personally, I don’t appreciate the vague language on their website; it’s just supposed to sound nice, I guess, but it doesn’t tell me what I’m actually getting. I also don’t like the fact that I have to pamper and take care of my bag to a very high degree, making it more of an object that needs maintenance rather than something that is helpful to your lifestyle. If I would have to guess how much the material and the workmanship of the bag costs, I would say anywhere from 5-10%, which means 90 to 95 percent of the bag’s cost is going toward brand building, marketing, and status symbols.

Conclusion

Truthfully, though, that’s what great brands do. They’re able to sell you a product of similar or equal quality to another brand for a lot more money. It takes time to do that, and it requires a really long-term strategy. At the same time, I feel that if you want a true luxury product, Louis Vuitton seems just like the pedestrian entry into that market. For example, if you look at a weekender keepall bag from Goyard, it costs around $6,500–almost three times as much as the Louis Vuitton. If you look at Hermès, their bags cost $13,000-$14,000. So if you want true luxury, modern Louis Vuitton will not get you that.

Also, keep in mind that because of its popularity, Louis Vuitton is still one of the most counterfeited bags out there, so a lot of people may see you and think you’re wearing a counterfeited bag even if it’s genuine! Regarding alternatives, you can find plenty of options under the sun in leather, without logos, in all kinds of different sizes that will allow you to get something that works for your lifestyle, your needs, and your budget. 

Are there any details of the Louis Vuitton Keepall BANDOULIÈRE 55 we missed? What do you think about the bag? Let us know in the comments below!

Outfit Rundown

I’m wearing a three-piece flannel suit that is made out of a houndstooth brown and off-white flannel from Harrison’s I am combining it with an off-white dress shirt with French cuffs that has tiger’s eye cufflinks, which were brown with gold hardware from Fort Belvedere.

I have a madder silk tie in a buff tone with a red and black oversized Paisley combined with a Fort Belvedere pocket square, which is a silk wool blend, which has an oversized pattern, and the red color of it picks up the red color in the tie. So, it harmonizes but, at the same time, it has a certain contrast. I’m combining the suit with long wing full brogues from Allen Edmonds with brown shoelaces. They are flat and a little wider that provide a slightly different look. My socks are shadows striped in brown and beige from Fort Belvedere and they pick up the color scheme of the bag as well as the suit.

If you’re interested in these For Belvedere accessories or anything else Fort Belvedere, please head over to our shop here. I promise that you won’t find anything that is vinyl or PVC coated in our shop. We focus on high-quality items that provide a much better value than Louis Vuitton, at least in my opinion.