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Aduffel bag, duffle bag,[1][2]orkit bag is a large bag made of either natural or synthetic fabric (typically canvas), historically with a top closure using a drawstring.[3] Generally a duffel bag is used by non-commissioned personnel in the military, and for travel, sports and recreation by civilians, especially schoolchildren, who may use them to carry their PE or football kits.[4] When used by a sailorormarine a duffel is known as a seabag. A duffel's open structure and lack of rigidity makes it adaptable to carrying sports gear and similar bulky objects.
A duffel bag is often confused with a hoop-handled hard-bottomed zippered bag, generically also known as a gym bag.
The origin of the name is disputed. Most sources maintain the name comes from Duffel,[5] a town in Flanders, Belgium, where the thick duffel cloth used to make the bag originated in the 17th century.[6]
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word dates back to 1649, used to describe ‘a coarse woollen cloth having a thick nap or frieze’. The earliest reference of the word specifically referring to a duffel bag is 1768.[7]
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