For me, summer ended with a literal thud on Saturday, when I returned home from a family vacation and plunked down my big, stuffed on the kitchen floor. This trusty and seemingly bottomless bag saw me (and my kids's paraphernalia) go from the Temple of Dendur to the Montauk Lighthouse and basically everywhere in between. Though the bag is years old, it's still yielding a nice ROI--just the way it should be. As it so happens, fall is dictating a return to bigger bags, including briefcase-like and portfolio-sized , so I thought I'd investigate the latest and greatest offerings--i.e., the ones that will look up-to-date for years and years to come. (Note: when I say big bag, I don't mean tote-sized, necessarily. I am referring to something along the lines of the classic , above--roomy enough that you can carry more than you need, but not burdensome and unwieldy.) The highlights thus far: this slate-hued , this duffle, this sleek , and this stud.