In making my list of bags and such for my travel impression, I can’t help but think about which ones were seen as the most practical by the original cast, which they made but found were not as useful as they thought, and which were purely fancy.
Let us start with a fairly standard travel bag. This one comes from one of Beeton’s books. Pulling from her description: 
“This pattern is of the ordinary shape of travelling-bags, but it is very prettily worked…. The embroidered part measures 14 inches in its widest part, and is 11 inches deep. The bag is lined with light brown silk, and made up with a steel clasp.” With her measurements of the embroidered section, this bag may be 20-28 inches wide and 15 to 20 deep. This is a fairly good-sized bag capable of holding the day’s necessities of travel or even the set of night-clothes suggested by some advice writers. She does indicate the sides are made of java canvas. I will have to look into this material more, but I would be concerned about how water-proof or not this material (thus bag) is.
Comparatively, here is the Pouche Pompador from the December 1864 edition of Godey’s. This is a pretty and interesting travel bag I’ve wanted to make since it showed up in Virginia Mescher’s “Traveling Tips for Ladies”. This bag is described as having the shape of a large purse. Continuing ” The bag is entirely lined, a pocket is formed on each side, and a slit is made in the centre of the bag exactly in the same way as in a purse; two rings are slipped over, and the slit is further fastened by pearl buttons and silk loops…. These pockets are very convenient to hold the numberless small articles which a lady always wishes to have by her during a journey.” It is the “small articles” that is catching me when thinking about the slit in the meeting point of the pockets. If this meeting point is narrow, the size of the items that can fit inside either pocket would be limited. I don’t know about you, but I hate digging for small items in a bag. If the meeting points are relatively wide, then larger, though not big, items may fit. I do have an alternative idea for the openings. But, I would really like to hear from those who have made this bag to see what they find.
This next one has me thinking ‘maybe… maybe not’. A few versions of this show up in the 50s and 6
0s. This particular one comes from Godey’s in November of 1860. The description reads: “We direct the attention of our lady reads to a little article which will be found an extremely useful travelling companion, and which, by the exercise of female taste and industry, may be rendered no less elegant than useful. We allude to the worked plaid strap of which we furnish two illustrations; one with the plaid, and the other without. Plaid straps made of plain leather have long been used by gentlemen, and their utility is fully acknowledged by travellers. These straps are much used by ladies, who impart to them a superior degree of elegance by various kinds of ornamental work. They are available not merely for plaids or shawls, but for securing together umbrellas, parasols, and other small articles, which, in the hurry of railway travelling, changing carriages, etc. are liable to be dropped and lost. The strap from which our engraving is copied is made of Danish leather, and the ornaments are executed in beadwork, or embossing in colored silk.” Nifty? Yes. Practical? Maybe. I don’t know if I want to fuss with strapping together my parasol, umbrella, shawl, etc if there is a chance in departing one of the articles may be needed with no place to easily unstrap and restrap. I would rather take them out of a bag. Since many of the similar items are described primarily for shawls, I am concerned about keeping the shawl dry and clean. Yet this could be useful. So, it sits firmly in the maybe-maybe not category.
Now, as my battery almost runs out…. The “duffle-bag” travel bag as we’ve named it. I have to say I love this bag. But, I’ll have to say more about it later. 
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
I’m literally starting a pouche pompadour as we speak. I, too, have ideas for more practical openings. I will let you know how it works out!
And as always, thanks for the interesting and thoughtful post!
Would you consider making one of these travel duffle bags to sell? I would love one.
There are a few people on Etsy who already make these for sale.