Holdall
In American English, a gym bag or carryall and in British English a sports bag is a large bag made of cloth or leather typically with a rectangular base and a zippered opening at the top. Two handles enable the bag to be carried, and a strap lets the user support the bag on the shoulders.
In British English, a holdall may be a similar bag but may often have wheels and possibly a telescopic handle. The term covers a wide variety of types of bag.
A gym bag is often misnamed a duffel bag. These misnamed "duffle bags" are cylindrical like a duffle bag, but zip open on the long, horizontal side, and have handles like a tote bag.
Uses
A holdall is often used in place of a suitcase or for carrying sports equipment, and has the advantage over most suitcases of being compressible when empty.A holdall is also used to carry bedding and blankets etc. Students, enrolled in military boarding schools in India, are issued a 'hold-all' to carry their blankets, quilts and clothes. It is a flat, rectangular, canvas bag, when unravelled. Once filled, it is rolled like a sleeping bag and held together with straps.