Which Bag

Im in the market for a large duffel bag and have some options. Campmor has the north face base camp (90 litres) duffel for 100 bucks, normaly 160. there is also the metolius mega duffel (123 litres) for $130. I will need to carry an 85 litre backpack, not entirely full; as well as, boots and other gear. Im just wondering if the the 90 litre north face will be large enough. Anyone with any experience in this area?

north face duffel

metelius bag

thanks,
anthony

I've done plenty of flying with climbing/camping gear. I really like the Eagle Creek duffels. They're super burly cordura nylon and totally bomber. I've never ripped mine and I've been very happy with them. Cheaper than the North Face stuff, but not dirt cheap. However, they still sound like they're within your price range. They've even got a lifetime warranty. Only drawback is no backpack straps and no wheels, but wheeled duffels of this size are very expensive.

I've used that North Face bag and I think it sucks. I ripped my old one up pretty easily, and it's not really that big. It's not as burly as the eagle creek bags. I have no experience w the metolius bag.

The XL is huge, 133L, and the large is like 110L. For an 85L pack with extra gear and boots, I'd recommend the XL. I've got a L and an XL. The large fits a full rack, shoes, ropes, helmet, etc. But larger/bulkier camping gear like a sleeping bag/pad/tent is best off in the XL.

The only drawback to the XL is that it's very big and a bit unwieldy if you're going to carry it long ways. Eagle Creek stuff is easy to find. It's usually even sold at REI, so you should be able to eyeball the bags in person pretty easily if needed.

eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage…
eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage…

Mike

How about buying a used haulbag? I wouldn't buy that big of a duffel unless it had wheels.

wildthingsgear.com/legacy/?…
Wild things bags. About the same price, lighter and sturdier than NF bags. These have survived several burro and sled trips for me. There's a reason these have won the AAI guide's choice awards. The Metolius bags are also nice, as is the FISH duffel. I have also thought about the haul bag idea, but if you are using it on a sled (i.e. Denali) I wouldn't want the hassle of digging things out.

I've got 2 of the NF duffel's and I love them. They carry well as a backpack, eat up gear, and have the huge oversized zippers which (knock on wood) haven't failed me. Plus the fact that the material is very resilient to water and abrasions.

+1 on the Wild Things bags. Beat up one of the Mule bags for 2 decades before I had to 'retire' it.

+1 for the Fish Texas Luggage. Bombproof.

how do the wild thing bags handle wet conditions being the only one made out of nylon?

For what it's worth, i bought a hockey gear bag at Sports Authority for around 30 bucks or so and it hauls pack, gear, boots, axe, etc quite nicely. It's a little bulky to carry around, but so long as you don't have to trek too far around the airport to baggage drop, it's manageable.

If you do plan on taking this bag overseas I would recommend against going with an overly large bag due to airline weight limits on luggage. Most airlines have an ~70lb limit on all international bags and going over that limit with a monster duffel will end up costing you a pretty penny. Just something to keep in mind.

Check out Duluth Packs. US made, bulletproof canvas, heavy duty plastic liner bag, come in a variety of sizes all the way from "small backpack" #1s to "I don't want to lift that" #4s. All have shoulder straps; most include a hip belt and/or tumpline. They carry well, too, and are not flashy so nobody's likely to steal them. Absolutely indestructible, and the plastic liner renders them waterproof if you double it over and roll it up. www.duluthpack.com

The FISH products look nice, and you can sled in it at 38 miles an hour, how freaking cool is that!?

Check out Cilogear's new duffels. graham and the boys seem to be on a different level that everyone else with packs & now they are adding duffels to the line up.

www.cilogear.com

I'll echo what JLP and Mike have said. I have flown to Nepal a couple of times during the past year and was able to avoid charges both times by making sure my bags fit withing their maximum size limits. I had to buy new bags to make it happen but it was cheaper than paying the excess bag fee that I would have been stuck with if I had used my old larger bags. On international flights my airline allows two 50lb. bags with a maximum size of 62" length + width + height which the North Face bag complies with. I don't know if any of this applies to you or your airline (especially if you're flying domestic) but it's something to consider.

Without knowing the full use requirements for your duffel, it's hard to give a single recommendation. If you're just looking for an airport travel duffel to hold your gear from A to B, then go with something cheap and easily compactable when not in use (say $20-$30 at any of the clearance websites).

If, instead, you're looking for an expedition duffel, then I'd recommend getting a far burlier one from one of the manufacturers known to build bomber bags. And get one with some sort of vinyl type exterior, it makes it substantially more water/snow repellent when on the side of a yak or donkey or when sitting outside your BC tent.

I vote +1 for the TNF bags, they've met all my needs over the years. For some reason I bought a BD duffle to bring as a third bag on my last trip (it was on sale), and the Khumbu just ate that thing for lunch. One trip! So yeah, if you're looking for exped duffles, go with proven bags.