There鈥檚 your 45-liter carry-on duffel for long听weekend trips, and then there are these guys: behemoths (all 90 liters or larger) that can swallow an expedition鈥檚听worth of gear. The best are insanely durable and听hold more than you鈥檇听think possible. So how to choose the right one for your purposes? Basically, it comes down to the little things.听To help you decide, I听torture-tested听models from seven top brands. Here鈥檚 what I听found out.听
The Test
I look for three things in a duffel:听usability, weatherproofing, and durability. I tested usability by stuffing each bag to the gills and carrying it around my house.
I tested weatherproofing by loading all the bags听with bedding and towels,听then spraying them听for 60 seconds with a power washer at my local car听wash. (Two of the bags鈥攖he Grund茅ns and Fishpond鈥攁re fully waterproof, not just water-resistant, so I filled them with rocks and a cotton towel and submerged them in my hot tub for five minutes as well.)听
For durability,听I dragged each duffel behind my car on a dirt road for one mile at 15 miles per hour. Take that, TSA!听
Patagonia Black Hole 90-Liter听Duffel听($153, Pictured Above)
Usability:听听packed down small (about the size of a football)听when empty. It was also plenty easy to stuff and organize,听thanks to the large U-shaped zipper and听two mesh pockets on the top flap.
Weatherproofing:听After the soaking, all the gear closest to the听zipper was damp听but not saturated. The biggest issue was that a听few drops of听water had pooled in a couple spots on听bottom.听
Durability:听The behind-the-car test resulted in just a few scratches. The bag really didn鈥檛 look too bad, and its performance wasn鈥檛 compromised.听
Bottom Line:听I鈥檝e used a previous-generation听Black Hole for nearly a decade听and can attest to its long-term durability. Buy this bag for worldwide adventuring, and plan on it standing up to years of abuse and travel.
Tepui Expedition Series 110-Liter听Duffel Bag ($131)
Usability: is easy to pack听with everything from clothes to cookwear, but the external details really make it stand out. Several feet听of strong webbing and heavy-duty handles allow you to strap this bag听to the roof of your car for overland adventures.听
Weatherproofing: Everything that came into contact with the zipper was oh-so-slightly damp. I also found four tiny drops of water at the bottom.听
Durability: I only found听one deep scuff that removed material but didn't tear the bag.
Takeaway: These bags, likes Tepui鈥檚 tents, are made to live outside. Strap one to the top of your Tacoma听or your Civic听to keep your gear safe in extreme heat (it鈥檚 rated to 158 degrees) and in mild rainstorms.
The North Face Base Camp 95-Liter Duffel ($145)听
Usability: 听had听the best shoulder straps of any other duffel in our test, making it听easy to schlep through airports.听
Weatherproofing: The Base Camp performed best of all the non-waterproof duffels. Only one tiny section of a sheet near the zipper was wet, and there was no water in the bottom.
Durability: I found just a single听two-inch scuff,听but no tears.
Takeaway: This was the best all-around bag of our test. It鈥檚 pretty much indestructible and听nearly waterproof, and at $145, it鈥檚 among the听least-expensive options on this page.听
Eddie Bauer 90-Liter听Maximus听($150)听
Usability: was easy to carry by the handles, which听are reinforced with rigid plastic听that reduce hand fatigue.
Weatherproofing: Like the Patagonia Black Hole, the sheets inside were damp but not soaked along zipper, and there were a couple small puddles听at the bottom.
Durability: There was one short scuff and a dime-size听hole.
Takeaway: This was the least durable of the bags we tested, but it would do just fine as normal stow-in-a-plane听luggage.
Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler 90-Liter听Duffel ($110)听
Usability:听At just over two pounds,听. Its six handles made it easy to grab, and the padded shoulder straps were among the most comfortable.
Weatherproofing:听The Hauler absorbed the most water of any bag听we tested.听Sheets that came in contact with the zipper were completely soaked, and water听pooled in听the bag鈥檚 corners.
Durability:听It came back deeply scuffed after the drag test,听but it didn鈥檛 tear. 听
Takeaway:听This is a good option if you鈥檙e on a budget and looking for a lightweight bag to live in your trunk or the belly of a plane.
Grund茅ns Gage听Shackleton Waterproof 105-Liter听Duffel ($115)听
Usability: , which听made access to the听gear very easy.听
Weatherproofing: Everything stayed听dry during the spray test,听but a couple drops of water snuck in during the dunk test, leaving the sheets slightly damp.
Durability: Just a few superficial scratches.
Takeaway: At $115, the Shackleton is a smoking deal for a (nearly) waterproof duffel. I wouldn鈥檛 take it rafting, but I would trust it听on top of my car in a听downpour.
Fishpond Thunderhead听Large Submersible 100-Liter Duffel ($400)
Usability: Rope handles make this bag easy to carry, and the inside is absolutely cavernous. The only downside to all that volume: This duffel听doesn鈥檛 pack down very well when empty.
Weatherproofing: The waterproof design and zippers kept out every drop of water during both the car wash spray and hot听tub submersion tests.
Durability: I had to search for scratches.听After a good wash, it looked pretty much new.
Takeaway: This is the most bomber duffel I鈥檝e ever tested鈥攁nd that鈥檚 saying something in this field. Who should buy it? Anyone who absolutely must keep their gear dry and safe in wet situations鈥攁nd who is willing to pay a premium for that performance.听