
Imported.
Item 778756
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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Reviewed by 36 customers
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Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
I purchased this 28 inch and the 35 inch Wheely Beast for our folks in the office. We travel all over Africa and the Middle East. The bag is built well and is durable with smart features like compression straps and zippered compartments. I recommend you only consider bags with well built compression straps. This bag is large enough and tough enough to carry quite a bit of gear. The wheels work well over various surfaces and is a relief from having to carry full Kit Bags long distances, which makes traveling with heavy gear effortless. Check your airline regs...I use the 28 inch bag when in doubt of the airline size restrictions. The 35 inch stands up in the back of the van perfectly...we stack them across the back. The price appears to be a good value when compared to other products. However, I can't compare performance of these to other similar wheeled cargo duffles. We were happy enough with the product after testing to purchase more of the same. I even purchased my wife one of these with my own money (and I'm cheap). One of our 35 inch bags has started to wear on the bottom where the clothe contacts the pavement when heavily loaded. Extending the hard plastic bottom on the next design would increase durability.
Pros
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Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
This bag looks and feels bulletproof; the zippers are heavy-duty, the stitching is solid and high quality, and in general the build quality is just top tier.
Capacity is excellent; I recently packed up and moved across the Pacific, and was able to more or less stuff my whole life into this bag and a backpack. The compression straps really let you put more into this bag than you would expect; you just need to be careful about exceeding airline weight limits -- it is very easy to load more than 50lbs into this cavernous bag, and it weighs nearly 10lbs all by itself anyway.
That said, traveling with this bag definitely cuts down on the hassle factor I normally associate with luggage this size. The big wheels keep it rolling over dirt, rocks, broken pavement, and curbs. It's great not having to baby this thing; there are enough things to worry about, I don't want to have to be concerned about my luggage, and this bag has been up to the task.
My only complaint, and it's very minor, is that there's no strap on the side of the bag. Lifting it by any one or two of the three straps along the front is fine, but that makes the bag hang across the front of your body, or forces you to hold it away from your body because of the width. I can see why the design is this way -- people would otherwise be tempted to drop the bag on the soft side, damaging the fabric or objects within -- but I would have liked the option.
Still, five stars all around.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
The 28" Wheely Beast was perfect for overseas airline travel, due to its light weight, optimal size, and good design. My fiance and I travelled to the Philippines and maximized our luggage allowance (4 checked bags, 50lbs each). Compared to our three other quality suitcases, the duffel could carry 5-10lbs more stuff, since it was a much lighter bag. The full bag was optimal for airline size restrictions. Compression straps kept everything in place, and it became a "smaller" bag when it was less than full. The zippers were sturdy compared to our other bags. The rings for the locks are strong (only one ring on each side of the zipper on the Wheely Beast, vs. two thinner rings per zipper on my other bags). On my trip, I accidentally broke two other suitcases' zipper lock rings, but the Wheely Beast zippers held fine. The frame and handle for the bag are quite sturdy as well, and I liked having the large loop grab handles on three sides of the bag, as this made it easier to grab off a busy conveyor belt and easier to load in the car. As a bonus, the bag looks cool, and is easy to recognize on a conveyor belt. Overall, I had no issues with this bag, and it outperformed three other quality suitcases that I had.
Pros
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Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
I purchased two of these for my recent trip to Ethiopia. I picked them because they were the only bags I could find that exactly matched the maximum size without exceeding the maximum weight allowed by the airline. I was thrilled with the quality. I brought gear for myself and for my adoptive daughter (the point of the trip) plus HUGE amounts of donations for the orphanages. Everything fit. Everything survived the trip. Particular bonuses for me are that the duffel stands upright well AND that the top stash pocket allows you to make excellent use of the space that's created when the contents of the bag settle.
Pros
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Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
My wife and I just returned from a 3 week trip of Greece, 6 Greek Islands and Central Turkey and we were able to use this with just one other carry-on. The bags completely endured airlines, buses, a ship and hotel porters. The wheels are great and we liked its ability to stand on end without tipping. The biggest challenge is know how to pack and distribute different clothing and equipment to optimize the space. These are the best bags that we have ever owned.
Pros
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Best Uses
Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
My husband and I have used many different types of luggage for long trips (both domestic and international), but this bag far surpasses any piece of luggage we've ever owned. It is so well designed, which makes it so easy to pack and handle. We especially appreciate the fact that it stands upright very sturdily. Whether you are driving long distances and unloading multiple times, flying, or traveling overseas with multiple stops, this bag is amazing. We own both the 28" and the 35" Wheely Beasts . . . the larger one may be too big for airplane travel these days. But this one (the 28" duffle) couldn't be any better for absolutely any type of travel. You will be pleasantly surprised by you how much you can pack into it and still meet airlines' weight limits. We have used it for two and three-week extended overseas trips with ease. It has withstood handling by many different airlines. The zippers are very durable and so easy to fasten. The packing straps really do secure everything amazingly well. Packing cubes fit into it beautifully, thus making any trip so much easier. It is so easy to handle during transfers. We couldn't recommend this bag any more highly. Genius design!
Pros
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Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
I used this on a recent family trip by Amtrak and public transit. Amtrak didn't offer checked luggage service, but this bag meets their carry-on dimensions (not that anyone examined it). It performed well, and the fact that I could strap things to the top (like the shopping bag full of purses my sister-in-law gave my daughter) was a real bonus.
The only drawback is the weight. The bag weighs about 9 lbs. empty; when it was full, it came in at 50 lbs., which was a lot to try to put into the overhead rack. (Okay, I could have jettisoned the liter of wine, but that was just not an option.)
Pros
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Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
Great bag that collapses or expands for however much stuff you're packing. A few side pockets for sorting, but we used Eagle Creek cubes inside for very quick load/unload. Very fast inspection at airport because so easy to access. Wheels handy - hope it lasts a long time - seems very durable.
Pros
Cons
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Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
I had reservations about the bag not being large enough and considered "upgrading" to the 35" model but was concerned about the potential size limitation with the airlines.
Unnecessary, the bag is large enough for any trip.
Fantastic quality, and is as good as bags costing $100's more.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about REI Wheely Beast Wheeled Duffel - 28'':
This is a great duffel. It has a large capacity with enough little side pockets to stow stuff. The compression straps keep everything stable and as compact as they can be. The one thing I wish it came with is a shoulder strap. There are times when you can't wheel it and carrying it by one of the handles for any distance is awkward or impractical. I attached 2 small D-rings to the handles on either end of the bag and bought a shoulder strap. It's now near about perfect.
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