Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

REI Micro Duffel

This item is currently sold out or unavailable online.

Or, may we suggest shopping for similar items:

Shop more Duffel Bags Shop more REI

This page is provided for reference to historical product information.

Show me:
Product Description,
Product Specs,
Reviews

The superlight REI Micro duffel packs up small yet deploys quickly to provide extra storage space while traveling.

Made from lightweight nylon with a clear polyurethane coating, the duffel is highly compressible and stows away in its own integrated stuff sack
When duffel is stowed, stuff sack measures a mere 5 x 3 x 1.5 in. in dimension
Shoulder strap adjusts for comfortable carrying

Imported.

Item 778792

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

REI Micro Duffel Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

REI Micro Duffel

3.8

(based on 5 reviews)

100%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Good capacity (5)
Easy to access items (4)
High quality (4)
Easy to carry (3)

Cons

Best Uses

Long vacations (3)
Weekend trips (3)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Practical (3)
- Primary use:
- Personal (5)

Reviewed by 5 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-5

Jan

2009

(10 of 10 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Stuffs Into Amazingly Tiny Space

By NorCalHiker

from Oakland, CA

About Me Detail oriented traveler

See all my reviews

Pros

Compare to "Stow Duffel"
Good Capacity
High Quality
Most efficient

Cons

No "anti-slip" patch

Best Uses

"Companion" bag
Travel "overflow"
Use with "one bag"

Comments about REI Micro Duffel:

Wow, this is small. On the outside, when packed in its self-stowing pouch, it's just a 2x4 inch or so pouch. On the inside, when unpacked and stuffed, it's a whopping 1,000 "honest" cubic inches.

I have two other "self-stowing" back-up travel duffels - the REI Stow Duffel, item 748504, and a "pocket duffle" from a travel shop (often also advertised as "key ring" stow duffels).

This duffel slots very nicely in-between the REI Stow Duffel and the typical "key ring" travel duffels. My key ring duffel is slightly smaller when stuffed into its pouch, but its claimed 800 cubic inches seems suspiciously small when compared to the 1,000 cubic inches of this REI Micro Duffel. Also, my key ring duffel, like most of their ilk, is made from ordinary, not ripstop, nylon, doesn't have a polyurethane coating, and has a couple of grip handles but no shoulder strap.

The REI Micro Duffel has just what I need - substantial, honest capacity; quality materials; good zipper; and sewn in shoulder strap made of the same material as the bag. BTW, I think part of the intelligent design of this product was sewing in a fabric shoulder strap but leaving off the generally unused hand straps. It is more convenient to carry this duffel on my shoulder than to carry a regular duffel by the handles, and regular handles - when only one is grabbed, which is usually the case unless they are wrapped together, are more prone to pulling out from the duffel.

Admittedly the Micro Duffel's larger, but still stowable, cousin, the REI Stow Duffel, has a whopping 2,660 cubic inches, but it is more the size of a fat plate-sized pancake and weighs 8 oz. compared to a couple of ounces for this Micro Duffel.

So which duffel is right for you?

Well, if you know you are going to be shopping so much on your European or Asian/SE Asian holiday that you will need a second checked-bag on return, then the REI Stow Duffel at 2,660 cubic inches is ideal. Heck, that's more capacity than a typical 22" wheelie.

But if you just want an ultra-light travel bag to handle a side trip while your main bag is in "left luggage" back at your base hotel, then this new Micro Duffel is perfect for that use - big enough to hold 2-3 days of clothing and toiletries, not so big it will be a hassle to carry. It's also a manageable size for carrying back booty - if your idea of tourist shopping is clothing, and not vases - picked up on day trips, back to your hotel.

The Micro Duffel is also a good "companion bag" if your spouse, like mine, still believes in large hard-sided luggage, and never plans ahead for side-trips. I can just stuff this in MY carry-on and loan it to her, when I propose a side holiday to the beach. If you are backpacking through Europe and think you might ask a friend to join you, this is an ideal "loaner" bag.

Feb

2009

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

I have to downgrade my review ...

By NorCalHiker

from Oakland, CA

About Me Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Access Items
Easy To Carry
Good Capacity
High Quality

Cons

Strap
Strap too thin

Best Uses

Family Trips
Long Vacations
Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Micro Duffel:

Great, sturdy, well-made bag

BUT

The strap is made of the same ultra-thin fabric as the bag. This works fine for the body of the bag, but when packed with my return items on a recent flight, I discovered that the thin, slippery material twisted in the buckle and even slipped out - it was too slippery and thin to have any grip. So I had to tie it in a couple of knots to keep it from un-doing itself.

For the same reason, the strap is no good as a shoulder strap. It quickly bunched together the way plastic bag handles to, and cut into my shoulder.

Finally, there is no way to secure the zipper if you are checking this bag through, as I did. Most duffels have dual zippers you can tie or lock together to prevent accidental opening. On this bag, there is only a single zipper. I was able to work around the issue by using a safety pin to make sure the zipper wouldn't accidentally open.

Of the "micro" line, the Micro Tote is MUCH better thought out than the Micro Duffel, which is a shame, since the Micro Duffel is impeccably made, bargain priced and tough as nails - it flew back about 8,200 miles and went through a change of planes, with no visible wear.

Nov

2009

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great multi-purpose superlight bag

By ekildog

from Phoenix, AZ

About Me Comfort-Oriented, Modern, Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Access Items
Easy To Carry
Good Capacity
High Quality

Cons

Best Uses

Family Trips
Long Vacations
Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Micro Duffel:

The REI Micro Duffel is awesome. I been using it for 6 months and it has exceeded my expectations.

Most recently I used it on a trekking trip in Bhutan. I filled it with my sleeping bag, extra clothes, books, toiletries, etc.; it was then carried by donkey to each campsite. It held everything I needed and after the rough handling on a 4 day trek it still looks new. I thought the zipper would break or the thin material would tear...but even overstuffed it performed great.

The only con to the bag is the shoulder strap slips through the buckle. To resolve this issue I just tied it to the buckle.

I recommend you get this bag and see how many great uses you can put it to each week!

Jul

2010

2.0

Great bag but not sturdy

By DylanM

from SF Bay Area

About Me Traveler

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Access Items
Good Capacity

Cons

Weak Seams
Zippers Break

Best Uses

Long Vacations
Weekend Trips

Comments about REI Micro Duffel:

Loved this bag until first the strap slipped out of the buckle as others have mentioned and second, later in the trip, the other end of the strap ripped out of the seam, leaving the zipper pull untethered at that end so it slipped off the track. It never carried more than about 5 lbs so it's not bcs it was overloaded (weighed at airport for small plane).

Similar experience otherwise as others - great bag for side trips while leaving bulk of luggage at base hotel, great to tuck in pocket or carry bag for shopping jaunts, good size and shape as it was tolerable to carry without any straps at all and was plenty big for my multi-night needs (still under 5 lbs!).

The bad side also reported - strap is thin and turns into a narrow cutting ribbon on the shoulder, no way to really secure the contents which felt a little dodgy on the overnight bus, not that someone couldn't just slice into it of course. I would have appreciated hand straps several times.

I would recommend this with caveats.

Feb

2010

5.0

Very practical reasonable affordability

By nadirait

from Boston, MA

About Me Career, Practical, Stylish

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Access Items
Easy To Carry
Easy To Identify
Good Capacity
High Quality

Cons

Best Uses

gym bag
Overnight

Comments about REI Micro Duffel:

I absolutely love these bags. I have three already and have just ordered another 4.

I use them for gym bags, gear bags, and overnight bags. It's just the right capacity and is easy to carry. They're easy to stuff, put away, and throw in the car. When you're done with the bag, you can simply fold it up in it's own pouch and put it away.

There are two things that I wish were different:
- More color options,
- A better strap, mine seems to lose it's adjustment after a few times.