REI Co-op  Big Haul 60 Duffel

We like to attend the many outdoor music shows in our city plus picnicking in the many beautiful regional parks with our grandsons. The Big Haul 60 hauls all our gear, including chairs, a table, snacks, blankets, a first aid kit and miscellaneous items. The bag itself is well built. After a summer of use the fabric has softened up quite a bit and the zippers and all the attachment points are holding up well. There are better options for backpacking, but for everything else we like to do outdoors this bag has become our favorite piece of gear.

I bought this duffle bag to use for car camping/skiing and was super happy with my purchase! The option to transition from duffle to backpack is super helpful and offers versatility. However after 3 months (used for 4 trips) the seam came apart on the top of the bag. I am pretty disappointed since most other REI products are high quality and I thought this would be the same.

I have had this bag for 8 months now with moderate use. Quality is great, definitely get what you pay for. Design is almost perfect: the amount of handles all around is great, the material will *resist* water from a light rain or spill, and the daisy chain on the side was a genius add in case you got bottles or helmets or anything that would not make sense to put inside. The duffel/backpack combo w its size came in clutch when on my last day of a trip, didn’t want to carry my backpack and duffel bag everywhere around town. Just threw the backpack inside the duffel and made the duffel bag my backpack. Outstanding move, ngl. Fully loaded in back pack mode and straps felt comfortable! I read some reviews about it not having a shoulder strap which definitely would help when walking around the airport but I found a way to make shoulder straps with the two regular handle straps: just latch one end of each to the to each of the short side of the bag and then close the Velcro of one free end over/around the other free end. Again, quality is good enough the Velcro will hold like this and now you have made two short straps into one long shoulder strap!

The only downside of the bag is the shoulder strap. One of the duffel handles is longer than the other which I assume makes it the shoulder strap. There are loops at either end of the bag to attache this shoulder strap. However this is really annoying when carrying the bag by the duffel handles because they are asymmetric and not very comfortable. Or maybe I just got a defective bag. While technically the bag is too large to be considered a carry-on, because it is a soft bag the airlines don't balk at it as long as you can squeeze it into the measuring tool, which I have. Just make sure the bag is not bursting at the seams.

My husband and I each purchased the Big Haul 60L for a 2-week trip to Europe. The capacity was generous but still fit easily into the carry-on bin on 4 international flights with no issues/questions from flight crews. When packed full, it's the same height and width as my roller bag. The backpack feature is the main reason why we purchased these over other duffels and came in clutch as we navigated busy train stations, cobblestone streets and lots of stairs. The only feature that would have made this even better would have been a small carrying pocket/pouch on the waist buckle or on one of the straps to eliminate the need to carry a small purse for money/phone etc.

I really like this bag. It has great features and was exactly what I needed for weekend trips. I fit a pair of hiking boots, a day back, two pairs of jeans, eight T-shirts, two flannels, a sweatshirt, a rain jacket, a small blanket, a toiletry bag, and a few other items with plenty of room to spare. The small side pocket can fit a medium size water bottle for easy asaces. I was told at the REI store this can be a carry-on, but unfortunately is too large for most airlines. I’m going to change it for the 40 L version it has the same features and is the right size to be a carry-on. I might actually just keep this bag this bag for weekend road trips and also pick up the 40 L because I do really like it.

For those of you debating on weather or not to get the 40L vs the 60L REI Big Haul based on carry on size. We had no problems using the 60L as a carry on for domestic flights here in the US (Southwest / United / American). It fits in the overhead compartment perfectly without an issues. The technical dimensions of the bag say it is 1.5ish inches over on length/height when fully packed to where the zippers are hard close. Even when the bag is full you can cinch it down with the 4 straps. I compared this to the Patagonia black hole 55L which is technically larger in dimensions then this bag. And people use the Patagonia Black Hole bags for Domestic carry on all the time. For budget airlines (spirit/frontier/ etc) or international airlines I believe you would want to stick with the 40L.

This bag has 1 major flaw when used as a backpack that makes it really uncomfortable when carrying as a backpack. Because the top of the backpack straps are attached to the bag about 8 inches from the top, rather than at the top, when it is full it creates quite a strain on your shoulders. The patagonia black hole duffel has a better design and is therefore more comfortable because the straps are attached right at the top of the bag. I've carried this bag on flights and haven't had a problem fitting it in overhead bins. It would be too bulky to go under the seat though.

I purchased the REI co-op Big Haul 60 Duffel in 2020 and a second one in 2023. The first one is a bit nicer and seems to be a little more durable. For example, the anchors for the 2020 straps are metal instead of plastic on the new one. Neither came with a shoulder strap but the 2020 one has longer handle straps so you could sling it on your shoulder. Not being able to use the handles as a shoulder strap is a deal breaker for me. I'm slightly smaller framed. 5'2" and 110 lbs and carrying it full as a backpack while traveling (taking it off and on in crowded environments) was difficult for me. The 2020 version is this bag is great but the 2023 version of this bag missed some important marks in my opinion.

We just completed our first trip with these amazing duffels that included 16 different flights, boats, safari trucks and vans. 20 days of travel throughout Africa and they did not disappoint. They hold a lot, have great pockets and after washing, look brand new. Can't wait to use these again!