The North Face  Base Camp Voyager Duffel - 42 L

I packed 4 days worth of touring-around-Arizona-to-Utah gear in this bag. It strapped well on top of another bag and to the back of a motorcycle. It held my hiking shoes when I was riding and my boots when I was hiking. The compartments kept my things organized and easy access. The straps were quick to store and quick to use. The bag even survived it's first light snow and freezing rain ride. All in all, I'm thrilled with my purchase.

A skeptic at first. Have used the Patagonia on multiple adventure style trips (like flying, to a van, to a ferry, to a safari style truck, to a Jeep to the other side of the island all in one travel day). And this Northface I took to Maui and liked it better. I wanted to use the Patagonia black hole duffle but decided to try this out. It was very surprisingly nice. The biggest comparison is that it is lighter overall, the backpack straps are designed better with easy to unclip and stow away internally and great internal dividers. Kept things nice and flat from horizontal to verticals (duffle to backpack carrying modes) which is nice to not have all your stuff smooshed around when traveling. But one of the little sneaky nice features is it’s shape and structure. It just works. Fits amazingly in overhead compartments on different sized air plains. Rides snug against your back. Has a grab handle on all four sides. Just a really great product. Wouldn’t have gotten if it wasn’t also made from recycled materials. Highly recommend.

Such a high quality bag. I love the material, I love how smoothly the zippers glide, I love that it turns into a backpack and back into a duffle. But my favorite part is the fact that there are handles on every side. It makes this the perfect bag for a road trip (easy to grab from anywhere in the car) or to check on a flight (no problem finding a handle on the baggage carousel). I wouldn't, however, use this as a full time backpack or anywhere you had to walk long distances. The backpack straps are only comfortable if it's packed very lightly and it doesn't come with a shoulder strap for duffle mode. Still very happy with my purchase and looking for more opportunities to bring this bag along! More road trips in 2023!

I'm on the road at least 3 days per week and I try not to check in my bag so that I can be in and out of the airport as soon as I land. I usually carry a backpack for my laptop, headphones, and an electronics organizer (laptop cords, pens, charging cords, etc.) as well as any other miscellaneous items. For my clothes and toiletry, I had a Patagonia duffel that was probably 20-25L in capacity. It worked, but the duffel can fill up really quickly if I have to carry a travel pillow or dress shoes. After my recent trip to Utah, I wanted to try a duffel that also worked as a backpack. I didn't have too many criteria - just that the backpack straps were comfortable and that there is a dedicated laptop compartment. In the store, I tried on the 30L and felt it was a little too small for everything that I have to carry since I plan on combining my duffel and backpack into one luggage. Fortunately, I saw the 42L online and ordered it immediately. A few pros: - I like how lightweight it is prior to loading it up with all my stuff - The laptop compartment, while thin, still felt secure because it is sandwiched between your back and the rest of your stuff - The dividers inside is nice for additional organization - Shoe compartment is great; finally my shoes don't take up room in the main compartment - The shoulder strap is surprisingly comfortable. A lot of backpack duffel tends to feel flimsy when worn as a backpack, but I didn't feel that way at all. A few cons: - The 30L had a built-in water bottle holder on the side that the 42L did not have. Too bad. I tested it out in the store and it can actually expand to hold a 40L Hydro Flask! - Shoe compartment is a great addition, but it is really small. I'm only a size 7, yet I could barely fit a pair of dress shoes. - Because the laptop compartment is part of the "lid," it can make unpacking/taking things out kind of a drag. With the laptop inside, it weighs down one side of the duffel which makes packing difficult. Still, it's nice to have this compartment. - I wish there was a chest or abdomen strap. While it felt secure on my back, even when fully packed, it would have been nice to have an additional strap for stability and comfort. Overall, this is a great pack if you want to combine your laptop bag with your duffel. I was able to fit a ton of stuff in it, but still felt that it was comfortable to carry. I look forward to many years of traveling with this bag!

The additional compartments for shoes, laptop and small items make this a great travel duffel. The shape is flatter than our patagonia black hole duffel making it feel better when used as a backpack. I’ve used it for a 7 day ski trip paired with a boot bag and its been a perfect combo.

This bag is a perfect carry on and also great for a weekend or overnight trip, or even as a gym bag. Material is bomber and i love the color. Well done The North Face!

I have used this for a road trip and it was quite efficient with space and dividers/pockets. It was pretty handy dandy and putting the straps into a backpack made it feel so light. However, I did not realize it didn't have a sling strap, which was kind of what I was looking for, but that was my bad on my research. Anyways, I still love the bag. The color is so cute, the blue. I felt so efficient with my packing. Water still managed to get into my bag, because of a leak in the cooler bag on top of it. Overall, I love it.

Awesome bag, good functionality with a lot of pockets, the divider is handy, and the material and zippers are all great. This bag would last a long time. I looked into a lot of duffels and what sold me on this one was designated shoe pocket lined with waterproof material + backpack straps. It was smaller than I was hoping, though. This bag would be good for a weekend trip at best when you have to pack boots+a thicker jacket+sweats for cold camp nights. Maybe for a summer trip it could be good for 5-7 days depending how light you pack. I was impressed but looking for something a bit bigger so I will be getting the 62L of the same model instead. Also it *barely* fit my size women’s 10/mens 9 dr martens in the shoe pocket (I couldn’t find my hiking boots and they’re similar in chunkiness) so keep that in mind if you’re getting this to fit hiking boots in. Worth the money, can’t wait to get the bigger one!

I use this bag for business and leisure travel both in airports and trekking around shows. I'd buy this bag again w/o a doubt but you need to be aware of two things. First you need to add connecting strap from each of the chest slings to connect the two slings like a lot of better backpacks have. you have to do this to carry any kind of weight or shifting contents. otherwise the should slings like to try and slide off your shoulder. It's easy to do and REI has the strap material with plastic bucket already made. You can find it in the area where they sell the replacement buckles. It's around $10. I can't fix the second problem: The pack with a bit of weight in it and strapped on like a backpack gets warm all over your back. The materials are not conducive to dissipating heat or allowing air circulation. Not much of an issue if you carry it for 10-15 mins but any longer and it gets warm and then down right hot. North face could change the material on the top of the bag to address this but I am sure there might be a downside or two because of the change. So, net/net is this. Buy it ( I have the 42L) and add the chest strap. It's well made, good materials and thoughtfully laid out zippers and pouches.

I have a mini North Face duffel and recently purchase this one for slightly more space. I really appreciate the added features that make this version just a little bit better all around for traveling. It’s wonderful to be able to unclip the straps while packing the bag. The lightweight material eases the load compared to the heavy duty original. The removable and adjustable divider is great. All around A+ backpack duffel for my travel needs! I would give it a 4.5 stars because it is nearly impossible for me to fold it back up into itself as it comes. Oh well! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯