The North Face  Base Camp Duffel - XX-Large (150 L)

One of my favorite XXL Northeast of all time. It’s a ballistic durable duffel bag that will last you for all your traveling needs and it’s huge. I have use this bag and lost count of how many wonderful Duffels I purchased over the years from all sizes. whatever size you get whatever color you get you will not be disappointed. I will tell you this as reliable they are. You will need some patience to break them in but it’s worth it and check out rei.com especially today we can get the Golden State version which are on sale. The only difference is the base camp Duffel has carabiner holders The Golden State doesn’t for me. It’s not a game changer check them out.

Zippers froze shut; had to spend a lot of time trying to warm them to get the bag open - Denali's West Buttress Route

I live in Ohio but frequently travel to Arizona and Utah to camp and river raft with friends. So I fly all my gear (tents, sleeping pads, sleeping bag, clothes, backpack, etc. ) as my checked luggage. I have made many trips using packing cubes and compression bags in a 100L duffel, but it is tough! So I bought this one, and the size is fantastic—it fits everything I needed. In fact, I only carried a small cross-body bag for the plane! It was just under 50 pounds when this thing was fully loaded. But here is the problem and why I knocked off 1 star and thought about knocking off 2. When fully loaded, the backpack straps are way too thin and cheap for any level of comfortable carrying. I am 5'7", and the bag is long and hits down on your butt, making it bounce when you walk. At 50 pounds, the bag's weight pulls on the straps so much that they were almost folding in half and cutting into my shoulders. I have to lean forward and put my arms back and try to hold the bag from the bottom to relieve some of the weight. It was terrible to try to walk with, and with the bulk and the size, I would expect a bit more for the 150L size. I realize this is not a backpack, but for me, the straps needed to be functional for a bag this size. It holds all I need, but It has made me reconsider when I might use this bag, which is a shame because I bought it for hauling gear when I travel.

This duffel bag has been a trusted companion for 30 plus years. I’ve takin it to countless locations both in the U.S. and around the would. From basic car camping to an African safari and everything in between. No tears, holes, faulty zipper, bad stitching after tons of abuse. However, my yellow bag shows a lot of dirt and scuffs, go with the black if that’s a concern of yours. Happy adventures!!

Over the last two years, I did an out-of-state five-day adventure cycling trip with an organization that provides a tent, food and drink. We were limited to one bag for clothing, toiletries, cycling gear (e.g. helmet, shoes, pump, rain gear, energy food, devices, chargers) and other camp related accessories. After many years of using an old flimsy duffel bag made out of thin canvas, I finally purchased this duffel bag for my own use on these trips. The exterior material was heavy duty and durable, rigidly built to hold its shape, zippered top flap that opens from the top allowing full access to all contents, VERY water resistant, beefy zippers, straps, handles, and convenient shoulder straps to transport this bag for short distances like a backpack. The best part...this all-in-one larger bag fits everything I need on these trips. I recently purchased a second bag for a long-time riding buddy who does these trips too. This is my first review for both bags.