NEMO  Double Haul 55 L Convertible Duffel and Tote

I've been impressed with the Nemo Double Haul 55L duffel and tote! It's like the Swiss Army Knife of haul bags because it can be used like a tote, a duffel bag (when you snap the side clips), or a backpack. It's super heavy duty and I anticipate having this bag for many many years (even with how rough I am on gear). The 55L goes a long way and I can put a ton of stuff in there. I've used it on weekend trips to carry all my clothes, warm overlayers, toiletries, and shoes, and still had plenty of room to spare. There's "ribbing" and other mechanisms to keep the bag open when you're loading it up, so it doesn't just crumple on itself. There's also snaps inside that help keep your contents in place as you're traveling around. Once you throw your stuff in there, you can snap down the sides to compress your gear and make it less bulky. Personally I like the tote or the duffel carrying options as the backpack function isn't super comfortable for me. I am a 5'7" female and have a bony spine and the hard "ribs" to keep shape/use as handles push on my back and make it uncomfortable. But, I like having that option if my hands are full carrying other things, I can wear it like a backpack. The tags say that it's carry-on size and while I haven't used it on an airplane yet, I think it'd fit the maximum requirements for most US-based airlines. It would fit in the luggage compartment above your head, not below your seat as a personal item (it's too big for that). The Chai color is like a mustard yellow and while I'm not usually a fan of yellow or oranges, it's a nice change of pace from the black and blue bags out there. A unique shade. All in all, I've been pleased with this bag!

The Nemo Double Haul 55L duffel bag and tote really piqued my interest. I normally pack my clothes and necessities in duffels for all of my trips such as skiing, car camping, and base hiking. When I received the bag, I really had to study the cardboard literature that came with it and had to figure out how each “version” of this bag worked (no instructions included). The bag itself came in a small, flat zippered pouch. I will never be able to figure out how to get the bag back in that pouch! I will use the pouch to hold loose items inside of the bag. Or, I may be able to use it as a shoe bag since there are no separate pockets or tunnels for shoes. The bag only has two zippered pockets (one interior, one exterior) that are somewhat small (cardboard says that there are 2 interior, I only found one). The interior pocket is mesh and is sewn into the main body of the bag and does not expand. The exterior pocket does expand but it is strange that the pockets are back-to-back to each other. Once I started loading up the bag to use as a duffel, I found two interior straps to stabilize the clothing I was packing. There are side stays for some support of the bag. There are two clamp down straps at each end of the bag to stabilize the load in the bag. The main zipper is heavy duty. There is no additional fabric or other base to the bottom of the bag. I would prefer to have a second layer of fabric to stabilize the bottom since the bottom of the bag will receive a lot of abuse and will probably tear/rip and/or leak at some point. I HATE the bag’s handles for carrying the bag. They are not really handles, but stiff, hard, rods to stabilize the bag when used as a backpack. They hurt my hands! I tried the bag in its backpack format and found that these rods stuck into my lower back as a short person. I found it curious that the backpack straps did not tuck away in some kind of pocket (I have other bags with this feature). I would fear that these straps would catch on things while traveling. Probably the best feature of this bag is its ability to convert into a tote format. The handles for the tote version tuck into side pockets with snaps. This would be handy if you purchase items on your trip and need extra room to stow the items to go home. If you choose to use this as a tote, I am sure that the airlines would make you check it.

I used this bag on a family trip to the mountains. We were able to stuff all of the snow pants, hats, gloves, and kids snow boots into the bag. It then worked great to carry towels and a change of clothes for us at the hot springs. The bag converts to a backpack, duffel bag, or tote bag. You lose storage if not using it as a tote bag, it not by much. The backpack set-up isn’t the most comfortable, so wouldn’t recommend it if carrying heavy items.

This ultralight bag compresses down to the size of a packing cube. It features heavy duty zippers with easy to grab pulls. Despite its ultralight construction it stands in an open position reasonably well due to built in plastic ribs. The bag that it comes packaged in becomes a packing cube that can also mount inside the duffel, acting as an internal pocket. The bag has compression straps on each end and multiple grab handles, including backpack straps. It is listed at carryon size although I feel it is on the larger size and would probably have to be checked on smaller commuter flight. I would probably recommend this bag for packing ski gear that is bulky but light gear like blankets and sleeping bags. If packed fully with clothes, I would rather use a wield bag of the same dimensions.

First off, I was sent the 55l version to test with the only requirement being how soon I needed to get in the review. Honestly, I wish I had more time with this bag before writing this because I’m currently mixed on how I feel about it. In backpack configuration this duffel holds 55L but in tote configuration it expands out to 75l. I wish I had a bag like this for my trip to Japan last year instead of packing an extra duffel that compressed into its own pocket…the souvenirs had to go somewhere. This would have been a great bag to check on the way home. I also think this bag would have been great on the long cruise I took on a smaller vessel, as it would have been very easy to have lived out of the duffel like a dorm kid lives out of their laundry basket. It certainly would have fit under the bed and it would have made up for the lack of drawer space. Although this bag is advertised as being able to stay open, it needs something in it to give it initial structure for that to be true. Another possibility for this bag would be those trips where after unpacking, I find myself having to haul the family’s beach gear and the like around…in tote mode this bag would have been great. The tote handles slip down into small pockets hidden near the opening, and the pockets are closed with a single snap. The handle pockets also have extra room, so you can put something that you might want to grab quickly there, just not something valuable because of the possibility of it falling out. The end snaps that compress the duffel into backpack mode are also large enough to snap around things to help prevent the bag from sliding off of something like a roof rack or a kayak. So why the mixed feelings? Well, the lash down points on the outside are sewn very tightly to the seams; making it very difficult to use them to secure the bag somewhere (only partially offset by the clips at the ends of the bag). The internal zip pocket and the external zip pocket are on the same side and right against each other…but there is no pass through between them. Not a major issue, but depending on what you put in the inside pocket; it can become very difficult to put anything into the outside pocket. Also, the backpack straps are made on and not replaceable. Sure, Nemo has a lifetime warranty, but who would want to lose their bag for a while due to a single strap getting messed up by an airline or something? Then there are the quick grab handles…very hard, and hard to just grab. If you are primarily using them to slide over the handle of other luggage then they’re great, but if you just want to grab your bag to move it quickly they aren’t so great. Small things, but they add up. Overall a great duffel, just not for every trip on every occasion. But when you need extra space at the end of a trip and have room to check one more bag…this duffel is fantastic.

I bought this bag to use for my elopement/honeymoon trip for several weeks, and it was exactly what I needed for adaptable volume. Using it in backpack mode was perfect for the plane portions as a carryon. But the fact that I could then transforming the bag into a robust IKEA bag was marvelous. As a tote bag, it went over and above for overflow while road tripping some of Europe's countryside. I can't wait to see how it does for camp life. As a travel bag, it is excellent.

I just received the Nemo Double Haul 70L in the mail today. It is an excellent product - I love the versatility of the bag, and like everything else I have bought from Nemo, it is well-made and thoughtfully designed. Unfortunately, while the bag arrived in its original packaging, the bag itself had very obviously been used, returned, and resold as new. The bottom has huge black scuff marks covering probably 20% of the outer surface, and there are a number of smaller black scuff marks on the upper outside as well. While I understand and accept that the bag IS going to get dirty with use, it is very disappointing to pay this much for a “new” product to arrive with significant cosmetic damage.

I love the bag, but it arrived with many black scuff marks on it. It had obviously been used, returned, then repackaged and sold as new. I don’t want to return because it will just get dirty as I use it, but I don’t like the fact that I paid for a new product and got one that was NOT. Tried to contact REI but have not heard back. Verdict - Nemo is a great company and I like this product, but I should have just ordered it direct from the company. Disappointing since I’m an REI member and have had many great experiences with them in the past!

Great bag. Holds a lot and still fits in the overhead. I didn’t completely fill it when taking on Ryanair. Using compression packing cubes it easily held held enough for 8 days. Relatively comfortable to carry while walking around town.

I think this is a very well made bag. Material is very tough. Love that you can use it as a back pack to walk around airports conveniently. It allows me to roll some luggage (like my bike box) and bring an extra bag easily. My only quip is that you will probably have to check it in on smaller aircraft (from personal experience). Not sure if you can carry onto bigger planes though.