semi OT: Good travel bags

[AngryScientist]

I'm on the hunt for a good, rugged main piece of luggage. i've had an old sea bag duffel for years, but its starting to get ripped a bit, and i dont trust in in the hands of airline handlers anymore. need something new.

my needs are to carry about a weeks worth of clothes or less, and be very rugged. small enough to be a good weekend bag on road trips, big enough to stuff full and throw on a plane to head out for a week or so. rugged enough to be thrown in the back of a pick-up truck for a few hundred mile drive.

not interested in real "luggage" with wheels and stuff, i want more of a duffel typed thing. i travel pretty light, and i like to have the ability to grab my bag and travel fast.

looking at the north face base camp line.

what do you like?

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/public/PTF_IoQkkyfJjvbTZxri3QybbF0se1EcnsF5ILqOPlQJOiPv_N VmLpDuQjfMkuBzyyQN1esMRMomQoVtdy1yqtpZjYObdRYY-_6T0tjgJC-94KF1oY9205ZMkiDCd1syzIrklUeJQqDr4abBJ95Z7AeIZyPfN VA2dc3ptP_RqU3l=s220-c

[lonoeightysix]

Patagonia Black Hole Duffels

http://www.patagonia.com/us/shop/luggage?k=1G

quality and lifetime warranty.

[Wilkinson4]

Check out

http://www.polerstuff.com/the-duffaluffagus/

Or

http://www.redoxx.com/

mIKE

[christian]

Filson Pullman (243) has served me well for about a million miles on airlines and I toss it in the trunk to go to the in-laws too.

[CaliFly]

Patagonia Black Hole Duffels

http://www.patagonia.com/us/shop/luggage?k=1G

quality and lifetime warranty.

This...or the Guidewater Duffel.

[godfrey1112000]

Storm flap protected, main compartment opens with beefy, self-repairing, two-way lockable zippers
Top external compression straps secure and stabilize the load
Removable padded shoulder strap adjusts for a comfortable carry
Non-slip laminated top carry handle and super durable oversized webbing straps for an easy hand carry
End and center haul handles
Front exterior zippered pocket for quick access items
Reusable "stuff" pouch stores this duffel bag and works as an internal packing accessory for shoes or gear

NO MATTER WHAT „� WARRANTY
If your bag is damaged - even by the airlines - Eagle Creek will fix it. No questions asked.

Eagle Creek's warranties highlight our emphasis on product sustainability; longer lasting luggage mean less broken-down product in landfills.

I have had this style for 4 plus years, not a scratch and the "No Matter What"
makes sense

[eddief]

too big to carry on, but big enough for a week's worth on a cycling credit card tour.

seems well made with a decent warranty:

http://www.amazon.com/Eagle-Creek-Hovercraft-Upright-Luggage/dp/B002EKD3WG

in some video, the babe said the zippers are lockable and kissing.

[charliedid]

Here are a couple to look at...

http://www.badbags.com/

http://www.mysteryranch.com/recreation/travel-urban-packs/spandura-duffel-medium

Mystery Ranch is Dana Gleason's Co. (Dana Designs)

Also a big fan of Filson and can't go wrong with the Patagonia black holes.

[yngpunk]

Tom Bihn
www.tombihn.com

Their bags are also popular (along with the Red Oxx mIKE mentioned above) among the "1 bag" travelers. Made in the US as well.

[J.Greene]

Ive used the bailey whale mouth for 2-3 years pretty regularly and it still would pass as new. It's an amazing bag.

[93legendti]

I'm on the hunt for a good, rugged main piece of luggage. i've had an old sea bag duffel for years, but its starting to get ripped a bit, and i dont trust in in the hands of airline handlers anymore. need something new.

my needs are to carry about a weeks worth of clothes or less, and be very rugged. small enough to be a good weekend bag on road trips, big enough to stuff full and throw on a plane to head out for a week or so. rugged enough to be thrown in the back of a pick-up truck for a few hundred mile drive.

not interested in real "luggage" with wheels and stuff, i want more of a duffel typed thing. i travel pretty light, and i like to have the ability to grab my bag and travel fast.

looking at the north face base camp line.

what do you like?

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/public/PTF_IoQkkyfJjvbTZxri3QybbF0se1EcnsF5ILqOPlQJOiPv_N VmLpDuQjfMkuBzyyQN1esMRMomQoVtdy1yqtpZjYObdRYY-_6T0tjgJC-94KF1oY9205ZMkiDCd1syzIrklUeJQqDr4abBJ95Z7AeIZyPfN VA2dc3ptP_RqU3l=s220-c
I just bought one of those, xs, to use as a carry on. It came today. I like the backpack option.

For our family's last 10 trips I have used these:

http://www.eddiebauer.com/catalog/product.jsp?ensembleId=35793&&categoryId=214&categoryName=LUGGAGE--DUFFELS&pCategoryId=5&pCategoryName=BAGS--GEAR&gpCategoryId=1&gpCategoryName=EB&catPath=~~categoryId=214~~categoryName=LUGGAGE--DUFFELS~~pCategoryId=5~~pCategoryName=BAGS--GEAR~~gpCategoryId=1~~gpCategoryName=EB&viewAll=y&pg=1


Cheap, on sale now in stores, life time guaranty. They hold lots of stuff. I have at least 6 of these bags.

[MattTuck]

Ive used the bailey whale mouth for 2-3 years pretty regularly and it still would pass as new. It's an amazing bag.

Bailyworks is owned by the same guy that owns Independent Fabrication.

there, now it's on topic!

[jpw]

Patagonia every time. If something goes wrong they look after you. TNF is just a marketing brand - there's no substance to that company.

[Elefantino]

Hard to beat Patagonia.

Also good:Mountainsmith (http://www.mountainsmith.com/products.asp?productId=123&categoryId=46&subCategoryId=0&subCategory2Id=0).

[Joel]

I know you said no wheels and so forth but...

A terribly unsexy American Tourister 21" 'carry on' can easily handle a weeks worth of clothes, get stuffed full of equipment, be grabbed, propped or used to haul other stuff on it, packed and unpacked in a flash, opened up for travel documents to be hidden into and be thrown out of baggage comparments repeatedly.

Mine has over two million air miles on it, gotten dragged over horrific pavement and cobbles across the planet and is just fine.

Might have cost $250 or so...

As in bicycling...good wheels matter :)

Joel

[Birddog]

Check out these guys. http://www.redoxx.com/
Made in Montana has to be worth something.

[mistermo]

I'm on the hunt for a good, rugged main piece of luggage. i've had an old sea bag duffel for years, but its starting to get ripped a bit, and i dont trust in in the hands of airline handlers anymore. need something new.

my needs are to carry about a weeks worth of clothes or less, and be very rugged. small enough to be a good weekend bag on road trips, big enough to stuff full and throw on a plane to head out for a week or so. rugged enough to be thrown in the back of a pick-up truck for a few hundred mile drive.

not interested in real "luggage" with wheels and stuff, i want more of a duffel typed thing. i travel pretty light, and i like to have the ability to grab my bag and travel fast.

looking at the north face base camp line.

what do you like?

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/public/PTF_IoQkkyfJjvbTZxri3QybbF0se1EcnsF5ILqOPlQJOiPv_N VmLpDuQjfMkuBzyyQN1esMRMomQoVtdy1yqtpZjYObdRYY-_6T0tjgJC-94KF1oY9205ZMkiDCd1syzIrklUeJQqDr4abBJ95Z7AeIZyPfN VA2dc3ptP_RqU3l=s220-c

My XL NF Base Camp has been in service for more than two decades. It's traveled on the backside of a yak in the Himalayas for a month, seen countless trips to Colo for skiing, and most recently brought a tricycle back from France for my daughter. It's my go-to big bag, and the backpack-style straps are indispensible. It's beat up, has "beausage" but is still going strong.

But I'll be the first to acknowledge that the NF of today is different than the NF of 20yrs past. I don't even know if the base camp bags are the same. I'd look for something with a lifetime warranty (which NF used to have).

[AngryScientist]

My XL NF Base Camp has been in service for more than two decades. It's traveled on the backside of a yak in the Himalayas for a month, seen countless trips to Colo for skiing, and most recently brought a tricycle back from France for my daughter. It's my go-to big bag, and the backpack-style straps are indispensible. It's beat up, has "beausage" but is still going strong.

But I'll be the first to acknowledge that the NF of today is different than the NF of 20yrs past. I don't even know if the base camp bags are the same. I'd look for something with a lifetime warranty (which NF used to have).

thanks for that, and everyone's suggestions. it does concern me that NF doesnt seem to offer a lifetime warranty. i would like to buy something that will really last, from a company who stands behind their product.

ideally, i will buy something from REI, i imagine i have a decent dividend coming next month from them, and they will always take stuff back, no matter how used or battered if it fails, so there is that level of assurance.

decisions, decisions.

[mistermo]

thanks for that, and everyone's suggestions. it does concern me that NF doesnt seem to offer a lifetime warranty. i would like to buy something that will really last, from a company who stands behind their product.

ideally, i will buy something from REI, i imagine i have a decent dividend coming next month from them, and they will always take stuff back, no matter how used or battered if it fails, so there is that level of assurance.

decisions, decisions.

My NF down sleeping bag is 40yrs old. My dog chewed it up in 1990 and they repaired it free. I don't think the NF of today would do that. I had a NF GoreTex jacket I bought in the 80s. I crashed on an "Alpine Slide" concrete tobogan (sp?) run and tore the shoulder. Again, free repair.

I wouldn't hesitate to give companies like this my business for their premium price. I believe NF is now owned by venture capitalists of some sort with an eye on a different market. Afterall, there's a NF store next to Abercrombie (another relic of days gone by) at the mall.

I'm not sure who's left who offers this level of service. Filson? Patagonia? Maybe REI?

[charliedid]

Lifetime warranty is as well and good, but even you admit that the bag you have is still going strong.

If the zipper blew-out after 20 years of hard use would you really warranty it?

Just sayin

[AngryScientist]

Lifetime warranty is as well and good, but even you admit that the bag you have is still going strong.

If the zipper blew-out after 20 years of hard use would you really warranty it?

Just sayin

lifetime warranty, for me, means that a company is confident enough in their products to know that they wont HAVE TO replace or repair many products.

what better way to convey confidence in the product than by putting the company's $$ on the line for it.

[tiretrax]

Don't forget LLBean. They've been in business for eons and offer lifetime warranty.

I wouldn't be concerned about NF being owned by VC's or a big company. They still stand behind their product and those coated bags are nice. I'd probably go with the Patagonia black hole, however. I've always preferred their goods to NF stylewise, and they give a small percentage of their sales to some greaat restoration projects. Both brands will make you look like a yuppie.

Regardless of brand, buy from REI and you will be guaranteed satisfaction for your lifetime.

[Likes2ridefar]

I got the eagle creek duffle bag for my international travel. I managed to tear it a bit once and they patched it up no question in a few days. the zippers work well and it's nice to know no matter what they back it up.

[mistermo]

Lifetime warranty is as well and good, but even you admit that the bag you have is still going strong.

If the zipper blew-out after 20 years of hard use would you really warranty it?

Just sayin

Fair enough, my bag is still in service, but I suppose "going strong" may have been a misleading statement. There are holes in it, from abrasions suffered as the yaks hugged the rock walls along the trail. The zipper is starting to come unstitched, from getting chucked off of trucks, while fully stuffed. The piping has come off. None of this matters to me as long as it still works as intended, which it does perfectly well, for now.

However, the day will come when the zipper will require repair and one of those holes will grow even larger. I can't wait to see the faces of the mall employees when I take the 25yr old, well worn bag into the NF store at the mall and ask them to repair it. I'm pretty sure NF shut down their service center in Berkeley. You know, the one that repaired the 20yr old sleeping bag my dog ate, which is now 40yrs old.

I work in finance, so take this with a grain of salt. I'm sure the VC people who own NF made a decision, based on profit, to close that Berkeley service center. I'm not certain, but believe that Patagonia, would fix/repair/replace a product they sold dating way back. Maybe LLBean, Filson, EBauer and some others too. I looked closely at EBauer roller bags this past Cmas. They say they are guaranteed for life, which is very nice. However, I'm pretty sure the quality isn't there and that with the abuse I put it through, it would barely last 3yrs.

[njgustafson]

A couple years ago I picked up a Patagonia Maximum Legal Carry On from their SoHo store for dirt cheap because it was "last season's" color ($80). Been happy with it thus far and easily holds a week's worth of clothing (though I'm a light packer). Can be used as either a messenger style bag or backpack.

[AngryScientist]

FWIW, NF does still offer a lifetime warranty, though it has some restrictions. it all depends on how they honor it i guess.

from the site:

The North Face® products are fully warranted to the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product. If a product ever fails due to a manufacturing defect, even after extended use, we will repair the product, without charge, or replace it, at our discretion. This warranty does not cover damage caused by accident, improper care, negligence, normal wear and tear, or the natural breakdown of colors and materials over extended time and use. Damage not covered under warranty will be repaired for a reasonable rate and a fee will be charged for return shipping.

[charliedid]

lifetime warranty, for me, means that a company is confident enough in their products to know that they wont HAVE TO replace or repair many products.

what better way to convey confidence in the product than by putting the company's $$ on the line for it.

I don't disagree....just seems most things that discerning buyers purchase these days tend to come with a pretty solid warranty and if something happens in a reasonable time (like most defective things do) that they will back it up with a new one.

I have worked specialty retail for eons and trust me there are plenty of people who would warranty a 20 year old heavily used bag whose zipper finally gave out.

Not sayin you would.

Besides if you are buying it from REI it makes no difference who manufactured it.

Me, I'd be looking at the Mystery Ranch myself. B.A.D are also killer bags and I have had one since they first came out. Just read the testimonials, and yes they will stand by it forever, no matter what. Crazy good stuff.

[93legendti]

Saw these at REI, both have hidden backpack straps- a feature i really like.
The Osprey is very slick:

http://www.rei.com/product/803307/osprey-porter-46-travel-pack
http://www.rei.com/product/747934/rei-cargo-weekender-bag

[Bradford]

Don't forget LLBean. They've been in business for eons and offer lifetime warranty.
I have an LL Bean duffle I bought back in the 90's that made it through years of weekly travel and still is going strong. It has good pockets, a good design, and they stand behind their products.

One of the better purchases I have ever made.

[JeremyS]

I've traveled quite a bit one-bag style, up to 6 weeks with one bag.

I did an extensive test for a book chapter that never got published of several domestically produced maximum capacity carry-ons.

The winner, by far, has been the Tom Bihn TriStar. The loser, for me at least, was the Patagonia MLC. They both met my basic requirement: shoulder, hand, backpack carry; largest possible bag that will fit both US and EU carryon bins; no wheels.

The other entries were all pretty ok, but nothing outstanding. If you want to class it up, then Filson, Saddleback, and JW Hulme have you covered, but at the cost of functionality.

The MLC gets all bent out of shape and is pretty uncomfortable for multi-mode travel. The TriStar is way more stable. I've done bike-train-plane connections with it, and when pressed (traveling with baby) shared it with my wife for short trips under a week.

[93legendti]

Does anyone know of a rolling luggage attachment for duffels?

[93legendti]

Just picked up the $99 Osprey from Backcountry for $62...

[charliedid]

I've traveled quite a bit one-bag style, up to 6 weeks with one bag.

I did an extensive test for a book chapter that never got published of several domestically produced maximum capacity carry-ons.

The winner, by far, has been the Tom Bihn TriStar. The loser, for me at least, was the Patagonia MLC. They both met my basic requirement: shoulder, hand, backpack carry; largest possible bag that will fit both US and EU carryon bins; no wheels.

The other entries were all pretty ok, but nothing outstanding. If you want to class it up, then Filson, Saddleback, and JW Hulme have you covered, but at the cost of functionality.

The MLC gets all bent out of shape and is pretty uncomfortable for multi-mode travel. The TriStar is way more stable. I've done bike-train-plane connections with it, and when pressed (traveling with baby) shared it with my wife for short trips under a week.

Agreed,

I didn't mention it because I was under the (wrong?) impression that the OP was looking for a duffle.

I am often wrong ;-)

[gdw]

Surplus canvas Aviators kit bags are cheap, $15 on up, functional, and very rugged. If you like top quality gear anything designed and manufactured by or for Dana Gleason, Mystery Ranch, is hard to beat.

[luigi22]

someone mentioned it, will second it: Filson duffels. made in u.s.a (if that matters to you), rugged, ages well, lasts forever, looks cool (imo). can't go wrong.

I'm on the hunt for a good, rugged main piece of luggage. i've had an old sea bag duffel for years, but its starting to get ripped a bit, and i dont trust in in the hands of airline handlers anymore. need something new.

my needs are to carry about a weeks worth of clothes or less, and be very rugged. small enough to be a good weekend bag on road trips, big enough to stuff full and throw on a plane to head out for a week or so. rugged enough to be thrown in the back of a pick-up truck for a few hundred mile drive.

not interested in real "luggage" with wheels and stuff, i want more of a duffel typed thing. i travel pretty light, and i like to have the ability to grab my bag and travel fast.

looking at the north face base camp line.

what do you like?

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/public/PTF_IoQkkyfJjvbTZxri3QybbF0se1EcnsF5ILqOPlQJOiPv_N VmLpDuQjfMkuBzyyQN1esMRMomQoVtdy1yqtpZjYObdRYY-_6T0tjgJC-94KF1oY9205ZMkiDCd1syzIrklUeJQqDr4abBJ95Z7AeIZyPfN VA2dc3ptP_RqU3l=s220-c

[cassa]

Tough traveller, http://www.toughtraveler.com/, in Schenectady, NY makes some nice luggage/duffels/etc... I have a two-compartment version of their Tri-Zip bag. It's very well-made and durable.

Their products aren't fancy, and they don't seem to come out with new designs as often as Tom Bihn does, but the bags are very well-made and reasonably priced.

[AngryScientist]

well gang - to add some closure to the thread. with my REI dividend and 20% coupon, i wound up picking up this Osprey bag. the Porter 65. Perfect for what I wanted. lots of carry options, and seems very ruggedly made. We all know the REI return policy, and Osprey also has a lifetime warranty. I doubt i'll need it, but having it seems to be an indicator of a quality product. thanks for all the tips folks!

http://www.ospreypacks.com/images_products/49_610_lg.jpg

[93legendti]

well gang - to add some closure to the thread. with my REI dividend and 20% coupon, i wound up picking up this Osprey bag. the Porter 65. Perfect for what I wanted. lots of carry options, and seems very ruggedly made. We all know the REI return policy, and Osprey also has a lifetime warranty. I doubt i'll need it, but having it seems to be an indicator of a quality product. thanks for all the tips folks!

http://www.ospreypacks.com/images_products/49_610_lg.jpg

Does that have the hidden backpack straps like the Osprey 46?

[AngryScientist]

Does that have the hidden backpack straps like the Osprey 46?

Yes. Great feature.

[93legendti]

Yes. Great feature.

Yup!

[tiretrax]

I think you made a good choice. I tried the North Face. The coated fabric seems pretty tough, but it got very hot when using it as a backpack. It would be nice to have a few other pockets, too.

[AngryScientist]

I think you made a good choice. I tried the North Face. The coated fabric seems pretty tough, but it got very hot when using it as a backpack. It would be nice to have a few other pockets, too.

yea, that's what sold me, the more pockets. when travelling with one bag, organization is pretty important. trying to find a passport in a huge cavernous bag filled with dirty laundry and other gear in the airport could be unpleasant.

[twangston73]

This is always a great trove of information. It seems there are mixed opinions on the Patagonia MLC but I have gotten years of great service out of mine, really like it, and Patagonia often has deals on older models (sometimes in theft-retardant colors!).