The North Face Base Camp Duffel

I bought my Base Camp Duffle in 2003 and headed off to Asia. The back has backpack straps so it's easy to carry around. after a couple of years in Asia on boat trips and drilling rigs, the bag headed off to Australia and hauled dive gear arounf for another year. The bag came back state side and hauled my stuff around Mexico. It's been on more baggage-go-rounds in more airports than any other bag I've met, and it's still going strong. I've got the bag down here in patagonia keep my stuff safe and dry. A couple of tips. The bag has one pocket inside the flap. Don't put anything heavy in here, or it flops around annoyingly. Also, becasue there are not pockets, and I don;t miss any pockets, I;ve learning to pack in little bags. Toileties in one bag, little gear in another, electronics cords and such in a crown royal bag. Poof- Organization without pockets. Another key to this bag, is that it is just a glorifed duffle bag, theives generally looking for backpacks full of first world goodies, they duffle bag tends not to attract attention. I've been living out of the M for years not, it's all you need. I met someone with a XL, and it was way too big, in my humble opinion.

I own three of these, the medium, large, and extra large. I bring one of them on most every car or plane trip I take. The medium works well for a weekend winter trip, and holds plenty of clothing, jackets, etc. I've used the large for several trips abroad where I need a durable bag that I can abuse. For the extra large, I've used it on trips to Denali and Aconcagua, and it has held up great while riding on mules or strapped to a sled. Even with plenty of sharp things inside (ice axe, crampons, poles) it shows minimal damage. Some times for airport travel I wish it had an easier way to carry it, but I girth hitch the side strap with a sling and pull it across the slippery airport floors. It has backpack straps, but I'm usually wearing a backpack too.

I also like the construction. The top and sides are made of a durable water resistant material. This helps for leaving it outside in the snow or rain, when it can't fit in the tent. The bottom is a heavy duty cordura, which holds up well.

Fantastic bags... straps in the right places as you can use a single shoulder strap to carry the bag over one shoulder or don the whole thing like a backpack. Construction seems to be very sturdy and the bright yellow color makes the bag easy to find on the luggage carousel. I'm in the Middle East right now and it was super easy to spot my bright yellow bag in a sea of green duffels! I filled up the Large with clothes and it weighed in under 50 lbs... something you would have trouble doing in a roller-bag or regular suitcase. I also got the XL, but it was so HUGE that I decided to bring a second, smaller bag instead of filling up the XL. If you get the XL, expect to pay the airline's extra fees... and if your plan is to get the XL and not stuff it full, you might as well just get the Large... trust me, it's plenty big for a 2-3 week trip (or 6 months in my case)! I'm keeping the XL for road trips though... great for tons of gear!

I bought the XL. It's big, but not unmanageble when full, some comments below is that you can't carry it when full. I am 6'1" 190lb male so carrying when full is not a problem. If you are on the shorter side or small female, the xl bag is going to be bigger than you are. The back pack straps work great and are designed well. To give you an idea of what it holds: I used the bag to take everything for a week long climbing trip to EPC, it easely held: helmut, rope, sport rack, climbing pack, sleeping bag, clothes, food and misc gear. The shoulder straps made it easy to carry the bag backpack style through the customs and out of the airport. Also, used it for a skiing trip, held boots and clothes and misc gear no prob, with plenty of room that made packing easy. If you like to travel with just one bag and have a good amount of gear, this is the money. Also, it is built like a brick house, the thing is indestructable and looks bad assed too.

I have the XL and probably should have gone with a L. I fit two sleeping bags & sleeping pads, a tent and most of my camping & bike gear into this with space to spare. I would have packed more, but that would have put me over the 50lb per bag airline restriction. If there were wheels on the bag, I definitely would have used them, but the shoulder straps worked out fine. I haven't mastered the art of getting the packed XL bag onto my back gracefully yet, but once it was on, I was able to easily get around with it using the shoulder straps. Overall, the bag is big enough to let you bring piles of clothes and gear, but the fact that it doesn't have wheels and has to be carried around on your back, makes you reevaluate how much you really need to bring with you.

I haven't used the bag much yet, but so far it's held up some airline flights and being strapped to the roof of my car.

I wish more people would write down what size they have in their reviews.

On a recent 10 day trip to CO I packed a 42 liter pack inside my Large base camp duffel, and all my backpacking essentials– sleeping bag, filter, hiking shoes, nalgene, stove, camelbak, etc; 5 days of clothes including two warm layers, climbing shoes, harness, some draws and belay devices; and even threw in a couple of books in the internal mesh pocket.

Everything fit fine, airport weighed it in at 40.5 lbs. The straps work wonderful going down flights of stairs to the car. And going from curbside to check-in. Handy little tip: when you are about to check it in cinch the backpack straps all the way down and use the velcro tabs (under the TNF logos) on the straps to hold the excess strap material. You don't need to remove them!

Look forward to using this bag for a very long time.

I have the Xl and yeah I fill it sadly. It is super durable. i have taken it to Alaska, and many a camping trips. I actually have the white one and it gets a little durable but easily washable. It turns a lot of heads because it is such a bright color where you normally dont see white. The extra shoulder straps turn into a way to carry it like a backpack. I have hucked this up 2 miles before like that. If you place your gear right it will feel moderately comfy.

The other nice thing is how water resistant it is. It will keep everything dry in a heavy rain. (I tested it with a hose.) It is not waterproof, but will keep dry if closed. I might have to snag a smaller one for a lighter trip too. Great for anything, rope bag, trailing a bike on a hitch etc.

I own this duffel in a medium, and it holds a lot. The bag is very durable, having held up quite well throughout several years of constant use (Not only do I take it traveling, I usually use it to store stuff even when it is not in use) As a previous reviewer noted it is nearly waterproof, the material of the bag itself withstands water very well but the seams are not sealed, so water will eventually get in through the seams. That said, it is more than water resistant enough for any normal use. The zipper is also very well built and easily zips and unzips (even when the bag is overstuffed) The backpack straps do serve well for moderate distances. To top it off most of the colors are very easily distinguishable at the baggage claim.

I have two of these: the large, which I use for carrying things on trips, and the extra large, which I really just use to store stuff at home. Eventually, maybe I'll go on some epic trip that requires the XL. Or I'll use it as a tent.

I like the bag because it's frameless (many large bags have frames), has handy shoulder straps, and uses that weird rubberized fabric so I don't worry if something spills on it. The "lid" is good and bad - it lets you quickly get into all parts of the back better than a straight zipper, and it has a handy pouch for small items, but it can be hard to zip up if the bag's super full. Finally, the bag has some external loops and is very easy to tie down.