The North Face Base Camp Duffel

I bought a large duffle middle of last year to replace an old Da Kine Transporter duffle I got as a demo model some 7 years ago. I work in Afghanistan and Iraq for USAID and travel to a lot of different provinces via military vehicle convoy, helicopter, fixed wing flights, and SUVs and stay on bases in anything from a 130 man tent to single room. I wanted something that could replace the Da Kine Transporter which was just a massive vessel in which to through anything and everything I might need to cover every eventuality and could be thrown in the back of an SUV or Humvee and not get destroyed and at the same time make it through the Heathrow baggage handlers and aircraft hold without being ripped open with my stuff being spewed everywhere.
When the Large TNF Duffle arrived I thought it was tiny and almost sent it back for the XL. I guess my Da Kine Transporter was 140 odd litres or so. But I ended up keeping the Large TNF Duffle and love it and would totally recommend the Large. I tend to stuff a bag with what ever I have until it is full instead of choosing what to take carefully whether it fills the bag or not. I realise now that I would often overfill the old 140L bag with crap I didn't need resulting in a bag that was awkward to carry and often incur excess baggage charges on commercial air flights. The Large TNF Duffle will hold enough stuff for a good week or two in the field (with size 13 feet a pair of boots can often take up an entire smaller bag). The compression straps on the side are great if the load is smaller (in fact I did all my shopping on my last trip home using this bag, started with it compressed and toured the shops filling it and expanding it as I went). Material is bomber, very tough and durable, mines been dragged through mud, thrown into and out of planes, trains, and automobiles and retains it's integrity.
I suspect the XL would be good for long haul trips to get a good amount of gear from A to B, but to go from A to B to Z to X to the middle of F nowhere the Large would seem to rule supreme. The internal mesh pocket under the lid is great for all the small bits and bobs that you might want quick access to. The dual zipper pieces are ideal for padlocking so I padlock the bag shut when in the 130man tents and what not. Large main bag interior is accessed by the big top opening which allows good access to the full interior compartment. Rucksack straps are comfy and allow for prolonged carrying of the pack, and the end handles have so far held up to being yanked at to withdraw the bag from a mass pile. Even the name / contact details window is great, I just put a few business cards in there and can easily identify it and have business cards to hand when needed.
All round great bag, Medium I guess is small and ideal for Airplane carry on Luggage, Large is a great all round travel size for multi point short to medium trips, and the XL would be great for transporting gear from point A to B and longer trips.

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.

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 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 this in both the medium and large. I was able to pack everything for a two week trip home to Utah from Germany with most of the gear needed for a back country hiking trip and a ski trip with all of my cloths for the day to day of being home during the holidays. Even after I had to pack all of that back up, they still had room to fit the various gear and gifts I acquired while home. Held up to the delicate handling of international travel as well as to the duties in the back country at base camp. Expensive, but they will last you for a long time. Water proof, wilderness proof, everything proof. I will continue to use these at every opportunity. Great option to stow your gear and luggage.

I own three of these duffels in various sizes and colors. "Colors" because I discovered that black is not conducive to finding anything in your bag. But, as to why I need to give it only four stars and put a warning out there: my two-year-old Large duffle just fell apart quite spectacularly. Coming back from Patagonia I found it on the luggage carousel with all my stuff falling out. The zipper had blown. And, no, it wasn't overfilled at all. Granted, this bag has been around the world a few times and not had a soft life. After two years of travel, the seams were fraying and the rubbery fabric was scratched up galore, but I did think it was going to last a little bit longer... I'm going to be exploring some other brands.

I bought an extra large size right before a trip to Moab Utah and used all 9070 cubic inches of space. Just to give you an idea of how big this bag is, I had a sleeping bag, pad, tent, clothes, cookware/stove, outerwear, my climbing gear (including a rope) my half shell mountain bike helmet and also my full face mountain bike helmet, a frisbee, and a slackline. The bag didn't even flinch under the load, and the zippers stayed solid even when they were under a bit of tension. This bag is going to be pretty heavy when full, but if you can wrestle it up, it carries with the backpack straps pretty well, though not for long distances. Buy one and take a sweet-action trip!