Mountain Hardwear Expedition Duffel

Mountain Hardwear does it again!! The expedition duffle (medium, 5500cu) is perfect in every way! Built like a tank but unbelievable light weight! Also some really cool features like the silver/yellow inside to reduce the "black hole affect", internal compression straps, 2 side mesh zippered end pockets and on the outside: daisy chains, convertable straps that turn it into a backpack, metal pulls and handles, beefy zippers and of course it looks so damn cool! I will have this bag forever and cant wait to travel with it. Compares to the North Face base camp duffel (large, 5600cu). I dare the airlines to try to ruin this bag......it will ruin them! Mountain Hardwear for life!!!!

I will be taking this to Everest Base Camp. It will need to endure several plane transfers and a 15 day ride on a yak. On inspection, the quality is absolutley great. What you would expect from this brand. Mountain hardware has NEVER failed me and this will be the ultimate test. i'll edit in April of 2012, after my return!

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so unless you need just a totally bomber bag, you dont need to spend this much money... but it is a badass bag.

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Totally worth every penny & I'm getting the whole series from back pack to monster size!!

I was able to fit everything I needed & nothing moved through 3 aiports except when the TSA got curious (yeah the guy with the coolest looking bag is the one you need to worry about!!!)

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I am writing this review after purchasing this bag, inspecting it, and the deciding to return it, unused. I cannot attest to actual, tested durability or use. That said, here are my thoughts:

What I like:

This is definitely a bomber bag. The materials and stitching are top-notch, and I have no doubt that it is very weather and wear resistant. It is certainly large, and would be a great bag for ski gear because of the extra beefy floor and boxy construction. I like how the top opens wide for easy access. The lighter colored interior makes it easier to find items than bags with a black interior.

I like the the small exterior pockets.

Why I sent it back:

It seems too heavy. Definitely burly, but I feel like it's probably overbuilt. Due to the bulky material, it will not compress well for use as a carry on if desired.

The handles on the ends have aluminum tubing over the webbing. I have no idea why they did this. Probably to help grip the webbing without it digging into hands when the bag is loaded to the gills. Unfortunately, it makes it difficult to clip a carabiner to the handle. Also, it will likely scratch paint on cars, rattle against windows, and I honestly cannot find a practical reason for this feature.

The cord used for zipper pulls also have aluminum tubing over them. The tubing is almost the diameter of the knot, which I think will make the pull hard to grip unless completely dry. I also think it looks cheesy and I don't like the way it feels eitherI do not like the tubing! Additionally, by using only cord for the zipper pulls, it prevents you from putting a lock on the zipper. I know that a zipper pull lock is still not very secure, but I believe it is better than nothing, and definitely better than cord. I much prefer cord in addition to a tab on the pulls.

The daisy chains are not as useful as those on competitors' bags. They lie very flat, and placed only near the ends, not continuously along he sides like I prefer.

The handles seem pretty good, but the padding seems inadequate to use the bag backpack style. The handle adjustment tabs seem clunky too.

All in all, it is probably a great bag for the back of a truck, or short ski vacations where you won't be lugging bags very farlike from baggage claim to a car, to a hotel. I typically carry my bags a lotand stack and strap and squish and throw them tooand I feel like there are better choices for my style of travel. Your mileage may vary.