Eagle Creek No Matter What Duffel Bag

I purchased the large version of this bag for a trip to Africa, and am glad I did. After a number of long flights, dusty days bumping around in the back of a Land Rover, and a bit of rain, this bag still looks brand new. I own other Eagle Creek luggage, and as usual, their stuff seems near impervious to harm (and the warranty is excellent, if something should happen).

This is a fairly basic duffel, but it does have a few nice features. The shoulder strap, which was quite comfortable, is easily removable and packable, which is good for a checked bag. The carry handles seem good and strong, and there are a couple of cinch straps that are great for tightening down the contents. There is a small zip pocket on the outside that can carry some incidentals, though nothing too large. The main zipper is good and heavy, and is designed to fit a travel lock.

The bag itself comes packed in a very small stuff sack. It would be fairly easy to pack one of these in another piece of luggage without taking up much space. Speaking of space, I was shocked at just how much stuff I could fit in this bag. Ten days of clothes and supplies still left plenty of room. It's possible I could have gotten the medium and still fit everything.

The only thing I would have liked would have been a small pocket on the inside to stow a few things while the main zipper was locked. It took a while to find some small items in such a large bag. Also, since this is a packable, soft, bag, there is no rigidity in the bottom, which can make it slightly awkward to carry if not entirely full. We got around this problem by putting a sheet of cardboard in the bottom. It's not advertised as a solid bottomed bag though, so this isn't a mark against the product.

In any case, this is an excellent bag, and I'm tempted to get one of the smaller ones to use as a carry on in the future.

I've been living out of the Large duffel bag for the better part of two years. On average I've loaded it with 20 kg / 45 lbs. of personal items and gear. The Medium bag was too small for this load and this Large bag could accommodate more.

I've owned and used both the small and large size versions of this bag. They are made of exactly the same materials. I used to load the small bag with 10 kg / 20 lbs. on average. After living out of it for some years it showed remarkably little wear. The large bag is showing more wear. Several holes have worn through the bottom material and one seam in the upper material has begun to separate.

With the small bag, I always used the shoulder strap when walking. With the large bag, I find it very awkward to use the shoulder strap when walking. As a result I have given up on the shoulder strap and it is now the reserve strap for my small bag. With the large bag I have resorted to putting my arm through the top handles and carrying the bag over my shoulder. Walking with a 20 kg load slung over your shoulder becomes uncomfortable pretty quickly, but it is possible to walk at a normal pace.

With the small bag I never used the cinch straps, but with the large bag they compress the load and make the bag less awkward to carry.

The lockable main zipper makes it more difficult for thieves to access the contents of the bag. If the situation warrants it, one can lock the bag to an immovable object with a choke chain. (Choke chain and lock not included.) The outside pocket is not lockable.

Carrying any big load is going to be difficult. For maximum comfort a backpack is probably the answer. Is some wear and tear after many months of use to be expected? Is it acceptable? You decide. Can you find a better duffel bag on the market? I don't know. Can you find a similar bag at a lower price? I don't know.

Buy Eagle Creek No Matter What Duffel Bag Now

I wish this bag had the pass through to hook over the telescope handle of rolling luggage, but this large size does not.

Its a nice large size and well constructed.

I don't think I can fold it up again to get back inside its stuff sack.

Great sturdy bag. No problems after checking it in as luggage for 6 flights.

Read Best Reviews of Eagle Creek No Matter What Duffel Bag Here

This is a tough, nice looking duffle bag that fits so much in it.

We bought two of these bags for use on holidays as checked luggage, they are so light they don't eat into your luggage weight allowance, whereas wheeled bags are often 4kg or more.

The cinch straps across the top let you cinch it down if it isn't full, making its dimensions smaller if you are having trouble with checked in luggage restrictions. We never had a problem with this as a checked bag on several airlines. The base is reinforced and strong. It folds down very small. The bag it comes in can be used as a packing cell while you're travelling, to put miscellaneous items, socks, undies or whatever in it, to keep them separate from other items a packing cell that size would normally cost $15 or so at least, and this one is free with the bag.

The only thing not good about this bag is that you can fit so much into it and it can be so heavy, that we missed not having wheels. They do have a shoulder strap, but if you're lugging 23kg around, they're still very heavy to carry by the shoulder straps or the carry handles. Easier to find a trolley at the airport for the bag. If there's two people with two of these bags, the carry straps on either end mean you can each grab one end of each bag and walk in convoy with them.

I highly recommend this bag for African safaris, where you have to travel with collapsible bags, or where you want to utilise your checked luggage allowance on your contents rather than wasting it on the bag's weight.

Want Eagle Creek No Matter What Duffel Bag Discount?

i started stuffing my gear in and it never filled up. Room for three light boes, some miscellaneous gear and all of my pocket wizzards.