Review: The North Face Base Camp Duffel
What we liked
Rugged Waterproofing
Versatility
What we didn’t
Attaching shoulder straps could be easier
The Verdict
THE SHORT READ…
A no nonsense expedition bag, that can take all the world can throw at it. Short of dragging it along a road for ten miles The North Face Base Camp Duffel is almost indestructible.
THE LONG READ …
I have two of these, an old one which after a decade of abuse is still up to the job, and now this updated version too, in a medium 71L version. I find medium to be the perfect size for all but a multiple week expedition, where you’d probably need a few of them including the large at 95L. There are 6 sizes from Small 50L to XXL 150L and enough colours to keep everyone happy.
The outside is constructed with 1000D Recycled Polyester With Phthalate-Free PVC Coating, a great green update on the older versions. It’s really waterproof and the only way water can get in is if you expose the zip, which is covered with a flap, so just take care not to leave it exposed when strapping the bag to the side of a mule, or on top of a vehicle. I’d still always advise putting sleeping bags in a waterproof stuff sack, along with cameras…
There is a handle at each end of the bag, which make lifting from the ground and passing up to van roofs super easy, there is also standard looped side handles, which are a good size and can be velcroed together, not ideal when carrying on your back. There’s two buckled side straps (compression straps), on each side, which you can use to tie down items such as rollmats, or to stow away the looped side handles, although to do this you have to thread the straps through the buckles. There are useful butterfly loops along both sides, great for clipping wet shoes… to.
The removable, adjustable, alpine-cut shoulder straps are comfortable enough for a short hike, but if you have a long trek I’d suggest hiring a donkey, or using a specialized backpack. The shoulder straps, when attached, get in the way when searching for kit inside the main bag, and need unbuckling and rebuckeling every time you use them, if removing. TBH one of my main gripes about the Camp Duffel is that this could be made much easier, as is the case with the Thule Chasm 70L Duffel Bag .
The large zipped pocket at one end of the bag is very useful when at airports… and is a great place to stash the shoulder straps, I’m not 100% convinced by the zips cover ability to keep the rain out, so I wouldn’t leave electical goods or important paperwork in there if it looked like rain.
With any cargo style bag you have to accept that however hard you try your contents always turns into a jumbled mess, you can either live with this or you can’t. Having said that the main(and only entrance to main body of the bag) flap opening is large enough to see your jumbled mess easily, plus there’s a netted stash pocket at the opposite end to the zipped pocket, great for dirty socks and pants, and a really big zipped pocket on the inside of the flap opening, just remember that if carrying the bag on your back you don’t want to fill this with uncomfortable hard things.
SUMMARY…
A friend for life, The North Face Base Camp Duffel will accompany you on any adventure you set out on, and won’t let you down.