The 130L No Matter What Rolling Duffel from Eagle Creek is robust and light but with a high capacity, writes Mike Gormley.
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Our last trip away was a long and slightly complex one, encompassing two months of varied travel in several countries and climates with very different demands on kit. Importantly, we also had a limit on weight and number of luggage items imposed by a couple of small aircraft regional flights in Borneo. Added to this we would be living in a camper-van with limited storage space for five weeks in New Zealand, so our bags needed to be folded away to not consume space we needed for other things during this period.
[© Eagle Creek ]
So I checked out Eagle Creek and the problem was solved. We already had a smaller duffel, but needed a maximum capacity one as well. In addition to capacity we were looking for something light and with wheels, as we expected to be hauling luggage ourselves a fair bit… and right we were Another important element of design would be durability. This too was proven on this trip.
A bonus with this duffel, in my opinion, is that it is made largely from recycled materials; the principal fabric being rip 600D ripstop polyester. This is robust and abrasion-resistant, which again was proven, and the material is resistant to water aided by a storm flap over the main zip. Another good feature for such a bag which would often be out in the open and quite likely to get rained on during our adventures.
The wheels are stated as being ‘heavy duty’ and throughout our trip this was tested, proving true to form. For us the key was to have a robust duffel with wheels but it needed to be a light as reasonable. To achieve this one cannot afford to have a bag with a rigid frame and sliding handle, which might add some convenience but will also add weight and do away with the ability to roll the duffel up when not in use.
This high capacity 130-litre bag weighs in empty at just over 1.7kg. It can also be rolled up around the wheels, which sit in their own protective shield and tough ‘chassis’, then fitted into its own supplied holdall. This is also a standalone and very handy bag when not in use for stowing the duffel. For me it made a good shopping bag when heading out for stores as a well as a perfect shoe bag.
There is a shoulder strap supplied but I used mine sometimes as a ‘tow strap’ for longer walks through airports and so on. This can be packed away in the zipped side pocket to be ready to hand; this pocket also has a security lanyard for address tags. The main zip of this duffel is robust with good pull tags that can be locked together for a bit of added security. To support this zip are two volume adjuster straps.
There is a main carry handle strap which closes over the bag and there are carry handles at either end. There are also small sewn in loops which can be used to secure the duffel to a roof rack or boat, or to affix items such as a ready use jacket on top. All in all, this duffel was perfect for our sort of trip and it got used as intended for the more adventurous type of travel; hopefully it will come out to play again before too long.
The 130L is the largest capacity duffel of the Eagle Creek range and this one is, appropriately, in Safari Brown ~ there are three other colour options.
[images © Jean or Mike Gormley]
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