The North Face Base Camp Duffel - Medium Evergreen/TNF Black One Size

I use this duffel on a daily basis now. It has become my go-to bag for daily life.My favorite thing about this bag is the sturdiness that it has and being waterproof. Yes, the Medium size is a bit big for daily wear but it's extremely convenient to have it and just throw it over the shoulders like a backpack. I originally bought this bag for daily/gym/travel because the Medium fits as a normal carry on bag. I would definitely recommend the Medium to anyone interested in using it for travel and the Small for daily life/gym use and if you're a light packer for traveling (unlike me). Definitely go into a store and check them out for size. For the price and size, it's most definitely worth it. Next up on my purchase is the Small!

I've owned several duffels before - Nike, Dimebags, Polo - but nothing compares to this one. I'm astounded by the quality. The material is beyond durable so I expect it to last for years to come, and I mean years. The space is amazing, perfect for everyday use and normal trips, the compartments and zippers are all well designed and you can tell a lot of thought was put into making these bags. On top of that, the design / color scheme is amazing as well. I love this bag so much, I went and bought two of the duffel canisters, and I can see myself getting a L size one of these in the future as well to have for longer trips.The only con I have with this bag - I wish they made a single, diagonal over-the-shoulder strap which is standard for most duffels, but the straps ... MoreI've owned several duffels before - Nike, Dimebags, Polo - but nothing compares to this one. I'm astounded by the quality. The material is beyond durable so I expect it to last for years to come, and I mean years. The space is amazing, perfect for everyday use and normal trips, the compartments and zippers are all well designed and you can tell a lot of thought was put into making these bags. On top of that, the design / color scheme is amazing as well. I love this bag so much, I went and bought two of the duffel canisters, and I can see myself getting a L size one of these in the future as well to have for longer trips.The only con I have with this bag - I wish they made a single, diagonal over-the-shoulder strap which is standard for most duffels, but the straps that convert it into more of a backpack work too. That's it! Everything else is top quality.

Overall, I liked the stiffness of the bag, and prefer it to the lighter weight bags. This is a matter of preference. This bag does not compress as much and is heavier, but those are the trade offs for a heavier duty bag that is easier to carry. It is great for its intended use as a camping, adventure bag, but the 70L is a bit small. It also functions well as a weekend bag. That said, I probably would not try to use this as a gym bag, it may be a pain to stuff into a locker. If it had a center strap grommet I would give it 5 stars. Otherwise, it is great.THE GOOD:STRONG: This bag is stiff, heavy duty material, that appears to emphasize the "base camp" functionality. I have a larger Black hole duffel, and the North Face appears to be heavier duty on the bottom, ... MoreOverall, I liked the stiffness of the bag, and prefer it to the lighter weight bags. This is a matter of preference. This bag does not compress as much and is heavier, but those are the trade offs for a heavier duty bag that is easier to carry. It is great for its intended use as a camping, adventure bag, but the 70L is a bit small. It also functions well as a weekend bag. That said, I probably would not try to use this as a gym bag, it may be a pain to stuff into a locker. If it had a center strap grommet I would give it 5 stars. Otherwise, it is great.THE GOOD:STRONG: This bag is stiff, heavy duty material, that appears to emphasize the "base camp" functionality. I have a larger Black hole duffel, and the North Face appears to be heavier duty on the bottom, and sides and has stiffer material.EASY TO CARRY: The heavier material makes it easier to carry. The problem with the lighter bags is that they don't have much support, so unless full, they sag more. The heavier material with this bag makes it more comfortable using the backpack straps.GOOD POCKETS: Functional pockets with 2-3 internal webbed pockets and one side compartment which is nice to separate gear.COMFORTABLE STRAPS: Comfortable backpack straps that adjust well and are sturdy.CARRY ON FUNCTIONALITY: There is a wide range of sizes. I found the 70L a little smaller than I expected, but quite easy to upgrade to the 95L if you want a slightly bigger bag. The 70L will still likely act as a carry on where you are likely to get more pushback from airlines on the 95L.THE BADHEAVY: Overall, this is nearly 1.5 lbs heavier than the similar sized Black Hole bag and does packs down to about twice the size. That said, it is still compresses to about the size of a stack of 7-8 dinner plates, which is not bad.NO CENTER SHOULDER STRAP: There is no great single shoulder strap. I'm not sure why it is so hard to add an extra grommet for a CENTER shoulder strap like an ordinary duffel, but none of the outdoor companies seem to think this is neccessary. The backpack straps are not great for carrying on a single shoulder. You either carry as a backpack, or with the side straps.BACKPACK STRAPS CUMBERSOME Backpack straps are not the easiest to remove - they don't clip off. You have to unwind the webbing through the plastic, and it takes some finesse to do so. If you check it, you need to at least take one side of the straps off to zip it properly so you need to get good at this. It can get a bit annoying to remove the straps and then reinstall them (like 4-5 minutes easily to put them on, and similarly to take them off)..