Duffle bags
Product 2026
Femme, Homme, Enfant
Without a doubt, this is one of the most iconic products in the outdoor world—the kind of gear that instantly brings to mind travel, Himalayan expeditions, Jeeps piled high with equipment, and yaks fording mountain rivers loaded with The North Face Base Camp Duffels. This bag simply embodies adventure. Many brands have copied it, matched it, and in some cases even improved on it by adding features such as waterproof zippers. Yet the The North Face Base Camp Duffel remains unmistakable.
Its appeal lies in its simplicity. It’s rugged, practical, and incredibly durable. It withstands years of hard use and the harshest treatment. Made from recycled materials, the fabric shrugs off abrasion, impacts, drops, and prolonged exposure to the sun. It’s also highly water-resistant, although the oversized zippers themselves are not waterproof. They cope well with dust and even sand, but saltwater can cause the zipper sliders to corrode. One tip we’ve found useful is to occasionally apply a small amount of household cooking oil with a cotton swab to the zipper. It keeps the sliders moving smoothly.
Storage options are deliberately basic: one large main compartment, a spacious internal mesh pocket, and a side pocket. There’s no complicated organization system to figure out. The upside is that you can throw your gear into the Base Camp Duffel in seconds. The downside is that, especially with the larger sizes, finding a specific item can take some digging. During our Cho Oyu expedition, we solved this by packing our gear inside waterproof trash bags and zip-lock bags, as the Base Camp Duffel itself is not fully waterproof. And while the bag is exceptionally tough, it’s still a good idea to store crampons in a protective pouch to prevent them from damaging other equipment.
The grab handles at each end are simple and effective. We’ve always felt that additional side handles would make the Duffel even easier to manage, particularly on high-volume versions such as the 132-liter XL. The removable shoulder straps allow you to carry the bag as a backpack, but they require threading the strap ends through attachment loops. Carabiner-style clips would make this system much quicker and more convenient. We’d also like to see a weather-protected ID window, as business cards or luggage tags tend to deteriorate quickly after repeated exposure to dust and the elements.
A true legend. The expedition duffel of choice for generations of explorers and adventurers. Rugged, reliable, and refreshingly uncomplicated, the Base Camp Duffel has remained faithful to its original formula for decades—and that’s precisely what makes it an icon.
Dimensions of the size M tested: 35.6 × 63.5 × 35.6 cm (14 × 25 × 14 in). The included storage sack is too small for the size of the duffel, making it impractical to use.
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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