The best duffel bags reviewed (2023)

For stowing climbing equipment, storing gear at base camp, or for travel, duffel bags are highly versatile. To make some attempt at an analogy, if a hiking pack was a race car, a duffel bag would be its support truck.

While the design and focus of a duffel bag is narrower than hiking packs, there is still a broad variety of options. This ranges from super lightweight, inexpensive duffels that pack into a little pocket through to ginormous 100+ litre, wheeled monsters.

At Live For The Outdoors, what we look for in a duffel bag suitable primarily for outdoor endeavours and travel comes down to three fundamental things: durability, practicality, and comfort. We also like to see brands making sustainability efforts here – apparel generally gets more focus regarding brands’ eco efforts, with gear and equipment often taking a back seat.

Best duffel bags at a glance:

Best in Test: Black Diamond Stonehauler 60L

Best Value: Alpkit DryDock 50L

Best for expeditions: The North Face Base Camp Duffel 95L

In this roundup, you’ll find the best duffel bags we’ve tested for outdoor adventures and travel. We’ve tested a range of sizes and price points in order to find options for everyone.

Best duffel bags in detail:

What to look for in a duffel bag

Volume: As dedicated gear haulers, duffels and hold-alls focus primarily on maximising packable space. That still means there's a wide range of duffel volumes, though. There is, therefore, plenty of choice for your requirements, whether it's a 35-litre duffel or larger 100+ litre option.

Durability: This is key to performance and longevity (which feeds into sustainability). Those of you needing a duffel for hauling outdoor gear to your destination, be it a base camp or climbing route, need it to repeatedly shrug off scrapes, bumps, and often moisture for years. To achieve this, look for duffels that use high-denier fabrics, tough metal zips, and reinforced stitching. If you're after more of a travel bag, you may not have to be quite so scrupulous in this regard but it still pays over the longer term to get a duffel that can take a beating.

Water resistance: A lot of duffel bags use water repellent materials or coatings, which adds a useful feather to their caps. If you're going to use your duffel in snowy or wet conditions, this is a good feature to keep an eye out for, but it's not essential. Don't forget about dry bags, which are the best way to ensure gear stays dry in your duffel or backpack.

Internal organisation: By nature, duffels are a large, tough sack. However, many have evolved to include some extra features relating to organisation. Inside the main compartment, the use of mesh pockets, for example, make finding items easier. Meanwhile, external side pockets make accessing some items easier.

Shoulder straps: We don't hold duffels to the same high standards of carrying comfort as hiking backpacks. That said, if it's got shoulder straps, they need to work. Duffel shoulder straps are usually lightly padded and adjustable. Load whichever bag you're looking at with the amount of weight you'd expect and make sure it's comfortable enough to carry over a short distance (if you need a large bag for long distances, get a backpacking rucksack).

Duffel bag care and cleaning

The best way to clean backpacks and duffels is also the easiest. Using an outdoor equipment gear wash (we recommend Grangers Tent and Gear Cleaner or Nikwax Tent and Gear SolarWash), spot clean the duffel to keep the fabric in top condition. Cleaning is important for both performance and longevity.

How we test

We use duffel bags all the time. They accompany us on trips, whether that's a photoshoot or a big feature adventure. We use duffels for hauling our gear almost wherever we go so we get a great sense of which ones work well and last the distance, and which do not.

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Chris Williams is a Digital Content Writer for Live For The Outdoors. He trained as a journalist in New Zealand and has been working on Live For The Outdoors since 2021.