Rolling duffle recs?

[gigem]

Dd (6) has a class ski trip coming up and they need to have a rolling bag. I’d rather she take a duffle vs a clamshell hard-sided suitcase, which is imo harder to open and pack/repack.

Any recommendations? Our go to for travel is usually the NF base camp duffles and Samsonite hard-sided suitcases. I was thinking 70-100L would be plenty big. I was looking at Patagonia, Osprey, Eagle Creek but there are so many lines and models haha.
It’ll get used plenty afterwards so I’m okay spending a bit, ds (5) also has a week away with his class in April so he’ll use it then too.

Tia!

[tres3]

We have a LLBean rolling duffle. It is pretty solid and probably 15 years old now. We use it almost exclusively to pack fro summer camp.

[Shreddingbetty]

I bought two of these last year and so far I like them. My 9 year old used it for her 3 week camp last year
www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-29-wheeled-duffel/125549?productid=10126284

I also have the weekend one, the regular back pack one but they have them with wheels as well if you don’t need something quite this big

[GilliC]

I’ve been through three different wheeled duffles over the years.

Jeep 25”: XH picked this up cheap at a department store, and for the price, it was surprisingly durable. We used it on at least a dozen trips before an airline ripped one of the wheels off. It didn’t have a lot of features, but it was a good basic bag.

Samsonite 35” two-section drop-bottom: I understand the concept of the drop-bottom making it easier to organize a large bag, but I hate trying to lift the top half to get into the bottom, since it’s heavy and awkward. We had two of these from Samsonite, and they were very durable. I let them go in the divorce, because when I have a bag that large, I prefer to have an upright. When it was full, I didn’t like that I had to hold on to it all the time or keep picking the handle up from the floor. Durability-wise, they were both still holding up fine after many trips.

High Sierra 30” Wheeled Duffel with Backpack Straps: When I got around to buying my own rolling duffel, I thought it would be nice to have the backpack straps for situations with uneven terrain, cobblestones, etc. where I wouldn’t be able to use the wheels. I liked this feature, but this particular bag didn’t have another option for carry straps, so it was awkward for short distances (e.g. a single flight of stairs), where I didn’t want to get the straps out, but didn’t want to carry it by the short handles. Feature-wise, it was okay, but the durability was disappointing. It died after just a few trips, when the frame bent and the handle could no longer be extended.

Eagle Creek 29” Convertible: After my High Sierra bag died so quickly, I decided to splurge a little. The biggest annoyance I had with all the rolling duffles I’d used before was that they didn’t stand up on their own. I found that I used my upright suitcase more simply because I could let go of it when I needed my hands free for a minute to use my phone, get something from my purse, etc. I still wanted the collapsibility of a duffel for storage (and because we were booked in a small cabin on an expedition ship for 3 weeks and wouldn’t have a place to store a big case). I have an older model (the EC Lync 29), which has a shoulder strap instead of backpack straps. I absolutely love that it stands up on its frame, and it’s such a delight every time I let it go. I don’t know about the new models, but the Lync also packs down into a pretty small stuff sack, so it’s easy to store in my tiny apartment. I’ve only used it a half dozen times but so far it’s holding up fine.

[wanderingback]

Jan 22, 2020 6:07:49 GMT -5 tres3 said:

We have a LLBean rolling duffle. It is pretty solid and probably 15 years old now. We use it almost exclusively to pack fro summer camp.

Yep so do I.
I got it as a high school graduation present, so it's over 15 years old and still in decent shape.
I don't use it a ton these days since I have nicer luggage, but it still gets the occasional use and seems like it'd work for a kid/teen.

[mich1]

The only thing you might want to consider is the weight you can stuff it to. In my experience, you pack to fill space and the larger the bag, the greater the likelihood you are going to put the bag at that magic 50 lb weight where you get charged a surcharge for overweight luggage on flights. I have a 27" suitcase that I got rid of because I knew it would be over 50 lbs, every single time I used it. Even my 25" bag I can fill to 50 lbs, but I have to expand it.

[jg183]

the ll bean rolling duffle with their guarantee is my recommendation