There are two ways to install the handle. You can connect it to the narrow ends of the bag for easier access to the compartment, or connect it in an X shape on the wider sides of the bag for increased carrying stability. There aren’t any buckles, carabiners or D-rings for the handle. Instead, there are nylon fabric loops, with vague fish hook-shaped plastic pieces at either end of the handle for threading into the loops. That’s something I’ve never seen before. Backpack straps use the same hook and loop system when they are not stowed behind the pad.
They work much better than I thought they would. I’ve never come loose once, but it’s not difficult to secure or remove the plastic hooks. The only buckle on the bag are four compression straps that you fasten after everything is zipped so you can shrink the bag to its most compact form. There are also fixed handles on all four sides of the duffle bag.
On the other hand, there is no shoulder strap like on the Red Oxx. If given the choice between the two, I’d rather have a backpack strap, but sometimes it’s convenient to just sling the bag over my shoulder for a while to free up my hands. But I understand. Too many straps will clutter the bag.
The hook and loop system works safely, but it’s not the fastest way to add and remove straps. At the airport baggage claim counter, I felt like I was in a hurry to unpack them all so that I could fit them in the handle without holding the whole line. In contrast, with bags that use carabiners or buckles, taking them off will take as long as reading this sentence.
A physical world
The materials just feel really nice too. It is supple but tough. The mesh underneath the flap, where there are two zippered interior pockets, is soft enough to squish underwear out. The pockets—one small, one large—are handy and combine with a single outer pocket to hold any small items you want to keep separate from the main interior.
The bottom and sides of the duffle are made of 1,680 denier recycled nylon. It’s thick, sturdy stuff to resist wear and tear as you pick it up, put it down, and slide it around. The rest of the exterior is water resistant, though not waterproof. (Remember, there are still zippers.) But I carried both bags through wet, drizzly Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, and the sky kept pouring water on both bags without a drop. which seeps through.
Most luggage is black or navy blue. It’s classic, but boring, boring, boring. The Big Haul is available in all-black, for traditionalists, but it also comes in a number of eye-catching color schemes that combine a primary color with a carefully selected secondary color on the zipper and band loop. There is Mountain Moss, more mustard color than any moss I have ever seen; Twilight Purple, accented with electric pink; and my favorite, teal Stone Blue with accents of dull orange. Only Patagonia’s Black Hole duffle bags offer such Skittles-like color choices.
I have come to expect a lot from REI Co-Op equipment over the past few years. Even so, I’m still amazed at how successful Big Haul is. There are a few issues here and that is the lack of shoulder straps and the time spent using the necessary hook and loop accessories, but the Big Haul will serve you well on both city trips and adventurers. out side.
