Customer Reviews The North Face Rolling Thunder 30"

What I like best about this piece is the way it stands out when collecting your luggage. Yes, as a bight yellow bag it gets dirty easily, but still, not dirty enough to blend in with all the other luggage on the carousel. My son loves it so much he basically stole it from me. So, I just went and got myself another. Now HIS is dirty and MINE is bright and shiny.

Incredible bag. Holds all of my gear, and still has a little room to spare. Lack of a "pull up" handle makes it a little difficult to roll, but the option of handles off to the sides and in the middle do the job. I like the fact that the entire bottom of the bag is hard, allowing a little more protection for my binoculars and electronics. Made the difficult airline trip from Houston to Maine, and was abused. The zippers and construction is the same as it was when I bought it.

Extremely cute for short trips

Love the luggage, it's very practical and looks super cool. I also own an older model of it and the design is better, that's only I'm not giving 5 stars.

We use it for travel. Love the construction and the fact that it's small enough to fit in the overhead bins of airlines.

I don't understand the Sherpa strap. And I can't find a users manual for it or even a video on YouTube. Someone help me out pleaseeeeeeee

I bought this to replace my airline roller bag. It's half the weight and stores about the same amount of clothes etc. Not really happy with the wheels, they are squeaky out of the box, wobble while rolling, and get jammed when trying to roll the bag backward a few short feet

Only real issue I had with the bag - and this is super minor - is that the buttons to extend the handle are not easy to press at the same time with 1 hand. Getting on/off shuttle bus, moving from car to hotel, etc with 4 bags between 2 people, I had to stop and press each handle button to extend the handle vs. my normal fluid motion of the ole 1-handed-extend-while-walking. No biggie, but something for NF engineers to possibly consider addressing. That chonky handle is awesome though.

I got this as a piece of larger luggage for a 6 week international trip to NZ and AUS. My only criticism is that it's really heavy. Or at least it is for that length trip. Getting through customs, on and off luggage carts etc. it's heavy. But that's considering having a carry on as well as a very large "purse". It does keep things dry. Lots of storage although the zippers are a little heavy

We bought 8 of these bags for every member of our family along with the stratoliner because it is very durable. Great for mission trips. We're so grateful for the healthcare worker discount.

Its good

I use this to pack all my outdoor gear needed for outdoor actives

Great product with loads of capacity and easy to use because of the wheels.

I have only used it once so far. I usually take a few bags to take everything I need. This time I just shoved it all in this bag. The wheels were handy. However, to get it through a tiny twisty staircase was tricky. But it would have been with most bags. I am looking forward to taking this bag on a longer trip that includes air travel soon.

Great travel bag, love the hard base and soft top. The extending handle locks but the buttons to release are on the side as opposed to underneath the handle as with most bags. However, I still love this bag! I bring on work trips, works great as a carry on!

After my first trip flying with this bag I'm pleased overall. The inside could use another compartment or a customizable divider as it's basically an empty shell with a large mesh pocket built in. Seems really sturdy and it utilizes the max space allowed for a carry on.

Down side is that it's a bucket. Upside is that it's a bucket. Depending on your trip, sometimes having a bucket is great other times I wished there were pockets.

The capacity is great. The dimensions are also good (although I haven't brought in on a plane yet...that's next) The biggest problem is that one either needs to push both buttons on the handle to collapse the handle, or exert a lot of force. I have 2 other North Face bags and tried the Patagonia, and this was by far the most difficult. Knowing this...I still chose to buy it because I liked it in other ways. The bottom line is that I would not necessarily recommend this to a friend...but I wouldn't strongly discourage it either. And this suitcase is much better than so many other brands.

Great looking high quality bag. Purchased for sailing since it's duffel design collapses flat for easy storage in tight boat storage spaces. Way better than a typical suitcase which isn't bit friendly. I wish the bar frame that gives the bag shape was easier to collapse/remove so you could make the bag completely flat. It comes out easily but is a huge pain to reinstallI can't imagine trying to do it in the small spaces of a boat. Otherwise a solid product I'm excited to use on my next sailing trip.

Great looking high quality bag. Purchased for sailing since it's duffel design collapses flat for easy storage in tight boat storage spaces. Way better than a typical suitcase which isn't bit friendly. I wish the bar frame that gives the bag shape was easier to collapse/remove so you could make the bag completely flat. It comes out easily but is a huge pain to reinstall-I can't imagine trying to do it in the small spaces of a boat. Otherwise a solid product I'm excited to use on my next sailing trip.

One thing I can say when I opened the bag is the huge space for my personal clothes and also my work equipment and PPE! The quality of the bag and the material used is a big help as I work offshore and mostly our bags are handled roughly and the possibility of sea spray from crew boats is there! So excellent choice for me! Hopefully it will stand the test of time! The only reason I gave it 4 stars is the weight of the luggage, in comparison to other North face bags such as the duffel bags. But in comparison to others in the market, it is competitive! I do hope that one day North Face can find lighter materials yet still maintains its durability to make it lighter thus affording more personal stuff to put in! :-) Will make another comment in about 6 months' time to see if there will be any changes in my review.

I am really glad I bought the slightly smaller 19" version of this bag since I typically start and end my trips on a smaller aircraft with limited OH bin size. The 19 fits everything, and the 21 (like all 21" bags) will only fit OH on larger aircraft. If this is your only bag you might get it under the seat on some planes, but I put my entertainment iPad and laptop in a backpack for under the seat in front of me. Between a backpack and my North Face bag I almost never need checked baggage. If you typically travel on larger aircraft, the 21 should be fine, and I am very happy with the quality of build, the materials, and the design. The only hitch is the interior rib that gives the sides some support and protection. The end of it often comes out of the little pocket it is designed to slip into. Good zippers that appear ready for many more years of service. I have had mine about a year and would buy another if it was stolen or destroyed by the baggage manglers (handlers). Expensive, but worth it.

I travel al over the world, i love the duffles! I was excited when the rolling thunder came out. The red aluminum handles are awesome! The new handles are not as good, look cheap and in the long run are going to make more problems for returns.

I love that when full it stands up and does not fall over. However when full it is heavy and when you pull it behind for a while you want to push it instead. The wheels do not spin so you cannot push. Also the handle width is sturdy but uncomfortable after a while. It takes 2 hands to push the handle up and down

After first trip, material scuffed badly during transit. Due to this, have concerns regarding durability.