Customer Reviews The North Face Base Camp Duffel - Small

This is a fun duffle bag in so many style and size options. I'd love them all. I prefer duffles over suitcases as they are lighter and more stuffable ;) This would also make a great gym bag, ski bag, or for any other reason you could dream up!

I have the North face L base camp duffle (95L) and I love it. When I was shopping for a new duffle I went with the North face due to durability, the look and I saved some cash. Two things that I did not like thou were the straps were in the way of easy access and no quick release and that the straps hung too low and long when I wore it. But I had some extra gun slings lying around and with a little work i built my own quick release and velcro straps to roll up the extra strap. This took me about 15 min and I am beyond happy with my bag. I was using the Force protection FOR 60 which is 112L and everything I packed into that easily fit into my new duffle bag. It locks easy when traveling and is much more light weight than my previous bag. I also dont find the comfort an issue and I carry this bag with me on many trips hiking camping or for travel.

Great bag, I ordered black but shortly after I got it, noticed they have even more great colors now for the small. Wish I had waited a week! This version is different that prior years as noted. Still no snap off straps which would be helpful. The video on the site looks like the straps snap off but nope. There are NO cay handles like old year....saw one complaint about that. Not that big a deal as the backpack straps can be used for 'hand' straps to carry the bag. Seems that hand straps and backpack straps would be a bit 'too many straps' but I never had the old bag so who know I have some packing cubes that i'll use to help keep the contents relatively in order otherwise it's one big open compartment and there would be significant shifting. No lock holes on the zippers but if you have the travel locks that have the wire loops like I do, they will still work.

Awesome bag. Used as a carry on for my trips with no issues. However it does take most of the storage in the overhead compartment. The back pack straps are a good idea but with a heavy load (50-70) pounds is a little rough on the shoulders. The straps need a little more cushion. But with a lighter load they work just fine. The material that the bag is made of reminds me of wrestling mat material and feels like a very durable material.

The bag survived the beach trip for 2 weeks! The bag really is huge- was able to pack full of smaller duffles.

Would give it 5 stars if all the straps and loops could be quickly disconnected or covered. When checking in baggage for airlines its a bit inconvenient to detach the shoulder straps and put them inside the bag. Even when shoulder straps are detached, the buckles are still exposed to snagging on conveyor belts. Wish the duffle had short cloth loops and quick disconnects "D" rings or carabiners to reduce the snagging hazard of the shoulder and side cinch straps. Other than that very happy with the bag. Whether traveling by helicopter, crew boat or in the back of a pickup truck, it keeps the contents clean and dry in adverse weather and environments. Especially like that it's easy to clean off grease and mud.

Incredibly durable and comfortable to carry. Bag is a great size for a 3 day weekend and great as carry-on luggage. A few more compartments would be a nice to have.

I love the bag, lots of room and very stylish. Too big to use for the gym but perfect for short trips and camping. The zipper sticks but maybe it just needs to be broken in. I wish there was an external pocket for quick access where I could put my phone, keys, headlamp, etc. I like the backpack style straps but wish it had a single shoulder strap as well.

I had a smaller one that has held up for years, needed a larger one.

This bag is great for so many things, but I love using it for a quick get away weekend on the fly.

Perfect for a 4/5-days trip!

AWESOME BAG. MY WIFE BOUGHT ME ONE AND I USED IT FOR A 3 DAY TRAVEL AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. SO I BOUGHT 2 MORE. WE JUST TRAVELED TO CANCUN, MEXICO FOR 5 DAYS....MY WIFE AND I, AND 2 KIDS...(1 y/o and 4 y/o). THE BAG WAS PLENTY SPACIOUS AND WE WERE EVEN ABLE TO CARRY ON (YES, NO CHECKING IN). THE COOLEST FEATURE I THOUGHT WAS THE 4 CINCH STRAPS. THIS ALLOWED ME TO REALLY CINCH THE BAG DOWN, MAKING IT SMALLER AND LOW PROFILE. IT FIT LIKE A GLOVE IN THE OVERHEAD. THE HEAVY STRAPS ALLOW FOR EASY GRABBING OF THE BAG, AND THE SHOULDER STRAPS ARE FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO CARRY COMFORTABLY. THE ZIPPER WAS A LITTLE RUGGED...WHICH ITS HARD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE WANT SOMETHING SECURE, BUT IT WASN'T TERRIBLY EASY TO OPEN IT AND CLOSE IT IF YOU NEEDED TO GET IN AND OUT OF IT OFTEN. THERE IS ONLY ONE FISH NET POCKET ON THE INSIDE ABOUT THE WIDTH OF THE BAG. IT WAS VERY PRACTICAL AND USEFUL. I DO WITH THE BAG HAD AND EXTRA POCKET OR TWO SOMEWHERE (INSIDE OR OUT), MOSTLY FOR SMALL IMPORTANT PERSONAL ITEMS (IE. WALLET, PASSPORTS, CELL PHONE).....BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF CHANGING THE FUNCTION OF THE BAG. COLOR SCHEMES ARE PRETTY COOL TOO. I HAVE THE GREEN CAMOUFLAGE, MY WIFE HAS THE HAWAIIAN FLORAL PRINT, AND MY KIDS HAVE A NEUTRAL NAVY AND ORANGE. WIDE SELECTION TO SUIT THE STYLE OF ANYONE. BOTTOM LINE.....THIS MEDIUM DUFFEL IS A MUST HAVE FOR TRAVELING. I RARELY EVER POST COMMENTS ABOUT THINGS I BUY.....BUT I'VE BEEN RAVING ABOUT THIS BAG BECAUSE I AM VERY VERY HAPPY WITH IT!!!

I actually didn't end up keeping this duffel as it was entirely too large for my intended purpose. I look forward to ordering a medium (maybe even small) one as a replacement. I simply wanted a high quality gym bag, and the Large size could carry a small child or too. I guess I wasn't watching the video very closely. It shows the medium on a girl's back - not the large - no matter which item you access the video from. Whoops! Loved the black sparkle color! It's just girly enough that my husband won't steal it :)

I was looking for a new bag, primarily to house my soccer gear, and wanted something that would last 10+ years. I looked at every Nike, Adidas, Underarmor, etc bag, and none felt like they would last. Then I found this bag. Very sturdy, great construction. Backpacks straps are nice and mostly comfortable. Bag is a simple duffel with only one mesh pouch inside the cover, but it holds everything you want. I bought the Small duffel.

The bag serms to be sturdy and the material seems heavy enough to be able to with stand a lot of punishment only thing I wish it had was a couple more pockets built into the outside to better organize things.

Every time I think the bag is full, I always find a way to shove another thing in it. I swear it's a black whole that can fit everything you need. I fit all my climbing gear and clothes for a week in it held up perfectly. I'm gonna get a large next time, but the medium is good for about a week long trip. The shoulder straps are surprisingly comfortable and easily adjustable. Would recommend to anyone!

I love my duffel, specially for trips where I'm not in the mood to pack up my sleeping bag and everything always fits in there. The material is good and waterproof and this bag has spent countless nights outside my tent in the middle of Iceland. The only thing is that being an average woman (173 cm) I find it really hard to carry it on my back and if it's not stuffed full it's almost impossible (had to drag it through the streets of New York which the straps did NOT like) and that's why I'm considering getting a Large duffel. It should be easy to carry but still big enough if I pack everything neatly!

I first choice the small tnf duffel bag n fast notices I need more space. These is the perfect bag for a week or 2 trip. And I great bag for to do laundry with and the book bag shoulder straps are amazing.

First off let me start by saying I like the material the bag is made out of, it is very durable and has held up in the extreme temperatures I routinely encounter in Alaska. However, I am displeased with the zipper. The flap does noting to protect if, I have had clothing get wet when rain dribbled through it. Also I have had surprisingly large quantities of snow blow through the zipper during winter snowmobile trip's. I would happily pay more for a bag with a true waterproof zipper, and I am actively looking for a replacement.

Please go back to the old design, with the old handles. They were much more funcitonal, and were useful to strap down the backpack straps. If you go back to the old design, I'll get a couple more bags.

This bag is extremely well made, material and stitching. Can't say enough how well-made it is. Perfect size also for carry-on. Easily can be used for a week trip. So the downsides? It is missing a shoulder strap and also middle handle. I know they redesigned this bag, but those are really big misses now. Very bulky to handle through an airport without the shoulder strap or middle handle to quickly grab and go. Because of this I opted out of this bag for recent travel. I instead went with Best American Duffel 3.0 bag and it is better made, American made, and extremely user friendly in all regards. Better cinch straps, arguably better bag material also. Check that bag out as part of your choice considerations. It is not 100% waterproof, but though will likely last a lifetime. North Face needs to bring back the shoulder strap and middle strap for this size of bag. Once they do, it will be hard not to reconsider.

I have had medium sized duffel for close to 10 years which I am still using - its perfect light, durable and works for all type of travel. Decided to get a second one in a size large - when it arrived I noticed that it no longer had handles for carrying. This is a big design miss. My recommendation - find and buy the older version - that one is a 5 star bag.

I used the product to move in to school & it helped tons. It would've taken me 4 days with out the bag. With the bag it took 1.

The Base Camp Duffel is still a bomber bag, but I'm perplexed that TNF has still not incorporated a waterproof zipper into a very weather resistant bag?? Even the lightest rain will still funnel directly through the large zipper like a fire hose and soak your stuff. You cannot just throw it in the back of the pickup and go, as you would assume. Pay very close attention to the orientation of the zipper. (put the bag on its side with the top flap facing down). Unless you never take your bag out of your covered vehicle, or it NEVER rains where you go... you're far better off with an MEC Scully, or an SW Motech dry bag. TNF claims the partial waterproofness increases breathability - but trust me, your stuff will stay plenty wet!

the zipper is horribel, i dont know if IT is just my bag, but i hate the zipper!