There are a bunch of ways you can haul your gear around the world. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of carry-on hard-sided rollers in the overhead bins.
But for every three of them that get placed in the bins, there are one or two that get rejected—mostly because there’s just no give in those bags to squeeze into allotted space.
Just because a bag has soft sides doesn’t mean it’s not hardcore enough to protect your gear.
Check out the Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler Special Edition 60-liter duffel, as an example.
The duffel is made from the same high-tech X-Pac sailcloth fabric used in top-tier sailboats, which withstands UV rays, high winds, and stormy weather.
The fabric has four layers of toughness: an exterior DWR abrasion-resistant woven nylon, an X-Ply Yarn for strength against tearing, a waterproof PET Film, and a polyester interior to keep the bag durable longer.
All this makes the duffel waterproof, and the water-resistant polyurethane-coated zippers work along with the waterproof fabric to keep your gear protected from the elements.
The zippers aren’t 100-percent waterproof, however, so don’t get all cocky and dunk your bag in the ocean, or anything silly like that.
The Cargo Hauler has ergonomic backpack straps that allow you to carry the bag on your shoulders. Those moisture-wicking straps are easily removable when you don’t want to use them, but when they’re on, they’ll cushion the weight of the pack and allow a comfortable carry.
They can also stay attached, and by using the snap-closure wrap, you can carry the bag a different way.
The main compartment has a U-opening, so it’s easier to see all the bag’s contents at once. There’s one interior mesh zippered compartment, as well as two end pockets. The duffel will store within one of those end pockets, if you don’t have a lot of storage space.
Want to keep the bag secure? The zippers can be locked, and the top zippers will secure into a central lock point, so you can travel through crowded areas without worrying about your bag being accessed by anyone other than you.
The Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler Special Edition 60L duffel comes in one color combination: white diamond/black. It lists for $229 on the Eagle Creek site.