A duffel bag is so versatile. It holds gear, sex toys and body parts with equal efficiency. Just be sure to grab the right thing at the right time, if you know what I mean. The REI Duffel Bag is an excellent and inexpensive piece of kit that does a lot of things well.
REI put a lot of thought into what could have been an unremarkable bag. First off it comes in a zippered tote sack that doubles as a toiletry bag, with a hanging loop, two exterior compartments under a zipper and two mesh compartments on the inside. The duffle itself is a tough Cordura bag, stats for the medium: 12 inches in diameter and two feet long for almost 3,000ci capacity. It weighs in at 12.6oz minus the tote and included carrying strap, also nicely designed with wide 2in webbing and swiveling carabiner-style clips on each end. It has a beefy wrap around handle so go ahead and overload it.
So why is it Denali Approved? It was our sled bag last season, fitting perfectly in a cut-off 2/3 length kid's plastic sled. The medium size fit a tent (the pole length is the deciding factor), shovel, stoves and miscellaneous gear perfectly, with room behind it to tie in gas cans. The big plastic clip-in points for the strap have holes big enough to take a full-size carabiner for hauling. The dry weight of the whole sled, bag and cord haul system was under three pounds. The cut off edge on the back of the sled kept it from backsliding, and it could easily be slung over a pack for the technical sections. A great combination, easy on the legs and the pocketbook.
2 responses to “REI Duffel Bag”
I like the sound of that modified sled, do you have any pictures?
Hey Ryan, picture attached. It’s nothing fancy, literally just a plastic kid’s toboggan from REI cut off about 2/3 back. If you want to see a detailed illustration of how to effectively rig a sled for glacier travel look on page 36 of Glacier Mountaineering: http://gearflogger.typepad.com/weblog/books.html