The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 Review

We towed The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 across the country and the world. From airport sprints to the cobbled stone streets of Europe, we found this roller bag to be a perfect addition to the bag quiver when needing a smaller duffel that still offers wheels.

Storage and Ease of Packing

The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 comes in with 40 liters of volume and a D-shaped opening with compartments on both the top and bottom of the bag. Overall, the Rolling Thunder is very easy to pack and offers more internal organization than most standard duffles, even if it's not as roomy.

This duffel uses a hard-sided shell construction that makes packing a breeze. While other models are a bit more floppy, the rigid sides of The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 don't require you to prop up the bag while stuffing it with clothing and gear. We loved where The North Face decided to split the main compartment and the lid, allowing us to easily load up both sides, while the netting retainer on the lid helped with organization. This style of bag isn't ideal for larger, bulkier items, but as a carry-on and/or a commuter bag with wheels, the Rolling Thunder is very packing-friendly.

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Ease of Transport

As a bag with wheels, The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 is about as easy to transport as it gets. The one caveat with bags like this is that you'll have to carry them if the pavement turns to gravel, dirt, or grass. If your travels primarily take you over smooth pavement or indoor tiles, put this at the top of your perspectives list for city commuting and airport travel.

The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 uses a hardshell chassis to make rolling it a breeze, even when fully loaded. The rigidity allowed us to push and pull it across long stretches during layovers, and the wheels performed very well throughout all of our testing season.

For those times when you need to carry the bag, there are decent padded handles at the top and sides, but there aren't any backpack straps if you need to go further. We were also able to add a backpack with a luggage pass-through strap to the Rolling Thunder quite easily, and simply rolled both bags together while in transit. The dimensions of this bag worked well for our team as a carry-on in the overhead bin on airplanes, but please double check that this bag's dimensions will work for you on your favorite airlines.

Protection

As a bag made with 1000 denier polyester and a clamshell design, the The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 is particularly trustworthy when it comes to protection. We would happily place a laptop, camera gear, and other electronics in here.

A hard-sided bag like the Rolling Thunder 22 is not always easy to come by in the duffel world, but this option kept its form after months of testing. Fragile electronics and even some delicate birthday presents were safely transported in the Thunder 22, though we did take extra care to pad such items. The handle suspension system runs along the back of this bag, making the main compartment ideal for your most precious items, which are then further protected by whatever clothes you put in the lid. This bag also includes a laptop sleeve and a glasses compartment, which we happily used. However, if you're planning to toss this duffel in the back of a truck or strap it to a roof rack, we suggest putting your laptop inside a separate sleeve and putting it inside the main compartment.

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Construction Quality

We've seen many roller bags across several categories here at GearLab and are happy to report that The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22 is made better than most. As previously mentioned, this bag doesn't skimp on materials, with 1000 denier fully recycled polyester and wheels that handle abrasive ground well.

The handle of the Rolling Thunder 22 uses a button system that's substantially easier to lock/unlock than others, and the sliding was consistent throughout testing. Even when fully extended, the handle didn't flex much, even with our personal item bag resting on it. All stitching and zippers held up well throughout our testing.

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Weight-to-Volume Ratio

This was the lowest-scoring metric for The North Face Base Camp Rolling Thunder 22, which is to be expected for roller bags.

At 8.2 pounds, the Rolling Thunder 22 weighs substantially more than most of the competition. Given its 40-liter capacity, the resulting weight-to-volume ratio is 3.24 ounces per liter, compared to the .77 ounces per liter of our Editors' Choice bag, the Patagonia Black Hole. Some of the other bags we tested even weigh as little as .5 ounces per liter, making them double the size of the Rolling Thunder and a quarter of the weight.

Should You Buy The North Face Rolling Thunder 22?

If you want a protective roller duffel, the Rolling Thunder 22 should be put in your shopping cart, especially if you need it for commutes and air travel. You must make sure this bag meets your airline's carry-on allowances, and we also suggest double-checking that you're open to a bag that weighs over 8 pounds. Besides that, this is an incredible option that our testing team grew to love.

What Other Duffel Bags Should You Consider?