 This Product
The North Face Base Camp Voyager Duffel | |||||
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| Awards |  Best for Staying Organized on the Go Duffel Bag | Best Cram-It-All-In Duffel Bag |  Great Value for a Rugged Adventure Duffel Bag |  Best Simple and Rugged Expedition Duffel Bag | Best Duffel Bag On a Tight Budget |
| Price | $155.00 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $169.00 at REI Compare at 4 sellers | $140 List $139.95 at Amazon | $152.00 at Amazon Compare at 5 sellers | $28 List $25.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A high quality bag that differs from most duffels by provided plenty of organization pockets, great for life on the go | Packed full of adventure-ready features, this versatile bag is ready to tackle your next adventure, whether it's across town or across the world | This excellent duffel offers great features regardless of which size model you prefer and is budget friendly | Remains one of our favorite all-around models with its simple and rugged design | This budget-conscious bag still provides great organization features ideal for day trips |
| Rating Categories | The North Face Base... | Patagonia Black Hol... | Gregory Alpaca | The North Face Base... | HYC00 Travel |
| Storage and Ease of Packing (30%) | |||||
| Ease of Transport (30%) | |||||
| Protection (15%) | |||||
| Construction Quality (15%) | |||||
| Weight-to-Volume Ratio (10%) | |||||
| Specs | The North Face Base... | Patagonia Black Hol... | Gregory Alpaca | The North Face Base... | HYC00 Travel |
| Sizes Available | 32L, 42L, 62L | 40, 55, 70, 100 L | 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 L | 31, 50, 71, 95, 132, 150 L (XS-XXL) |
30 L |
| Material (Main Body) | Body: 300D recycled polyester tarpaulin with TPU laminate Bottom: 840D recycled ballistic nylon with PFC-free DWR coating |
900D polyester ripstop (100% postconsumer recycled) with TPU-film laminate | 900D polyester ripstop (40% recycled) with TPU weather-resistant coating | Body: 1000D polyester with phthalate-free PVC coating Bottom: additional layer of 840D recycled ballistics nylon with a PFC-free DWR coating |
Nylon |
| Number of Pockets (Excludes Main Compartment) | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Backpack Straps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| D or I-Shaped Opening | D | D | D | D | I, with D-shaped opening on bottom compartment |
| Laundry Compartment | Yes | No | Yes (partial) | No | No |
| Measured Weight | 2.9 lb (62L model) | 2.6 lb (55L model) | 2.7 lb (40L model) | 4.1 lb (95 L model) | 1.9 lb (30L model) |
| Calculated Weight-to-Volume Ratio | 0.75 oz/L | 0.76 oz/L | 1.08 oz/L | 0.69 oz/L | 1.01 oz/L |
| Size Tested | 62L | 100L and 55L | 90L and 40L | 95L | 30L |
The North Face Base Camp Voyager is redefining duffel bag organization on the go, solving the jumbled mess-of-gear packing style of traditional duffels. After testing the bag side by side against others in our lineup, as well as using it on our own trips and adventures, we can confidently recommend the Voyager to travelers who like to have a home for everything, and everything in its home, but still need the flexibility, capacity, and durability of a duffel bag.
The Voyager is one the top bags in our lineup for storage and organization thanks to several internal and external pockets that keep small items easily on hand when traveling. The Voyager easily fits a respectable amount of gear for its size and has a large D-shaped zipper opening for easy access to the main compartment. We did note that the backpack straps can get in the way if they're not undone, though.
The main compartment also has a removable divider. Using toggles, you can place or remove the divider into two different spaces to customize the interior layout of the bag. We found this great for when we were packing up folded clothes and wanted them to stack nicely.
We tested the 62-liter version of the Voyager, and it's also available in two other sizes — 32-liter and 42-liter. Given how much we liked the 62-liter version, we wish it came in a larger size, as we had to choose other bags when going on a week-long adventure in Finland with a large and bulky packing list. That said, the size we tested still fit all five packing cubes in our standardized packing layout with a little room to spare. Even when fully packed, we were able to easily use the mesh organization pockets, as well as the external side pockets.
The side pockets were big enough to store a pair of sneakers or sandals, and also worked great for dirty, wet, or smelly items that we wanted to keep separate from the main compartment. We really like that these pockets don't cannibalize space from the interior of the bag. The third external pocket is good for small items like a wallet or phone, and has an integrated key clip.
Duffel bags were made to be taken on the go, and how easy a bag is to carry greatly influences its usefulness as a travel companion. The Voyager was easy to carry thanks to comfortable backpack straps and suitcase handles, as well as four grab handles
While the Voyager's straps were quite comfortable, they lacked the chest and sternum strap like other bags, and there were also other options in the lineup that had better padding. That said, the Voyager struck a balance between comfort and bulkiness. The backpack straps unbuckle at the bottom and tuck into a pouch on the top.
If you're just dragging the duffel a short distance or carrying it in from the car, this duffel has several other straps and handles that are very convenient. Two long briefcase-style handles velcro together at the top, and there are four lightly padded grab handles on all sides of the duffel. We loved having grab handles on each side — no matter how your bag is sitting or how you want to carry it, there's an easy and available option.
After you're finished traveling, or maybe even if you're carrying the Voyager as a spare bag, it is able to be stuffed away into its own pocket. This process is frustratingly tedious, and we weren't able to pack it in quite as neatly as it was originally. Still, this is a great feature for saving space, whether inside your closet or another bag.
Our testing process included both real-world testing during road trips and cross-country air travel, as well as methodical laboratory-style testing. To evaluate water resistance, we filled each duffel with towels and proceeded to drench them with a high-powered garden hose for a minute from all different directions. The Base Camp Voyager had such outstanding weather resistance that we put it through an additional round of testing to confirm no leaks or seeping occurred.
Although the Voyager doesn't have waterproof zippers, the small protective flap helped to direct water away from the zipper areas, a weak spot for most duffel bags. The 300-denier tarpaulin with a TPU laminate finish easily shed water during our testing without soaking the fabric or interior — even after prolonged high-pressure spray exposure, water drops beaded and rolled right off the bag.
We're a big fan of the padded bottom of the Voyager duffels. This thin layer of padding helps protect your gear from accidental bumps and scrapes that occur during airport and rugged travel. It also adds to the overall strength, durability, and quality of the bag.
The Voyager's 300-denier recycled polyester fabric and 840-denier boot are more than tough enough to survive the most rigorous travels. While these numbers are significantly lower than other duffels in our lineup, we didn't mind the tradeoff, given the weight savings, and still found the Voyager durable enough to survive the tests we threw at it.
During our hands-on tests and assessments, we noted no major concerns with the construction of the Voyager. There are double-stitched seams along the entire zipper, as well as reinforced webbing and handles. The zippers are metal, and the plastic buckles feel high quality as well.
A lower-denier fabric can help strike a balance between the overall weight of a bag and its relative durability. The Voyager achieves minimal sacrifice in both of these areas by pairing a lower denier fabric for the main body with a heavier-weight fabric on the bottom of the bag, where most of the wear is likely to occur.
We measured the weight-to-volume ratio of each bag and calculated the 62-liter Voyager to come in at 0.75 ounces per liter of volume. This places it in the lower half of our lineup. However, given the number of extra features and pockets the Voyager has, we think this added weight is worth carrying.
The Voyager is one of our testers' favorite overall duffel bags. It consistently scored above average in most of our testing metrics and stands out for its quality and ease of packing and organizing items for life on the go. If you prefer packing in duffel bags but lament the lack of organization pockets in most bags, then the Voyager may be one of the best options for you thanks to three external pockets, a dividable main pouch, plus two zippered internal pockets, and one non-zippered.
A runner-up when looking at duffel bags that offer great internal organization is the REI Co-op Big Haul. This bag offers many of the same features as the Voyager, like dual internal zippered pockets. It has a slightly different pocket orientation inside, one is vertical the other is horizontal, and fewer external pockets. It does, however, come in a 90-liter size if you're looking for a larger duffel that still offers great organization features. Our other favorite duffel in our lineup is the Patagonia Black Hole. It performs almost exactly the same as the Voyager in most areas but features a single main compartment if you prefer fewer pockets in your duffel. Lastly, if your travels demand the most rugged features available the Yeti Panga Duffel 50 is a fully waterproof duffel bag and dry bag hybrid, and the The North Face Base Camp is a simple and rugged bag designed to survive the toughest expeditions out there.
