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Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 55L Review

A duffel-style backpack with an unmatched weight to volume ratio and excellent durability that is well suited for multi-day vacations or expeditions
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Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 55L Review (The Black Hole Duffel is lightweight and stuffable.)
The Black Hole Duffel is lightweight and stuffable.
Credit: Hayley Thomas
Price:  $169 List
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Manufacturer:   Patagonia
By Liz Chamberlain and Hayley Thomas  ⋅  May 15, 2023
79
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort - 25% 6.0
  • Features - 25% 8.0
  • Packing and Accessibility - 25% 8.0
  • Volume to Weight Ratio - 15% 10.0
  • Durability - 10% 9.0

Our Verdict

The Patagonia Black Hole Duffel offers ample space while remaining very lightweight and without compromising durability. This duffel is tough yet pliable, meaning the ripstop nylon is durable and water resistant, yet the material is flexible enough that you can squeeze a seemingly endless amount of items into each corner. The mesh pocket on the zippered flap and the small external easy-access pocket offer enough organization for those who have a smaller bag to support their travels, but packing cubes may be necessary if this is your only travel bag. If you're a throw-and-go packer looking for a duffel that offers the convenience of a backpack carry, the Black Hole Duffel is a solid choice. Compare it to top competitors in our review of the top travel backpacks.
REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight
Very spacious
Backpack straps
Waterproof
Super durable
REASONS TO AVOID
One open compartment
Limited organizational pockets
Can feel slouchy when not full

Our Analysis and Test Results

This soft 55-liter pack is 27 x 16 x 12.5 inches when stuffed and weighs less than three pounds. It is great for longer trips and durable enough to potentially last a lifetime. Read on to see how the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel held up to our testing regime.

Performance Comparison


patagonia black hole duffel 55l - finding the right travel backpack can serve you well whether you're...
Finding the right travel backpack can serve you well whether you're traveling across the globe or just to your favorite local spots.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Comfort


Patagonia is known for checking all the boxes, but it is difficult to make a truly comfortable duffel-style pack without a proper harness system, especially at this size. The 55-liter Black Hole Duffel is big, soft, and stuffable, which means it can get heavy very quickly. The shoulder straps are somewhat thin but surprisingly comfortable as the foam is dense.

The comfort of this bag highly depends on what you're packing and how you pack it. Since it is essentially structureless, packing things like hard shoes by the back panel doesn't feel good. It's best to put heavy items, like boots, down at the bottoms and softer, lighter items close to your back and at the top of the pack. Packing cubes are also very helpful here, and having a fully stuffed backpack helps keep everything in place.

patagonia black hole duffel 55l - the comfort of this structureless pack depends heavily on how you...
The comfort of this structureless pack depends heavily on how you pack it.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

At the end of the day, not having a hip belt on a 55-liter backpack is somewhat of an oversight, but the Black Hole is meant to be a duffel that can be carried like a backpack and not the other way around. When considering that, we understand why the design doesn't prioritize backpack-style comfort.

patagonia black hole duffel 55l - a hipbelt sure would make the black hole duffel more comfortable.
A hipbelt sure would make the Black Hole Duffel more comfortable.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Features


The Black Hole Duffel offers two different carry modes: a snap-secured set of handles that carry like a duffel and a backpack-style with over-the-shoulder straps that attach and detach via D-rings and Duraflex buckles. The D-rings are super incognito without the backpack straps attached, and they work very well, despite what our testers expected when first inspecting the design. The buckles at the bottom of the bag don't have a garage to tuck into, so they flop around a little, but they still remain mostly out of the way.

There are daisy chains on each side, great for clipping water bottles, climbing shoes, or any irregularly shaped items that might make the inside feel too bulky. The two hauler handles on each side of the bag, made of folded nylon webbing, are great for moving the duffel around while it's open or pulling it out of an overhead bin. The main compartment zipper is covered with a storm flap for weather resistance. That, paired with hefty YKK zippers, truly helps keep moisture out, even in heavy rain.

Daisy chains add bonus room for adventurous travelers who like to...
Daisy chains add bonus room for adventurous travelers who like to tag on rope, sandals, helmets, etc. that are otherwise too bulky to put inside.
The removable backpack straps are very quick and easy to connect or...
The removable backpack straps are very quick and easy to connect or remove and surprising stable and strong for the simplicity of the design.

The strap adjusters pull up rather than down to tighten, which is unique to some Patagonia bags. We are unsure of how we feel about it. Some testers prefer the feeling of pulling the straps up to tighten, while others prefer pulling down and back. The one thing we all agreed upon is that pulling them forward means that they flop around in front of you, which can be a little annoying when on the go.

patagonia black hole duffel 55l - the storm flap is very generous and effective.
The storm flap is very generous and effective.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Speaking of annoying, the duffel straps share the same side as the backpack straps and have nowhere to go when you have the Black Hole Duffel in backpack mode. This makes it easy to get your arms stuck in the duffel-carry straps when putting it on as a backpack, and if the straps are clipped together, they tend to dig into your back.

patagonia black hole duffel 55l - you might want to leave the clipable duffel handle unclipped when...
You might want to leave the clipable duffel handle unclipped when wearing he Black Hole as a backpack.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Packing and Accessibility


The Black Hole Duffel is modeled after a true duffel bag and is therefore very simple without the need for excessive organizational pockets. It has a small quick-grab zipper pocket that is accessible from both the exterior and interior. This pocket also comes with a minimal key clip.

The main compartment has tons of room with little organization, as you'd expect from a duffel. Like many travel bags with large main compartments, we suggest using packing cubes for optimal organization. There is also a shallow zippered mesh compartment on the main flap, which is great for anything you'd like to keep separate from the larger bucket-style compartment. The mesh makes finding smaller items easy, although it would be nice to have a few smaller mesh pockets for organization sprinkled throughout this pack.

The main compartment is vast, and works best with packing cubes.
The main compartment is vast, and works best with packing cubes.
A simple, but stunning duffel-style travel pack.
A simple, but stunning duffel-style travel pack.

Volume to Weight Ratio


The Black Hole Duffel is available in sizes as small as 40 liters and as big as 100 liters. The 55-liter pack we tested only weighs 2.57 pounds — this is insanely lightweight for its carrying capacity.

Durability


The TPU-coated, 900D ripstop polyester that makes up the Black Hole is an absolute dream. Duffels like this are meant to be placed on the ground, tossed up into overhead cabinets, and brought along on treacherous expeditions, so durability is paramount.

The nylon webbing daisy chain and grab handles are all made of 100% polyester and are Bluesign-approved recycled material. The number 10 durable YKK zippers and Duraflex hardware ensure longevity in all the moving parts, and the bottom of the bag is also slightly more padded for protection.

This giant, volumnous adventure duffel is easy to throw around and one of the most waterproof bags in the rain and snow.
Credit: Liz Chamberlain

Should You Buy the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel?


If you are looking for a lightweight duffel-style pack with a high volume capacity and durability to match, then this bag is pretty close to perfect. Not to mention, it's rather affordable for the space it provides. That said, if you're more focused on organization, structure, and features, this may not hold the value of other packs in this category. We feel the Black Hole bag is a high-quality duffel at a fair price with lightweight yet durable material components.

patagonia black hole duffel 55l - if organization is a priority, maybe check out another bag, but the...
If organization is a priority, maybe check out another bag, but the space and volume offered by the Black Hole duffel is excellent.
Credit: Liz Chamberlain

What Other Travel Backpacks Should You Consider?


If high volume is your main priority, another pack that offers high-quality comfort is the Osprey Fairview 55. It is heavier than the Black Hole Duffel but has a comfortable backpack structure and useful features like a removable daypack and internal compression straps. The Peak Design Travel 45 is another favorite, but it is almost twice the price and geared towards the traveling photographer or business person.

patagonia black hole duffel 55l - if you're looking for a big, snazzy, lightweight duffel, that can be...
If you're looking for a big, snazzy, lightweight duffel, that can be carried like a backpack, its hard to go wrong with the Black Hole Duffel.
Credit: Hayley Thomas

Liz Chamberlain and Hayley Thomas