This review is more than half a decade old. Perhaps it has been waiting for some unknown inspiration, or perhaps I simply forgot. The oldest of the three bags mentioned below was given away to a friend heading to Berlin years and years ago, in San Francisco. Otherwise every word holds true, and I publish it now for future reference.
I’m on my third. This is a statement of luxury and trust, because they haven’t died. The first one sits down in the garage, filled with cleats and hats, water bottles and discs. It goes with us to tournaments and is so often covered in dust that the black surface is permanently lightly textured.
The second one, also black, isn’t mine. It’s Tara’s, bought for a trip I can no longer remember. They’re not the same, these two black duffles with large silver logos on the ends. The newer one is the 2015 model, with no carry straps across the opening and smaller webbing handles and loops around the edges. It has an outside zip pocket at one end, which is transformative as the old version has only clip-on features on the exterior. Being able to stash keys, a transit card, headphones, a power cord, and an inhaler without opening the duffel makes it a much better backpack, and a much better single carry on. This goes hand in hand with the better backpack straps and the removal of the top carry handles which either dangled one on each side or rubbed in the middle of the back when the old one was used as a backpack. Filled loosely, as the one now used for cleats is mostly, that’s fine, but when traveling sometimes the bag is packed tight, and the carry handles made the shoulder straps harder to use. After a decade of promoting the bag for all purpose use the North Face designers decided to focus and optimize for the backpack carry rather than the single arm carry, and the bag is much stronger for their decision.
The third one, which sits above me in the economy class overhead on this flight to Shanghai, is gray with pink straps. In many ways it’s the accent piece to my travel gear, which is otherwise mostly gray, black, or dark blue. I have a bright orange Patagonia jacket that I mostly wear for ultimate that serves the same purpose, being by far the brightest thing I own. It’s immediately visible in a sea of players at a tournament, which is the point. Recognizable. The new bag is the same, bright and flashy while still essentially being a gray bag. It was a present from Tara in early 2016, before the spring travel season. I’ve checked it once, but mostly use it as a single carry bag, with pack-it cubes. Right now it’s filled with Amazon purchases for a friend in Shanghai, my wool hoodie, a spare pair of pants, and two cubes of t-shirts and underwear. On the way back it’ll be lighter, meaning I’ll conform to the rule of saving 10% for the journey, at least in one direction.
In a lot of ways this review then is about packing style rather than the bag. The details, the rough sketch of the bag, are important though: it’s very water resistant, and very dirt resistant. Most scuffs can be wiped or rubbed off with a dirt cloth. This is important when traveling in a lot of different circumstances with a bag on one’s back. If it looks beat to heck then so do I, because it’s as big as my torso. All 3 of our bags are the small size, 50 liters, which is really plenty for a couple of weeks on the road. If they were bigger I’d take more crap which would make them heavier which would make me want to travel less. The absolute number one rule I’ve learned these last few years is carry less stuff when on the road. It makes life a lot better, makes me more likely to explore, and makes me happier once I have done so. Backpack style travel enables faster transitions and better motion than wheeled luggage, with the trade off of one’s spine supporting whatever’s in the bag rather than the wheel. This is a good trade off in general, as it’s easier to change plans, to handle obstacles, and to blend in, but it’s a trade off that rewards packing light, as back pain makes me reluctant to climb stairs or explore alleys that I otherwise would want to.
The mesh pocket on the opening flap of the bag is great for pens, change, transit cards, and other quick access stuff. In the older version I used to leave my inhaler in there, which isn’t a good idea as the outside of this pocket is pressed against the center of the back when using the bag as a backpack. If the bag is full this meant the inhaler would jam into my lower spine. In the newer version the inhaler goes into the top zip pocket, which solves that problem.
The shoulder straps on the new version are wider, thicker, and spaced more naturally apart. They can also be used as a carry handle, grabbing both of them as a poor replacement for the old dedicated carry handle. Whether this is useful is a matter of opinion, but it’s not horrible. The side and end handles on the 2015 version are far superior. They’re slender, and there are handles on all four sides now, instead of just two. This makes a huge difference trying to get the bag fully loaded in and out of taxis, tuk tuks, and truck beds.
The big downside to this bag of course is the huge North Face logo. I’ve tried removing it, on my oldest bag, with very limited success. If anyone has a secret recipe that works and doesn’t damage the bag’s surface or waterproof nature, I’d love to hear it.
For those interested in the subtler color ways, there’s a genius black version that I’ve only seen in person in Bangkok but must be available elsewhere. It’s black, with a matte grey logo that blends in much better than the standard US version’s silver. Even better, the whole bag is lightly sparkled, looking like a star field at night. It’s just a tiny bit of flair on an otherwise very black bag, and a really wonderful effect.
I’ve gone with the pink and gray instead, because I mostly use this bag on work trips or on vacation, and it’s great to have an easily-visible piece of luggage after years of near-identical black gear.
All in all this bag is a steal at $120 US recommended retail, and I highly recommend it if this style of travel suits you. I’d get the newer 2015 version even if there’s a price difference, because the backpack straps and zip pocket are that big an improvement. And then I’d take it somewhere that it needed cleaning after.
Which is entirely the point.