Last updated on January 3rd, 2018
The first piece of Eddie Bauer Luggage I ever bought was the Expedition Drop-Bottom Rolling Duffel (large). I traveled with the Expedition Duffel to Europe including Iceland, every country in North and Central America except Panama, and more.
This piece of Eddie Bauer Luggage has been tested and I feel qualified to review it. I only wish I was able to test it in the Arctic or Antarctica, but that probably won’t make a difference
The Pros
The main reason I bought the Expedition Duffel was ease of access to clothes or equipment. It has a two-compartment system for better organization. As usual, the main compartment has an over-the-top zipper system to open it. This makes finding clothes or travel gear easy. In contrast, a top-loading backpack will require you to remove all the top stuff before you can get something from the bottom.
In the bottom compartment, I usually put photography equipment like a tripod (some countries don’t allow tripods as carry-on) and my shoes.
The pull-out handle and wheels is a big bonus. It’s easier to move around the duffel in the airport or outside getting to your destination. The wheels are made with durable quality. It didn’t break on me by baggage handlers.
The Expedition Duffel has enough pockets for accessories, documents, or small personal belongings such as socks or underwear. There are two exterior pockets and one in the main compartment. There is a compartment for a luggage tag (luggage tag included), but the compartment is hard to find if you don’t initially know where to look.
The zippers are high-quality and didn’t rip on me. The main zipper sometimes gets stuck on the bottom-side. You’ll sometimes have to carefully swivel the zipper when closing or opening. But this is not a big factor in buying this product.
Read my Heys Luggage Review for why high-quality zippers and build are important.
The Expedition Duffel comes with a lifetime guarantee.
The Cons
The Expedition Duffel doesn’t have a backpack or shoulder strap. This makes it difficult to move around in third-world countries where you can’t use the wheels: the streets are poor quality or are dirt roads. An ergonomic backpack strap would go a long way. The large Expedition Duffel weighs 7.7 lbs. You can only carry it with one handle for so long.
I personally don’t think the name should be Expedition Duffel because you can’t go up a mountain with it by foot.
Due to physics, when moving the duffel with its wheels around corners, the duffel flips on to its side. This can get annoying. If it flips on concrete, the material will rip like in my case. Again, this is physics and I don’t blame Eddie Bauer.
Overall, this is a great Eddie Bauer Luggage product. I recommend it for most travelers. I don’t recommend it for explorers or adventure seekers.
I ended up returning the duffel bag due to the rips for a full refund. I couldn’t risk the holes getting bigger.
Specifications as per Eddie Bauer for Large Expedition Duffel
210D ripstop nylon / 1,680D ballistic nylon
Exclusive, patent-pending stand-alone feature
Main compartment is separated into two zippered sections for superior organization
Integrated compression straps eliminate excess loose straps
Retracting telescoping handle
Drop bottom with lockable zippers for extra storage
Reinforced inline skate wheels
Capacity: 4,088 cu. in. / 67L
26″H x 16″W x 14″D
Hola Parceros,
I’m the founder of Aperlust. I enjoy web development and SEO and am into snowboarding and linguistics. In my spare time, you can find me destroying my opponents in chess across the globe.
Looking at getting the carry on version of this! Tired of breaking the wheels on spinners while walking on cobblestone roads.