Thule Chasm Sport Duffel Bag

I bought the 130 liter Thule Chasm duffel as my main piece of luggage for a 4 week trip involving car travel, hotel stays, cruise ships, and a train. I needed clothing and some equipment for two very different climates, so I wanted a big piece of luggage that fit within airline dimensions but was sturdy and flexible and which could be put on wheels when necessary. The Thule Chasm 130L is 34" x 18" x 16.5", a total linear dimensional measurement of 68.5" which is over the airlines 62" dimensional limits if fully packed and expanded. However, if not packed to bursting, the bag's compression straps can be used to reduce the dimensions to what the airlines will accept. If airline limits aren't applicable, this bag easily can be packed in excess of both the size and 50# weight limits, yet is still manageable.The bag has multiple carry options, with optional backpack straps, a top carry handle, and grab handles on both ends. This made moving the bag around fairly easy, despite its large size. I wouldn't recommend carrying it long distances when packed full with clothing, however - it doesn't take the place of a decent backpack for hiking. Its weight when packed also makes it less than idea for long carry with the handles. I brought a collapsible two-wheeled aluminum handtruck with me that I could carry into the airline cabin after checking the bag. (Wheeled bags reduce the net luggage weight since the wheels are included in the airlines weight measurement.) I could place this duffel vertically on the handtruck and still have room for another smaller duffel to sit horizontally on top, all strapped in place to prevent shifting.The internal mesh pockets are useful for some internal organization, and the external pocket at one end provides storage for items to be accessed quickly without opening the entire bag. There isn't any internal organization for the main compartment; I use "packing cubes" (Amazon Basics ones work fine) to keep my clothing organized.Overall it is a great bag assuming you need this much storage space. It is an extremely big bag, and it holds a lot. Just the ticket if you have a lot to transport and need to keep your bag count down, but is overkill if you don't. One way to think of it is as the modern equivalent of a steamer trunk.

So, I did a LOT of research before I purchased this because I’m going on a month-long trip to Europe in a bit and I don’t want to be dealing with rolling suitcases on cobblestones and trains. It was important to me that the bag is the largest capacity possible while being a reasonable weight and size. This one fits the trick perfectly- I’m about 5’7” and I think this bag (90L) is the largest I can handle without toppling over, the picture isn’t the bag stuffed to its full capacity but I think it gives a pretty good picture of its dimensions relative to an average body. The construction seems excellent so far and I really like how solid and well-padded the straps are. Some comments I’ve seen talk about the strap hooks coming undone randomly but that doesn’t seem to be the case for me yet, we shall see. I’m really hoping that this duffel will be able to permanently replace my large Swiss Gear rolling suitcase, the capacity seems to be comparable and it doesn’t have any extra weight or space being taken up by handle and wheel hardware. I’m going on a shorter trip this week that will involve a lot of walking an bus rides so if anything happens, I’ll update the review!

I like traveling with a Duffel bags for the diversity/flexibility and space it gives me during longer travel, especially when you travel to a place that doesn't have room for a large suitcase storage (i.e., River Cruises). I own the Patagonia Black Hole (120L) Duffle. The Patagonia duffel is made well. However, the challenge I have with it (and the same problem with the North Face Base Camp duffel) is the "shoulder straps" for carrying on the back. Both Patagonia and North Face have a complex tie/buckle system that is NOT easy to remove and store, especially when your at the airport checking or picking up bag. the Thule Chasm fixing this big problem with a very easy and incredible simple clip. It takes a few seconds vs. the Patagonia/North Face that is frustrating and difficult to manage. The Thule duffel also has the largest opening to easy access clothes/gear. The material is as tough as North Face's duffel. Thule also added other tech like snaps to hold bag the handles when you carry bag on your back or a convenient pocket on the outside that enables you to store a copy of your travel documents. It's by far the best duffel I've used. Highly recommend you look at Thule over the others. AND if you need a larger duffel it's one of the largest at 130L. Patagonia only sells one 100L. North Face has one that's 130L and one 150L.

I needed a bag that had no unneccesary frills but would be durable and work well for 3-5 day trips and be easy to fit into a plane's overhead compartment, this bag fit the bill.Construction is solid, but I did notice a loose thread that had to be trimmed on the bottom edge seam. The double-layer material gives it structure to stand on its own without folding in half or collapsing under the weight of whatever is packed into it. The interior is spacious enough to fit a small toiletry bag and 4-5 days worth of clothes and some additional items. The backpack straps are fantastic for using this as a carry on item. Walk to where you need to go in backpack configuration, then unbutton the duffel carry handles to transfer it on/off the plane.My only complaint is that there isn't an external pouch or zip pocket where I could put a water bottle while carrying it in backpack configuration, I had to carry mine in my hand while walking through the airport, which was a minor annoyance. Overall however, if you're looking for a carry on compliant weekender bag that won't break the bank like an Aer or Bellroy, this is it.