I'll be honest that my decision to go with the Base Camp Duffel was swayed by the fact that The North Face's description of it involved talk of strapping it to the back of a yak. Any duffel made for that level of adventure has to be good! Of course I did my research too and was impressed with its no frills functionality and extremely durable materials. That baggage handler may have just tossed it 10 feet out of the belly bod onto the tarmac but this duffel can handle that just fine with extra bartacks and double stitching. Ample daisy chains down the side enable you to lash it to cars and animals (or anything else you can imagine). A nice little extra feature is shoulder straps that allow you to carry it like a backpack should the need arise, though this becomes uncomfortable fast with any substantial weight as there is, of course, no hip belt. Compression straps allow the size to be somewhat adjusted while a nice mesh pocket under the lid helps you get more organized. And the fact that these duffels come in size XS to XL enables you to really cater them to your needs. I currently have the blue duffel pictured above in a medium which has been plenty big for trips two weeks in length and greater. And it's still looking fresh after several years on the road and trips to Africa and Asia. Now if you're really into organization and separating things into stuff sacks before packing it isn't enough, then you'll probably be disappointed in this bag's lack of pockets. If you're fine with the stuff sack method then I'd highly recommend this duffel for those times you decide to adventure sans a backpack.