Customer Reviews

High Sierra 34-Inch Separating Wheeled Duffel,Black/Charcoal

5 star:		(0)
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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I work in a marine environment. Durability, resistance to environmental stresses such as direct sunlight, moisture, corrosion, and incidental physical abuse on my part are always part of my criteria when purchasing anything I might bring on a boat. When I first started buying bags I was a lot younger and didn't mind carrying around 50 pounds of gear on one shoulder but as I got older I started buying duffle bags with wheels. I used to buy Samsonite wheeled duffle bags thinking they were of higher end quality, and this is partly true. However, all the Samsonite bags I've owned so far have lost most of their functionality due to the rigid frame where the wheels are set snapping because the rods stop before they can offer any support and the wheel base has no extra support molded in.
It's time for me to purchase new bags again and I'm not made of money so I want a good value. I looked at Thule, Dakine, Samsonite and High Sierra. Thule and Dakine seem way over priced. I decided to take a chance on High Sierra this time and bought two bags of different sizes. The first thing I looked at when I received this bag was the frame. It's a much better designed component than what I had on the last generation Samsonite bags I owned. The Rods extend all the way to the bend where the wheels are set and the curved wheel base has some reinforcement design molded in. This bag has two interesting features that caught my attention. Instead of a shoulder strap there are back pack straps built into the bottom. Any time you run out of flat surface to pull you can always carry the bag with the weight evenly distributed on both shoulders. Also the top and bottom compartments are fully separable. If you need to work straight out of the bag, being able to get to the bottom section without flipping the top over is very convenient. Outer zippers are decent quality but snaps are not as heavy duty as I would like. The outer fabric used is not as good of quality as the Samsonites I've owned but there's an inner lining and the design is much better considering the added features and better frame. The comparable Samsonite line has a 3 year limited warranty which I was told might not cover the plastic base snapping. High Sierra has a 5 year limited warranty and I was told by them that the bag would be covered under warranty if the base were to snap but I don't think I'll have that problem with this bag. Without the key rollable feature being reliable, better fabric doesn't mean a whole lot so I'm fairly happy with my purchase at the moment. After 6 months of use I will revise my review accordingly.

-materials 4 stars (inner lining considered in score)
-design 4.5 stars
-build 4 stars
-warranty 4.5 stars
-price 2.5 stars (paid 115.00)

revised 11/27/11. The concept of the bag being able to be separated was designed by HS for dealing with flight luggage restrictions. Both my high sierra bags fully packed (because of necessity) costed me between 200 and 250 for being overweight each time I flew cross country. So really the only benefit I got from the feature was that I could use the two sides as extra storage to work out of which fit under my bed. The frame is still intact after flying twice. However, as I suspected from the beginning the fabric is too thin. My bag had a 2" cut after the first flight. I suspect due to airline employees mishandling my bag because it was overweight (55 pounds maybe). Even though the size and design of the bag made it very manageable, it wasn't a good value due to materials used in construction. I would definitely try a different product next time, either from HS or a competitor as I am quite satisfied with the other HS bag I purchased (A.T. Gear Ultimate Access 36"). No problems with that bag at all.

-materials 2 stars
-design 4 stars
-build 4 stars
-warranty 4 stars
-price 2 stars