Customer Reviews

High Sierra 32" Drop Bottom Wheeled Duffle (Graphite/Titanium/Spring)

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

...compartments are designed! Read on for details...

This is a very thoughtfully-designed bag! Handles in all the right places and durability to boot! My beau and I took it on a 6-week tour of Italy & Spain (mostly walking, buses, trains, 4 plane rides, a few cabs, and a Mercedes) - pulling, toting, lifting... all were very easy with this bag. The COOLEST feature (that I have not seen on another bag in this "class") is that the inside cavity is divided into **two large SEPARATE sections**, accessible by various zippers, and also, convertible into one massive section. This feature was great for us, because we only took this one bag with us (to save fees & increase convenience). Because of this feature, I could have one part of the section and my beau could have the other part of the section, both totally separate. The sections "split" at the "hinge" of the bag, so when we rolled up to a new hotel (and there were MANY!), we just popped open the bag at the hinge and he could get to his things and I could get to my things, without tossing around the entire contents of the bag (or messing up the other's organizational system)! This feature makes this bag SO MUCH MORE CONVENIENT that others without this feature, whether you are two people sharing a bag, or one person who wants a compartment for clean and a compartment for dirty or a compartment for casual and a compartment for dressy, etc. It's like having a rolling dresser with you - like how many of the old steamer trunks (for long voyages) were designed.

We liked this feature so much, that we bought the matching smaller carry-on version for a recent trip to New Orleans. With the help of some space-bag style compression bags, I was able to pack a dozen adult-sized outfits, a bath-towel, my bed pillow, lots of shower items, numerous electronic gadgetry & chargers, and even two pairs of flip-flops! And, that was in the smaller version of this bag!

Other great features you never knew you needed:

**padded back-pack straps** (these are great when you're trekking through muddy or dirty ground, or up a lot of stairs or need to carry/hold on to something else in your hands, etc.) - if you're strong enough to carry the packed pack on your back, just remove the straps from their pouch, slip them on your shoulders, lift/stand with your leg muscles, and you're good to go. As with most rolling backpacks, there's a nice flap that covers the "exposed" part of the pack so your back/butt stays clean when carrying it on your back.

Also, there's a **very big and roomy pocket on the top** that can hold something about the size of a child's bike helmet. This pocket is great for shoes, chargers, snacks, travel umbrella, flashlight, wet clothes, travel guides, etc.

My beau says the **duffel-style straps** on this bag, the ones that go across the girth (belly) of the bag, are a great option for carrying the bag up a short flight of stairs or loading onto an airport shuttle luggage rack, etc. Much easier than trying to do this with a bag that only has a top or maybe a side handle. Another great feature of these straps is that they are held together by a padded velcro-closure handle, which can be used to **secure the bag to something stationary** to give it a little more security then without this. It's no stainless steel cable, but I bet a thief (or mistaken/confused passenger) would be less likely to casually pick up and walk away with a bag that was tethered, than one that is not.

Even completely full, I found the bag to be **well-balanced and easy to wheel** through most terrain (even those old European cobblestone and gravel alleys!) The **zippers are easy to close** and the fabric (so far) has proven to be **very durable** (we've taken it on numerous long trips in the 4 years we've owned it).

We own the Graphite/Titanium/Spring (grey with lime green accents) colored bag. So, another bonus is that it **doesn't look like all those black wheeled suitcases out there**, so it's less likely someone will accidentally walk off with the bag, or that you will mistake someone else's for your own. Remember, a tightly-tied bandanna or brightly-colored ribbon will minimize the possibility of this, as well!

Happy Travels...

I rely on reviews here at Amazon to help me make informed buying choices. I hope this review has helped you in the same manner. If you voted this as helpful, I Thank You! :)

This bag is awsome. I have had it for about a year now and it shows absolutely NO wear. It has been to Australia, China and Mexico to name a few places. The zippers are substancial and hold up to being pulled on. It is made of heavy canvas and huge clips keep this baby closed. This bag will be over your weight limit if you cram it full with clothes and shoes, I always leave the expansion zipped on the way to my destination so I have room to bring things back! I am so glad I replaced my American Tourister bags that the zippers are falling apart on with this one. This bag doesn't hit the back of my legs or tip over when I pull it, so annoying when that happens. I am shopping for the 26" matching piece and a carryon for the next trip down under.

This duffle is even better than I had hoped! I travel to different settings: camps, college campuses, hotels, etc in a variety of vehicles. The bag is great for using in a car, taking on a bus, the train, or plane. However, it is very easy to load it to over weight, without even filling it!

The bag is extremely well laid out. The drop bottom's divider is great for separating shoes from clothing. The straps in the bottom are actually usable, unlike some other luggage I have owned. The top area is enormous by itself, even without using the bottom. I have not opened the separator to make one gigantic bag yet, but it would do so very easily and efficiently.

The wheels are very smooth; held up well over the rock and gravel paths at a camp, as well! Once expanded, the bag's bottom is well constructed; the flip-up support makes it sturdy and allows the bag to stand up as well as it did un-expanded. That was a major selling point for me, that it could stand up when fully packed. The tie-down straps on the side appear just for show at first, but when we had it fully packed while expanded, the straps actually helped to snug up areas that would have sagged otherwise.

At first, this duffle might look like it is only for show, but it is truly made for go! I have had four people that I work with ask about the bag and where I got it. This bag was a great deal for the price!

I want to make it clear that this review reflects my experience traveling through India, which is not exactly normal, everyday use. If you read through some of the more glowing reviews, you will surely note that this is an -awesome- bag. Wheeling it from the airport to home, this bag reigns supreme. However, some rougher international travel brought about this bag's demise.

First of all, when I picked my bag up from Delhi International, the top zipper had broken off. I had placed a tiny travel lock to hold the two zippers together and when the bag showed up, both zipper pulls and the lock were gone. Perhaps what I did constitutes abuse, which may be the case, but it would have been nice to have some proper zipper locking loops secure the bag.

Next, after dragging the bag over rough ground and through a few ditches (pronounced, "Haridwar") the wheels began to bend outward. Their days are numbered. After noticing the wheels were on their way out, I started to use the backpack straps. After a week or so, the buckle on the right side exploded while putting it on. Towards the end of the trip, I was afraid to put anything in the bag and couldn't use the straps, so I ended up over-loading my smaller backpack to give the wheels a break. This really defeats the purpose of having wheels in the first place!

One last issue I have had is that the zipper, when the bag stands up, rubs on the ground. The zipper on the bottom is beginning to ware. As this zipper seems to be one continuous coil of plastic, when this goes out, the bag is effectively useless. This ware is compounded when the bag's expansion zipper is out. I'm not sure how much life this bag has left in it!

Over all, I expected a lot more out of this bag. Taking it from baggage claim to the curb, it's a champion, but when asked to do a little work, it disintegrates.

The bag was convenient to use, and the ability to strap it onto my back was very helpful in small hotels in Amsterdam and Belgium where our room was up several flights of stairs. The backpack straps were not particularly comfortable for me, being set a little too close together for my shoulders, so it may not work for everyone on longer hauls. The wheels and handle were sturdy enough for longer drags though.

Two minor downsides to the bag:

1. The green piping along the seams is already looking a bit warn. The bag material is holding up great, but the decorative piping has gotten a bit shaggy in spots.

2. Even without expanding the bag to it's full size, it's easy to go overweight for airline travel. We traveled with the duffel and a small case. I moved the heavy stuff into the smaller case, and the duffel still weighed 46lbs. It would be very easy to overpack with this rather huge bag and get yourself a heavy bag fee. ($150 for international)

Glad I bought this. It was very well suited for this trip, and doesn't look like the 200 black bags you normally find on the carousel.

I bought this bag for a 3 week trip to Patagonia and it far exceeded my expectations. On past trips I carried two conventional wheeled bags and wanted one bag for all my travel needs but still be able to stay within the 50 pound limit. I was totally amazed by how roomy this duffle is and yet still relatively lightweight, weighing just under 11 pounds. Yet it is extreemly well constructed and rugged. I took a total of 6 flights on the trip and there is no evidence of any wear at all, although in fairness there should be no wear at this point. The big thing I liked is the separate zipped compartment in the bottom of the bag where it holds a LOT of clothing and other gear. The top compartment is great for shoes, rain gear, sweaters and anything you don't mind getting a bit wrinkled. There are three other zipped compartments also which come in handy for misc items. It is very easy to stay well organized with this duffle!!! The bottom line is I got everything I needed to take on this trip in this one bag and still came in at 47 pounds, which amazed me. The wheels roll very easily and are designed into the bag somewhat which should reduce the potential for getting broken when being tossed around. Another big plus is the top handle which makes it much easier to handle the bag and load in/out of car trunks or van storage space. I highly recommend this duffle - it is far superior to any other I researched and I spent a lot of time reviewing various rolling duffles.

My wife and I took this on a cruise recently and loved it.

The features that I like about this duffle:
1) It stands on its own even when fully loaded
2) It has a separate drop bottom either for folded clothes, or shoes.
3) You can simply unzip the separator to have one huge compartment if needed.
4) It has large wheels that wheel smoothly.
5) A separate zippered compartment on top for easy access.
6) Collapses down for easy under-the-bed storage
7) Fits a lot of stuff without overpacking...we came in at around 48 lbs fully loaded.

The only areas I would improve are:
1) There are two settings for the telescopic handle (short and long) so you have to jerk the handle past the "short" setting every time which is a little annoying. I am 6'2" and the "long" setting doesn't seem to be long enough in my opinion.
2) The velcro covered handle for the straps on the top isn't big enough and comes apart easily .

We bought a pair of these for a two-week trip with cross-country air travel and several hundred of miles by car. They are lightweight, durable and held all our clothes plus a child's travel cot.

The bag rolls very easily. The zippers are strong and the straps provide additional support to keep it closed. The backstrap feature is great for lugging luggage up stairs in places that have no elevators or if you are pushing a stroller. It will go over the weight limit if you expand it but if you are traveling by car, these bags fit well side to side in any trunk and expand vertically as needed. If you're traveling with children the shape of these are especially good - we were able to fit an umbrella stroller as well (they're all similar in size and shape).

There was only minor damage from a major puncture caused by the airline, which was stopped in its tracks by the thick rubber-like padded lining on top of this duffel (I didn't even notice it until I saw how well it protected the contents). If I had used any other duffel, the contents would have been damaged, so I'm very happy about this. The small tear on top doesn't affect performance and can be easily patched.

I bought this for a 2.5 week trip to India. It handled everything well and holds a ton... much more weight than the airlines allow

I have a number of these bags now and like them all. Size, durability and dual compartment make this a no brainer when it comes to buying a reliable bag. I have used these to travel overseas and the drop bottom compartment is a must have feature if you are packing shoes, gear etc. and you want to keep them separated from your nicer clothes. It's a sturdy bag and for the price that I got for (just over $100), it's a no brainer to buy it. Easy to recognize too when traveling (unless you get the black one). I'd recommend this bag for travelers. I have used every aspect of it (including the backpack feature) and I can say that it is made so that it can be transported in practically every way you would need to depending on where you travel. No need to try to roll it up the cobblestone streets of Rome when you can temporarily use the backpack. Makes all the difference, even if it's only 10 minutes. You'll be happy you had that feature. Then put it back down and let her roll with you.