...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...
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Buy High Sierra 32" Drop Bottom Wheeled Duffle Now
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!
Read Best Reviews of High Sierra 32" Drop Bottom Wheeled Duffle Here
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 -awesomebag. 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.
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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.
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