I had never seen a bag like this one until I encountered it several weeks ago at Target. I was immediately struck by the utter practicality of the design. The bottom is like half a hardshell suitcase, and it protects business clothes and prevents them from being smashed flat and creased. The top is like a normal duffel into which you can dump a ton of stuff. I have already traveled around the world with it on a trip that required a diverse wardrobe and gear selection and found it to be almost ideal in terms of overall design. I actually have no improvements to suggest, beyond a slightly larger external side pocket.
It is relatively lightweight for its size, so the ultimate durability is yet to be determined. But I have seen no reason to suspect I won't get a few good years out of it, which is all I ask of a fairly cheap bag that gets used hard. But I will come back and deduct stars if it self destructs after three trips.
The Ful Hybrid was bigger than other 30 inchers in terms of width, depth and capacity. I wanted the 2nd big compartment and got it. But the big thing is, it's tough; much more durable than others of lower price, but shorter durability. I'll take it.
Buy Ful Hybrid Rolling Duffel Bag Now
This is simply an initial quality review of the Ful Hybrid rolling duffel. I really don't believe in doing legit reviews until I've actually had the chance to use the product, but since this product's use will span five weeks this summer, I'll do a followup on quality, etc. after.
My initial impressions are very positive. I ordered these primarily to use in international travel. I work with orphans and conduct documentary film/photography work in various places around the world. My travels take across a major ocean every year and I need a bag that can take the abuse. I need it to protect what camera gear I do travel in a checked bag (tripod, glidecam, light stands, umbrellas, and or softboxes) from the bumps of life of course this won't prevent theft. I also need it to carry my teaching materials (usually for English work, etc.) in addition to my clothing and personal items. My other bags made it to Australia, Turkey, Ukraine and Africa. And I will be trying THESE out on BOTH a two week trip to Ukraine and a 2.5 week trip to Africa this summer. I'll readdress my review after I have some real-world experience with them, but here are some initial thoughts and I've posted some images.
Surprisingly, the rolling duffels I purchased at Wally World several years ago held up better than I expected, but are now coming unstitched, zippers are missing their tabs and the fabric is rubbing thin not that it was ever superb.
I picked these up because they match my previous bags in length at 30 inches.
The handle is solid when extended, though not very long which will likely CONTRIBUTE to a longer life. This is not to say it's short, rather, it's not as long as SOME luggage handles, especially with tiered, interconnected rods, that are week. The fabric feels very durable compared to most and the harder, somewhat reinforced insert in the wall of the lower pocket appears to provide a solid base when sitting upright. The problem with most duffels is that they mold to the packed items, often creating a rounded base. This makes them virtually impossible to stand upright without holding onto them because they have a tendency to obey gravity all too well.
The end pockets are a very good size as is the center compartment. The diagonal zipper you see on the main product image opens into a very small pocket (see my pics). This sort of seems pointless to me as it won't hold much, but I guess if you wanna tuck something in there for quick access in the airport or whatnot it would work, but unless I was car traveling with it, I don't think I'd LEAVE anything in there.
One thing to note that's hard to tell in the product images is that the material that divides the upper bag from the lower shelled area has a see-through mesh center and actually unzips to offer through access. This can be viewed two ways.
1. The combo of zipper and mesh can weaken this divider layer causing rips or too much give over time thus rendering a two compartment duffel pointless.
2. It can provide you access to items in the lower area without having to flip the bulk of the load over to open the base. Imagine trying to open your suitcase with the bottom side up! You're tossing the bulk of your packed load up and away! This can help reduce that. In addition, if you WANTED a big single chamber, you can have that.
The former could present a problem, while the later could prove an outstanding quality. Only time will tell.
These are a few lbs heavier than my previous duffels, but the protective base and added fabric heft are a welcome addition. I think they are 7ish lbs each vs. my previous at around 5ish lbs each. I purchased two of them in the RED.
I ordered one and paid for the PRIME overnight so I could examine it before deciding if the quality was right for me. Once I decided to go with another one, I just had it come standard 2-day. It arrive the next day. One simply CANNOT complain about Amazon's shipping or service. It's outstanding.
BUYER CAUTION NOTE: when selecting colors, the top color which at this time is black appears to be the best value, HOWEVER, note that it actually comes up as a 28 inch version, not the 30 inch! Amazon needs to fix that. I almost ordered the wrong size! It won't APPEAR different at first, but add the black one to your cart and then click on the cart and you'll see it labeled as 28 inches.
More upon my return in late July...
Read Best Reviews of Ful Hybrid Rolling Duffel Bag Here
I am very happy with my purchase, have already used for a weekend, lots of room and when full, bag is not too heavy.
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Had it for one month. Went on cruise and on return, the entire wheel assembly on right was broken off. I also had another luggage piece that didn't suffer any damage because the wheels pivot whereas the wheels on this duffel bag do not. This product has a MAJOR engineering problem because the wheels stick out and don't pivot.
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This backpack is durable! Purchased it for my 3 year old for Pre-K and he is absolutely in love with it. My son is and in the 100th percentile for height/weight so if you have a smaller child, this backpack is definitely a little to big, otherwise great for kids!
