Bellroy Venture 40L Duffel Review
For some trips where I’m staying put for a while, I want to bring a few more items with me and for that a duffel is useful. For backpacking and travel heavy trips, a duffel is a pain in the arse. Some may wonder why I don’t bring a small carry on suitcase instead and the answer is simple, this 40L duffel can fit a lot more stuff while maintaining a smaller footprint and a much lighter weight.
Materials & Design
The main outer material is a 100% recycled water resistant woven fabric. The zips are solid with a heavy duty weather sealing strip on top of them. This does mean that they are more difficult to open and certainly don’t easily glide like on some bags. This is especially evident when the bag is new although they do loosen up a little with use. All the buckles, handles and lashing points are very durable and high quality. The strap is thick with a good amount of padding. In general this bag is very minimal and extremely well made.
Ergonomics
Not much to say here because it’s a duffel. It can be carried like a normal duffel bag or using the strap can be carried over the shoulder or on your back. The most comfortable way to carry it is like a duffel in one hand. Having it on your shoulder is very uncomfortable and your neck will hurt after a while. The padding on the shoulder strap is good though.
Features & Space
On the outside is a small weather sealed pocket perfect for some small accessories, documents and keys. On the inside it’s just a giant space. There are 3 pockets on the top of the bag with a stretchy mesh. These are great for things you might need quickly such as a hat, umbrella etc. The bag comes included with a shoe pouch that clips into the bottom however it’s not very practical and wastes a lot of space. The bag itself works best with square or rectangular packing cubes stacked on top of each other and assuming you pack efficiently, you could easily travel endlessly out of this bag. The biggest drawback is the lack of a laptop compartment however most people will have a small backpack too so it’s not an issue.
Summary
If you just want to move stuff from A to B, then this is a great solution and way batter than any hard suitcase. This is lighter, smaller and can fit a lot more stuff. However if you plan on hopping from place to place or need something ergonomic, this is not for you.
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