The North Face Base Camp Voyager Duffel Review: Packable Travel, With Trade-offs

Introduction

The Base Camp Voyager is an updated take on The North Face Base Camp, built as a simple packable travel duffel with improved carry comfort, interior organization, and a dedicated laptop compartment. The smallest 32-liter version reviewed here is sized for carry-on use, and the line also includes 42-liter and 62-liter versions.

Who This Product Is For

The Voyager suits travelers who want a light, flexible duffel that carries like a backpack and swallows a surprising amount of gear. The 32-liter version works as a carry-on, the 42-liter could also function in that role, and the 62-liter is best saved for checked luggage. If you mainly need one big open compartment and can live with mid-grade materials, this is a reasonable fit.

Main Strengths

The headline feature is the huge main compartment with an adjustable divider. It is a simple padded stiff fabric panel that attaches to toggles, two on the top and three on the bottom. You can move it to the middle of the bag or about a quarter of the way in, lie it flat, or remove it entirely. Considering how easily gear shifts around in a duffel, it is surprising more bags do not use something like this, and it adds organization without much weight.

Packing is easy. Two medium packing cubes fit in the main compartment without trouble, and gear can be shuffled between the divider sections or the end pocket. Fully loaded with typical travel gear, the bag weighed about 6.5 kg (14.4 pounds).

Pockets and Organization

The exterior has two full-volume end pockets, an external water bottle pocket, and several carry options. One end has a thin slash pocket, while the other folds into a deeper pocket large enough for shoes or dirty laundry. Note that only the interior middle panel of that pocket has the waterproof coating, so wet items could potentially leak into the main compartment. The water bottle pocket lays flat with a snap and expands to hold a slimmer one-liter bottle, though how snugly it fits depends on how full the main compartment is.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Materials and Build Quality

The Voyager is marketed as an expedition-style duffel, but it is really more of a mid-grade pack: 300 denier polyester with a waterproof coating. It will hold up to abuse reasonably well, but it is not as refined as the Patagonia Black Hole or the Thule Chasm. The YKK zippers are decent and large, but the buckles are smaller, off-brand Woojin units, compared with the much larger Duraflex hardware used by Patagonia.

Laptop Compartment

The external laptop compartment sits behind the backpack straps on the back of the bag. It is a nice feature, but the padding is thin, with only a thin layer of foam on the outside and none on the inside. A 15.5-inch Dell would not fit, so the advertised 15-inch fitment is optimistic. A seam around the edge helps protect the laptop’s edges, but you will feel the thin padding against your back while carrying it.

Carry Comfort and Wearability

The carry system includes stowable backpack straps and four side carry handles, all attached to thick nylon webbing that runs around the entire bag and adds durability. There is no shoulder strap included and no sternum strap, though daisy chain webbing runs around the bag so you can attach an aftermarket strap in almost any orientation, which sits better on the hip given the bag’s rectangular shape. Fully packed, the bag is decently comfortable but feels a little boxy, and the straps, while wide, are thinner than similar packs. The straps are removable, attaching with plastic buckles at the bottom and stowing behind a fabric flap on the lid. Back padding is minimal, though that is common in this style of travel duffel.

Sizing Discrepancies

The listed dimensions, 22.7 x 13.8 x 8.7 inches (57.6 x 35 x 22 cm), run slightly long. In practice the bag measures closer to 21.5 to 22 inches in length and just about 8 inches deep, with width roughly accurate.

Buying Advice

The design and capacity are genuinely good, and the bag is lightweight for what it holds. The sticking point is value. At the $125 price paid for this bag, alternatives like the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel offer much better materials, and the Jack Wolfskin Expedition 30, at $70, brings thicker fabrics, better hardware, and better zippers. If build quality per dollar matters to you, look at those alternatives first; if the layout and removable divider win you over, the Voyager still delivers.

Conclusion

The Base Camp Voyager 32L is a lightweight, thoughtfully organized travel duffel whose main compartment and removable divider outshine its mid-grade construction. It works well as a carry-on companion for flexible packers, as long as you accept that the hardware and padding do not fully match its price point.