Overboard Waterproof Duffel Bag

I bought this bag a little under a year ago so I've had some time to get to know it. Overall this is a good, sturdy duffel bag. I haven't had a chance to test its waterproofing, but it does look like it should hold up to the rain well. It holds a lot of gear, and it is comfortable to carry. It is a great addition for camping, motorcycle luggage, canoe camping, boaters, or any other outdoor activity where you may need waterproof storage.My main beef is with the roll top closure. If you even slightly overstuff the bag it is difficult to close properly. It makes it hard to gauge what is and is not full/overstuffed because there is a LOT of excess material for the roll top closure. It seems like a waste of material. I'd prefer a zipper with a little extra flap of material over the zipper for waterproofing like some competitors use.Overall, it isn't quite a 4, but it is better than 3 stars. I rounded up since overall it is a pretty good bag and the price is terrific (what I'd have bought instead is the more than double the cost North Face Base Camp duffel). If I was buying again, I'd be pretty split between this and the more expensive North Face (just like I was when I bought it initially), I like it but I think I'd like the North Face better. I'm just not sure I'd like it $80 better.Edit Jan. 2017:I've had this bag for going on 4 years. It is durable and has really held up well. It is in nearly new condition and I use it every time I go camping (many times a year) plus it is often used as my luggage on non-camping trips. On the other hand, I still have my original complaint. With the roll top closure it really is a large waterproof dry bag. If you are going to use it for canoe or kayak camping it probably makes sense if you want to keep your stuff dry if you capsize without filling your duffel or backpack with a ton of small dry bags holding your stuff. On the other hand, for car camping or motorcycle luggage it is probably more waterproofing than you need and it is not very space/material efficient. For my purposes, and with the online price difference between this and the North Face option narrowing, I'd probably go with the North Face if I was buying again. Though, I do hope to do some kayak camping soon and this may be just about perfect for that.

I used this as a camera bag on a 16 day rafting trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, and it worked really well. Standard tube dry bags are a real pain to get into, and I needed quick access. I chose this size because it had plenty of room for my Sony A99, Zeiss 24-70mm, big Sony 70-400G, batteries, chest harness, filters, and other assorted bits all on a cushion of high-density foam I made for the bottom. There is a zippered bag and two mesh pockets with velcro inside that are great for small bits like the batteries and memory cards. The bag was stapped tight on to the rafts at times, clipped on with carabiners other times, lugged in and out of the rafts, and treated pretty roughly over the 16 days and it held up very well. The camera equipment is very expensive, but I never worried about it's safety in this bag.It was quick and easy to close and open. I was shooting pictures within seconds before going in to a rapid, then stowed the camera and rolled up the bag very quickly. After the big splashes were done, I unrolled the bag and popped out the camera to shoot the trailing rafts as they went through the rapids. As the opening is rolled, there is a strip of velcro that holds it closed while you clip the straps on either end. This is a great feature. The straps across the top can be clipped to make sure it can't unroll in rough situations.I plan on using this in my kayak in the future. It's big enough to carry my gear, yet small enough to fit between my legs in the kayak.

I've had this bag for 7 years now and many trips later it's still great. My only beef with it is the velcro. I hate having to rip into it when camping near others so I try to limit how many times I have to get into it but other than that it's great.

I think this thing has been great for my needs!! I purchased this as a storage bag on the back of my motorcycle and let me tell you, it has seen some days!! Plenty of sun, rain, and even a little snow. My bag has had about 40k-50k miles in the 0-130mph wind and everything inside has stayed safe and dry. I purchased this bag in 2012 and I am getting ready for a 6k mile trip currently to Canada and Alaska and I have no worries that this bag will do its job in making sure my camping and cooking gear will be good to go when I unpack it getting ready for camp. I have read some of the worse reviews and maybe we are just using it in a different way but I cant say enough about this bag for my purpose and I recommend it whenever asked. Price is much cheaper than some "bike specific bag" and 6 years later is still working great for me.

Seems well made. We use it a floor storage compartment of our boat that constantly gets wet. No leaks so far after about 3-4 months of use. I love the large size of it as well. The only thing besides the price I don't like about the bag is the roll down aspect of it. I have a different type that zips and then has a flap over it. I like that design much better. Because the bag is in a floor compartment, it takes much more work to properly roll the top down to where it fits on the velcro properly. Then you have to fasten the buckles to help make sure it stays rolled over properly...it does get aggravating; so I put stuff in this bag that I don't use that often.I have never fully submersed the bag in water to check for total water-proofness; nonetheless, it works ok for my needs and nothing wet in it yet.

Bought this to use instead of a roof box. We sling it on the car roof bike rack. It's cavernous. My high expectations re manufacture and robusness were met, and my low expectations re features were exceeded. In use it performed very well. I was concerned it might buffet at high speeds but it didn't.This will provide some good years of service.Edit: 5 Jan 2015 - Having used this extensively over the holiday period, I thought I'd just make sure I'd written a glowing review. Just to reiterate then - the bag has been outstanding in use. As a massive holdall, I cannot see how anyone could complain about it. There are a lot of bags out there that do the same thing for a lot more money and yet this is up to anything thrown at it. As a substitute roof box - not its intended use - it has been fantastic: there are some good loops and hardware points to thread rope through. When I first came to strap it to the roof rack, I used all sorts of rope, and ratcheted webbing straps. Now I just use a few metres of climbing rope, and can tie it down, or take it off the roof in a couple of minutes.

This is generally a well made product that is sadly let down by the design of the closure. You will need strong hands to wrap the closure up so that the velcro on the Fold Seal System actually meets each other to form a seal. If the bag is full this is impossible. As it is it takes several attempts and considerable time to achieve a closure and any thoughts of quick access in wet conditions should be forgotten. Every thing else about the bag is great but I very nearly returned it and I'm just hoping that the Fold Seal System loosens up or I'll have to stitch on another strip of velcro which will breach the waterproofing. Quite disappointing really.

I've been through a storm with this lashed to the back of my bike. 5 hours of rain at 70 mph. I was soaked to the skin and frozen due to poor bike gear. But not a drop of rain in the bag. Its sturdy and bright, good things on a bike. You have to take care to not over fill as that will make it hard to seal. Take your time you can't rush that bit.

Great looking bag, very large. Is it practical for lugging up and down the sides of commercial shipping ?, I would say it shortens the materials life dramatically, wearing through the bag within six months. The base of the bag needs to be made of more durable material.

I thought this was a bit of a luxury purchase for the kayakI have had it really soaked on several occasions without a tiny seep - infact have left it on the kayak for several days in the rain without any concern (apart from someone swiping it as it looks great!)it is good looking, rugged and very functional - a good every day sizesure I will still have it in 5 years time