8 MIN READ | 28 JULY 2016

BASE CAMP DUFFEL: BORN IN 1986, EXPLORING EVER SINCE

It's not your average duffel bag. Made from a durable laminate material, the Base Camp Duffel is a bomber of a bag. Amply resilient to be roughed around in-flight, or to be transported up a mountain via a yak, this is one burly duffel bag.

It's not your average duffel bag. Made from a durable laminate material, the Base Camp Duffel is a bomber of a bag. Amply resilient to be roughed around in-flight, or to be transported up a mountain via a yak, this is one burly duffel bag. See where The North Face athletes have taken this tried-and-trusted duffel over the years. 

 

 

It’s not just mountaineers who love the Base Camp Duffel. From earthquake relief in Nepal to transporting ancient archaeological artifacts, the Base Camp Duffel gets around. Happy 30th to one of the most reliable friends we have. Check out the travels of the one, the only, Base Camp Duffel:

2009 THE NORTH FACE CHO OYU TRILOGY EXPEDITION 
ATHLETES: ELIZABETH HAWKER, EMILIO PREVITALI, HERVE BARMASSE, SIMONE MORO
PHOTO: DAMIANO LEVATI

2014 SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING SOUTHEAST GREENLAND
ATHLETES: JOHN COLLINSON, LUCAS DEBARI
PHOTO: ADAM CLARK

2015 SKIING IN BOLIVIA 
ATHLETES: SAM SMOOTHY, JOHN COLLINSON, FRASER MCDOUGALL
PHOTO: MICKEY ROSS

2016 MOUNTAINEERING IN THE CORDILLERA BLANCA MOUNTAINS, PERU 
ATHLETES: THE NORTH FACE ADVENTURE GRANT RECIPIENTS, STEVE SKELTON AND BEN DARE
PHOTO: STEVE SKELTON

This sturdy, durable and waterproof bag gave us confidence when our bags were strapped tightly to the roof of a car or bouncing around on the back of a donkey, that even in dusty or wet conditions, the gear inside would reach our destination in good shape. The cows and wild dogs in our base camp in Peru couldn't scratch or chew their way through the robust Base Camp Duffel material to get to our salt laden clothes or dehydrated food, but they sure tried. In backpack mode it's comfortable enough to transport heavy loads over distance. When not fully loaded the bag is a great place to store things; the material is rigid enough to stand up on its own and the big 'locker door' opening provides easy access to the whole of the main compartment. I could store my stinkiest socks in the side pocket and when it comes to stuffing a few last small things in a bulging bag there always seems to be just a little more room. It's the best duffel I've ever owned and its success over 30 years is testament to it's design. - Steve Skelton, The North Face Adventure Grant 2016 recipient 

2016 DUE NORTH EXPEDITION, SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING IN VALDEZ, ALASKA
ATHLETES: ROLAND MORLEY-BROWN, FRASER MCDOUGALL
PHOTO: MARK WATSON

It’s been everywhere you want to go. Show us where you’ve brought your #BaseCampDuffel or take one on your next adventure: shop the collection here. 

Share your travels with the go-to expedition companion through our Facebook page and Instagram.