GEAR REVIEW - Patagonia Guidewater Duffel & Black Hole Cubes

Last week our daughter interviewed for a camp counselor position at our church summer camps in Alaska.  At the end of the call, the director offered her the job and when Hadley was telling my wife about how the it went, Melissa said "So, you told him you'd think about it?"  Hadley, "No, I told him I'm coming."  Her response wasn't surprising.  This is the travel and adventure loving daughter we raised. 

So, we're in full planning mode, cashing in credit card points for a round trip ticket to and from Anchorage and quickly coming to terms with our soon to be high school graduating daughter will be gone all summer before heading up to Michigan for college this fall.  Parents who've gone through this know, it's a lot. 

 

One part of the planning and packing equation is figuring out how all her clothing and gear is getting to Alaska.  Fortunately, we have a several luggage options to consider which start (and will likely end) with the Patagonia Guidewater Duffel 80L paired with a few of the Black Hole Cubes for keeping things organized.

Here's why this duffel and cubes system wins...

First, where other pieces of luggage of this size weigh in at six to even ten pounds depending on the features and fabrics, the Guidewater Duffel weighs in at just over two pounds.  For someone like me who is carrying clothing, waders, boots, and other gear on an extended trip, I'm usually hovering just beneath the 50 pounds limit with the airlines checked bag policy.  With this duffel, you're not giving away pounds in luggage weight that can be better used elsewhere.

 

Baggage handlers, conveyor belts, and carousels aren't necessarily gentle with luggage and the nylon plain weave fabric with a PU face coating and a TPU back coating gets serious points for durability while being waterproof to the point of getting submerged.  You really don't think about the need for your luggage to be waterproof until you're on a panga ride to a lodge or the baggage trailer sits in a downpour before being loaded on where it goes next.  I've opened my suitcase on trips with other luggage to find everything inside was soaked which isn't a great way to start a trip with limited laundry facilities, humidity, or wet enough with rain where it's impossible to dry everything out.  

 

The Guidewater Duffel features heavy duty carry handles on each end and pack straps (which are removable) that are low profile to keep them from getting caught or grabbed on things they shouldn't.  Add to this quite a few different lash points for attaching other gear is helpful too.  The feature that I use least are the rod tube straps.  Many others take advantage of them but I can't remember the last trip where I only took one fly rod.     

When it comes to packing the Guidewater Duffel, the waterproof T-Zip zipper opens wide giving full access to the nearly 4,900 cubic inches of inside area.  There is some structure to the duffel but overall this is a huge workable cavernous space to pack and organize gear.  There is an internal organizational pocket which comes in handy

While we're talking organization, the Black Holes Cubes are available in three sizes of 3 Liter, 6 Liter, and 10 Liter with the medium and large sizes zipper opening up like a clam shell with zippered compartments on each side.  This is great for keeping track of socks, underwear, undershirts, sun gear, etc.  I'm a little OCD and these are a huge help in keeping things were they belong throughout a trip.  These are made with a recycled polyester ripstop with a TPU-film laminate which doesn't mean they are waterproof but instead weatherproof.  Nylon grab handles and loops makes it easy to attach to packs too.  And, if it matters, there are quite a few colorway choices in the Black Hole Cubes too.



The Guidewater Duffel 80L is priced at $399 and the Black Hole Cubes range from $35 to $55 each.  Consider this insurance on getting your gear where it needs to go while being safe from all the elements. 

Visit the Patagonia website to learn more about these products and others.