Large Sports Travel Bag + Hand Luggage Bag

[Condi]

My rucksack simply isn't going to be enough for the next trip, so I'm after a large (100 litre +) bag to carry a load of diving gear abroad. Must have backpack straps, ideally also will have wheels. Must be soft so it can be flattened or folded. Must be durable. Ideally it won't cost a fortune, but for the right thing I will look at all options.

Will also need a smaller carry on bag, which can then be used as a rucksack for excursions. Probably will need to carry nothing more than 2 or 3 days worth of clothes and an ipad/book. Again, durability is important.

Has anyone got any suggestions as to what to consider? My rucksack is Karrimore, but reviews of the current products are not great and they're now owned by Sports Direct/ Mike Ashley which doesn't give me much confidence they are as good as they were 15 years ago.

[captain_cynic]

Osprey Transporter?

https://www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/osprey-tra...

Not exactly cheap but might be what you're after.

Never owned an Osprey but they seem well regarded.

EDIT: the other sizes are about half the price, incl the 95 and 120L

Edited by captain_cynic on Tuesday 1st August 17:20

[x5tuu]

I had the same requirement a little while ago and ended up with a Cressi bag which was designed for carry 100kg+ scuba gear and the straps broke after a couple of trips with less than 30kg in it. I would strongly recommend not purchasing from Cressi!

North Face do a couple of bags similar to your needs but aren't cheap and the quality may be 'questionable'

[djc206]

captain_cynic said:

Osprey Transporter?

https://www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/osprey-tra...

Not exactly cheap but might be what you're after.

Never owned an Osprey but they seem well regarded.

EDIT: the other sizes are about half the price, incl the 95 and 120L

Edited by captain_cynic on Tuesday 1st August 17:20

Osprey bags are bloody brilliant. I’ve got a few, I try to buy them in the Cotswold Outdoor sale because the RRP’s are a tad high.

The other suggestion of north face I can also testify to the longevity of. My wife and I both have North Face duffels that are about a decade old. Mine will have been on around 200 flights by now I reckon and it’s still going strong, hers is probably approaching retirement as a result of being larger and having lugged more unnecessary stuff about during its lifetime.

[archie456]

Lomo do some good bags, maybe this would do:

https://www.lomo.co.uk/products/blaze-expedition-h...

[PushedDover]

75L wont do ?

Eastpak : https://www.eastpak.com/uk-en/luggage-c140/perce-w...

[//j17]

For the big bag I'd go for a duffel. North Face and EastPak are both good and while I didn;t know Osprey did them their normal rucksacks are top quality so I'd expect their duffels to be as well. I'm not sure if you'll find a duffel with wheels - but then wheels generally just mean extra weight and less space.

If you want a cheap, more disposable option you could take a look a gold club travel bags or ski bags. Both are similar/good sized and often have wheels, though you might struggle to find ones with backpack options.

[Martyn76]

Decathlon do this, diving equipment specific, it's £199 though

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/scuba-diving-bag-cru...

[Depthhoar]

Ortlieb would be my choice.

Either this one for circa £90 quid (113 litres): https://www.ortlieb.com/en_us/x-tremer+R17302

or, this one (140 litres): https://www.ortlieb.com/en_us/big-zip+K1305....double the price but robust and durable.

[Condi]

Thanks, some good ideas in here. I had seen the Mares scuba bags, but there are some others I hadn't considered.

[paulmakin]

Mares have served me well for years - very robust.

[x5tuu]

Martyn76 said:

Decathlon do this, diving equipment specific, it's £199 though

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/scuba-diving-bag-cru...

£118(exVAT) if you buy direct:

https://www.mareshop.eu/ms_uk_en/mares-cruise-back...


or

£147 from DiveInn (who are really good):

https://www.tradeinn.com/diveinn/en/mares-cruise-r...

[shirt]

x5tuu said:

North Face do a couple of bags similar to your needs but aren't cheap and the quality may be 'questionable'

north face duffel bags take some hammer, although there may well be cheaper alternatives.

[Taffer]

shirt said:

north face duffel bags take some hammer, although there may well be cheaper alternatives.

Mountain Equipment duffels are usually on sale somewhere, and cheaper than TNF. My one, bought in 2006, has been round the world and numerous airports and ships and, bar minor scuffs, nothing has broken (except for a puppy chewing through one of the rucksack straps). They do a wheeled version, and most of the bags have a separate 'wet' compartment, handy for sticking dirty or wet laundry in.

[-Cappo-]

I don't even know if you can still get them, but I've had a couple of large (100/120L) Animal-branded bags over the years and they have stood up to a lot of use and abuse.

[boyse7en]

I use an old version of this
https://www.bikeparts.co.uk/products/ogio-rig-9800...

to carry motorcycle gear, which is vaguely similar to scuba gear in terms of weight and bulk.

[toohuge]

Both the northface or patagonia duffels are good. I've also got a few osprey bags and the quality is excellent.