If you regularly participate in outdoor activities, there’s a reason you can spot Osprey bags literally everywhere. Known for their durability, the bags are built tough but comfortable to carry, and we found that the Transporter Waterproof Duffel is no different. After testing, it nabbed our top spot for its excellent waterproofing and sturdy build. Despite its sturdiness, the bag is really lightweight, even though it’s large enough to hold 70 liters (meaning you’ll have to check it for flights). You can pack it a ton, so it does get heavier the more you stuff it, but we were able to fit three pairs of shoes (including a chunky pair of hiking boots) in addition to clothes and toiletries without a problem. 

The inside of the bag is one large main compartment with two compression straps that have a medium-sized mesh pocket attached to it. This pocket can be handy for smaller accessories, like your sunglasses or cellphone, or to separate dirty socks and underwear from the rest of your things. The bag closes using a large zipper that may feel stiff at first, but just requires a little extra effort to operate. That’s because its construction is tough to keep water from seeping through it, which did happen with one of the other duffels we tested, so it’s a trade-off we don’t mind. The zipper opening is also pretty wide, so you can fit things into the bag without struggling to get them in there. That being said, the duffel’s opening isn’t wide enough to get a bird’s eye view of what’s in the bag, so on some occasions you may need to shuffle things around to find what you’re looking for. 

What we did find super impressive, though, is that not even a drop of water made it into the bag after we placed it under a rain shower. In fact, it boasts an IPX7 rating, which means it can be submerged in up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Made from nylon, the bag’s fabric is really durable, too. After dropping and dragging it, it didn’t show any scuffs or other signs of damage. If you opt to travel with this duffel, you can hold it two ways: as a backpack (the straps are padded to make them more comfy), or like a traditional duffel bag. 

The Details:  11.81 x 15.35 x 27.56 inches | 2.478 pounds | 70 liter capacity | Double TPU-coated recycled nylon

Made with several adjustable straps and an expandable build, the Peak Design Travel Duffelpack is easy to pack and carry. At minimum, it features 45 liters of carrying capacity, but if you need to pack a few more things, the bag can expand to hold 65 liters max. In fact, during testing we were able to stuff the bag with five tops, two bottoms, three pairs each of socks and underwear, a sweater, jacket, and sneakers, plus a dopp kit and water bottle. The bag’s opening, which closes with a zipper that runs the length of the bag, also opens up very wide to give you great visibility into what’s inside. 

While the duffel itself is lightweight, it can become pretty heavy when packed. However, the bag is designed with padded shoulder, chest, and waist straps to help distribute its weight evenly when carrying it. This makes the bag a lot more comfortable to lug around on your back. The straps can be easily tucked away when not in use, too, so you don’t need to worry about them getting in the way. “The shoulder straps and grab handles absorb water—and they stayed wet long after the testing period,” said associate testing editor Danielle Calma. Still, we like that the bag is durable and pretty sturdy. It didn’t show any signs of wear after we dropped it on the ground several times. 

The Details: 26 x 15 x 12 inches (standard), 26 x 17 x 13 inches (expanded) | 3.9 pounds | 65 liter capacity | Recycled nylon, anodized aluminum, glass-reinforced nylon (hardware)

While a structured design can provide direction for how to organize your bag, an unstructured bag like the Matador Freefly Duffle gives you more control over how and where you pack things. Its flexible build can allow you to quite literally pack it to the brim by taking advantage of every nook and cranny. 

The Freefly has a 30-liter capacity, so it’s best used as a personal item bag, or for day or weekend trips. Best of all, the bag can be folded down to fit into a pouch. “This bag is shockingly lightweight,” says associate editor Anna Popp. “Because it’s foldable and packable, it has a very lightweight and unstructured design, which is amazing for portability.” The duffel itself is just one large main compartment, but its zippers open up wide, which make it easy to pack and to see what’s inside. When we tested the bag under wet conditions, the materials inside stayed dry for the most part, but we did find that some moisture did creep in where the zippers met. There wasn’t enough water for it to be a concern, but if you prefer a bag that can handle being submerged, this isn’t it. 

When it comes to moving with it, the Matador Freefly can be worn as a backpack or tossed over the shoulder like a traditional duffel. Its carrying handles are rubberized, which allows for a comfortable, soft grip. The backpack straps, on the other hand, aren’t padded, so we found that the bag was more pleasant to hold than to wear as a backpack. 

The Details: 3.75 x 3.7 x 5.5 inches | 8.5 ounces | 30 liter capacity | 70D Robic nylon, 50D nylon mini ripstop, 210D bonded nylon thread

Durable, but light as a “heavy-duty rain jacket,” the NRS Expedition DriDuffel 70L Dry Bag is incredibly spacious and fully waterproof. In fact, like the Osprey, it’s earned an IPX7 rating. Designed with one easy-to-pack main compartment, the bag has a carrying capacity of 70 liters. It also features carabiners on the outside, so you can attach small items, like a flashlight, keys, or even a water bottle. 

It closes using a slick zipper that’s easy to zip and unzip, but the zipper is watertight and toothless, so it doesn’t let any water in, even if the bag ends up submerged in water. After thoroughly wetting the bag, we didn’t observe any moisture inside the bag. However, we did notice that the duffel’s carrying handles remained wet for quite a while after getting rained on. 

The bag itself is made of TPU-coated nylon that’s very tough. “It shows no signs of wear and tear—I even stepped on it at one point and it shows no marks,” said T+L editor Taylor Fox. The duffel is designed with a shoulder strap and a carrying handle, so that you can switch up the way you hold it. The shoulder strap even has padding that can be moved around and set wherever you prefer. You’ll also find loop handles on each side of the bag you can grab whenever you need to lift the duffel up onto a surface. If you don’t love the gray (smoke) option, you can also shop it in a red (salsa) or blue (Mykonos). 

The Details: 28 x 15.25 x 11.75 inches | 2.13 pounds | 70 liter capacity | TPU-coated 840-denier heavy-duty nylon

While this massive 140-liter bag is technically a duffel, it also functions as checked luggage. That’s because it’s one of the largest suitcases we’ve seen out of the 700+ travel bags we’ve tested. To make it easier to move around, the bag is designed with two wheels that allow you to roll it, or stand it on its own. During testing, we were able to pack the duffel with clothing for ten days (including a rain jacket and a puffer jacket), four pairs of boots, a tent, and two hiking chairs. In fact, it’s so wide and spacious, senior testing editor Jackie Cucco says could climb right in and lay in it. ” It is definitely one of the largest checked suitcases I have ever seen out of the 700+ travel bags we’ve tested, even when compared to traditional checked suitcases,” she adds. If not used for a long trip, the duffel may also be ideal if you’re packing for an entire family, group outings, or trips where you need to pack a ton of gear, like a boating trip where you’ll be snorkeling. 

What’s even more impressive about this bag is that it’s very water-resistant despite its larger size. After getting wet, the water that got on the bag beaded up and rolled right off of the plastic-y fabric. We didn’t find that any water snuck in through the zippers, either, something we experienced with some of the other duffels on this list. 

This bag is one of the heaviest duffels we’ve tested, but if you compare its weight against other checked luggage, it’s actually pretty lightweight. Though it can be worn as a backpack or carried like a traditional duffel, it’s probably best to only do so occasionally and not for extended periods of time. The easiest way to transport the bag is probably to wheel it like a traditional suitcase, and luckily, we found that the wheels are very sturdy. We rolled the duffel over carpet, up onto pavers, and through stanchions meant to look like an airport waiting line, and the wheels never lagged or felt uneven. 

The Details: 14.2 x 38.6 x 17.7 inches | 112.5 ounces | 85, 110, and 140 liter capacity | Polyester, aluminium (floor plate)

While many of the waterproof duffels we’ve tested sport more rugged looks, the Rains Hilo Weekend Bag features a modern minimalist design that makes it the most stylish bag on this list. While it is a bit smaller than most of our other waterproof duffel options, it can comfortably carry up to 36 liters. During testing, we were even able to pack it with bulkier items, including a pair of hiking boots and a foldable hiking chair. 

While the bag isn’t designed with any pockets (just one large main compartment), it is made with compression straps that can be used to secure the items you pack. They also help to minimize the size of the bag, allowing you to easily fit it under an airplane seat if you want to use it as a personal bag. The bag is designed to handle light rain, and we found that this is pretty accurate. When we showered the duffel in water for 30 seconds, we didn’t find that anything in the bag got wet or moist immediately after. In fact, the water turned into beads once it hit the bag’s surface, and streamed off, as if it were running down a window pane of glass. The bag’s zipper is also pretty smooth, even though it’s coated with waterproof material. Like a number of our other bags, the duffel’s handles did stay wet for a while.

While the bag’s fabric is thin, we found that it felt very durable, and would likely be very difficult to tear or rip. We didn’t notice any scuffs or scratches on the bag after we repeatedly pushed it off a table during our drop test. Carrying the bag is pretty easy, as its lower carrying capacity makes it lightweight, but it’s also designed with an adjustable shoulder strap that can be shortened or made longer to accommodate people of different heights. 

The Details: 20.5 in x 10.6 in x 10.2 inches | 28.9 ounces | 36 liter capacity | Polyester

If you’re looking for something built to withstand your most rugged activities from hiking to boating, we recommend the Sealline Pro Zip Duffel. The 70L bag is just a little over two pounds, despite its larger size, and its durable material is completely waterproof. The bag can be fully submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. While we didn’t submerge the bag during testing, we showered it with water for 30 seconds, and none of the materials in the bag got wet, not even through the zipper. In fact, the duffel’s zipper is pretty heavy-duty, so you may have to yank it to get it going. 

We like that the bag’s main (and only) compartment is very spacious. It had enough room for us to pack a water bottle, five tops, three bottoms, two jackets, seven pairs each of socks and underwear, two toiletry kits, and two shoes, including a pair of boots. It does lack smaller compartments, so figuring out a way to organize your things falls on you, and you may have to actively dig through the bag when you’re trying to locate a specific item. The bag’s opening is wide enough to allow you to see what’s inside, but a little too narrow to stuff in multiple items at the same time. We found we had to separate a stack of clothes into several parts in  order to get every piece into the bag. 

The duffel’s material looks and feels heavy-duty, but it also didn’t show any damage during our testing period, making this a solid choice for outdoor adventurers who plan on using this duffel on different terrains. 

The Details: 15.5 x 28 x 11 inches | 2.9 pounds | 40, 70, or 100 liter capacity | PU-coated polyester, PU-coated nylon

The Watershed Colorado Duffel features one of the most unique closures out of the bags on this list. Instead of using a zipper to close it, you can close the bag by simply pressing its top together to suction it close, similar to the way you’d close a freezer bag. “When it’s completely flat, it looks like a massive flat Longchamp purse,” says Cucco. “You can fit so many different things in it, whether it’s two weeks worth of clothing, some type of bulky river gear or fishing supplies, or muddy gear.”  We did find that you had to pull it rather hard to get it back open after it’s closed, but that’s a fair trade-off for achieving a waterproof seal. 

After getting wet, the water on the bag beaded up into circles and rolled right off. None of the water got inside of the bag, as we observed that everything inside was as dry as when it was first packed. The handles and their padding did remain wet for about an hour, though, but that was pretty standard for most of the waterproof duffels we tested. 

This duffel can hold 75.5 liters, but you can compress it to take on different shapes. If you roll the top and compress it with the bag’s straps and buckles, you’ll get a cylinder-shaped duffel bag, but if you don’t roll the top down, the bag resembles a large tote. While it doesn’t come with a shoulder strap, it does come with lash points where you can attach your own. However, the duffel’s carrying hands are wide enough that you can force it over your shoulder if you prefer not carrying it in your hands, too. 

One thing to note is that while the duffel’s thick, rubbery material feels durable and rip-proof, we did find that it was prone to creasing and observed a few white scuff marks on it after it was thrown onto the ground a few times during our drop test. 

The Details: 27 x 7 x 5 in | 3.7 pounds | 75.5 liter capacity | PU-coated nylon