Looking for a sturdy bag.

September 5, 2008 9:08 AM

I'm looking for a sturdy, high quality, somewhat large bag to put up with some abuse.

I hope to be going to Marine Corps Officer Candidates School next summer or fall. It is well know that when a candidate arrives, the things he brings will get thrown and abused by the staff. During "pickup" (when the candidates meet the staff that will be training them for the next 10 weeks) they should expect every single personal item they have brought to be thrown across the parade deck (basically a large parking lot without any painted lines).

I'm looking for a bag that can survive this kind of abuse. A few basic requirements (in decreasing order of importance):

1. NO WHEELS. It can NOT have wheels.
2. Again, very sturdy and rugged.
3. Somewhat rigged (i.e. not loose and flowy).
4. Easy to carry. Shoulder or backpack straps being the bare minimum.
5. Easy to access the contents and re-fill after all of my stuff has been dumped out.

Thanks.

posted by warriorengineer to travel & transportation (13 comments total)

A hockey bag might suit your purposes. They are generally quite sturdy, somewhat rigid (not hard like a suitcase, but definitely has structure to it), handles can be used in the hand, or as a backpack (usually), and has a couple different pockets on the outside, and doesn't have wheels.
posted by Grither at 9:17 AM on September 5, 2008

Oh, they are rather large though, so it might be a bit TOO big for your purposes, depending on what you're bringing.
posted by Grither at 9:17 AM on September 5, 2008

when I was looking at carry-on luggage, redoxx had a bunch of 'backpack' style luggage and seemed rugged. eventually went with something more conventional, but may suite your needs.
posted by ejaned8 at 9:24 AM on September 5, 2008

I have a couple of pieces of Filson luggage, made of very stout waxed cotton canvas with thick leather trim and handles. It's expensive stuff, but almost indestructible. Heck, kicking and throwing it across the tarmac will only give it a better patina. This bag might be suitable for you, or you could opt for one of their duffels or something instead.
posted by letourneau at 9:39 AM on September 5, 2008

How big a bag? What stuff will it be containing?
posted by jadepearl at 9:49 AM on September 5, 2008

Maybe a bag from Tom Bihn? I have one of their bags (Swift, the knitting bag -- probably not what you're looking for) made of ballistic nylon and it's the toughest bag I've ever owned. It's flexible, but it stands up on its own and holds its shape really well. The fabric is very thick. Also, it's waterproof.

If for some ungodly reason it gets damaged, you can ship it back to them and they'll fix it up for you. I actually felt pretty good dropping $80 on my bag.
posted by giraffe at 10:06 AM on September 5, 2008

Perhaps smaller than your ideal, but The Lowe-Alpine Amazon has been the absolute best bag I've ever owned, happy to be smeared across the tarmac and tossed out of an airplane. It also offers a variety of carry options and a surprising amount of space.
posted by abulafa at 10:15 AM on September 5, 2008

Briggs and Riley. If it is ever damaged, they have deals with luggage stores all over the country... drop if off at one of them, and the repairs are free.

I've taken their luggage all over the world. It stands up to everything (even the airport baggage handlers of africa) and still looks good at the end of the day.
posted by ewkpates at 10:16 AM on September 5, 2008

Not sure if you're looking for the type of bag like a duffel but Baileyworks bags have some options that are great, water proof/resistent, lifetime guaranteed (i have three in different sizes that have taken more than a decade of serious abuse). And lots of nice colors to boot. Ooo, checking the link i see they are making duffels now. I would HIGHLY recommend this bag for serious maritime related abuse.
posted by Soulbee at 11:36 AM on September 5, 2008

What about getting a bag you like, then putting it inside a sacrificial duffel bag to be disposed of later?
posted by Araucaria at 4:31 PM on September 5, 2008

Hmm, thinking this over again. Based on that Filson link above, I like this bag. But let's do some social psychology here: the entry process sounds like it's a bit of equalizing, to show that you're no better than anyone else. So the more expensive or tricky you get, the more your stuff will be abused. Say you tie up all your shirts in one bundle, your pants in another, etc. There won't be any help for it -- they'll just open everything up and separate it into components, and you'll be worse off than if you hadn't done anything special. I'd say you should get a cheap hockey duffel bag from the first comment link and be done with it. Do your basic folding and hope that they don't dump your toiletry bag (maybe get one that has lots of zippers to contain the small stuff.

Then send yourself the duffel you *really* want by parcel post, to arrive a week later, and switch to that if you like.

For more psyching out, stick in some magazine you think they might like but won't be too embarrassing. Or candy. And maybe they'll get distracted by that, appropriate it as a trophy, and not bother the rest of your stuff.
posted by Araucaria at 4:55 PM on September 5, 2008

I heartily recommend North Face Camp Duffels. I have the medium one, and a friend has the large. They're both amazing. They are bomb-proof, roomy inside, shoulder strapped and have lots of hook points on them if you need to strap them to something or whatever.

This thing is seriously scuff-proof and damage proof, it's made out of some kind of heavy canvas/synthetic mix - basically the drill instructors would have to wear them as shoes for a week or set them on fire to do any real damage.

Get a black one though, the bright yellow one would stick out a bit.
posted by Happy Dave at 7:53 AM on September 6, 2008

If anyone else comes across this, here's some more info that has been requested. It will have all my toiletries (inside a basic shaving bag), an extra pair of civilian clothes and dress shoes (or 2 if we are in uniform by that point), 2 pairs of boots, 2 pairs of running shoes, a bunch of socks, important paperwork, head lamp, and some other misc stuff.

It would be nice if it were carry on size, but I'm not sure that will happen. I won't have the opportunity to return it if it does break, but I want one that won't break in the first place. I'll need to carry it at the same time as a sea bag, and two overstuffed laundry bags.

My stuff WILL be dumped out. The staff amkes the candidates dump the bags that the Drill Instructors don't dump. being able to shove it all back in very quickly will be important.

Any other questions?
posted by warriorengineer at 8:05 AM on September 8, 2008