This Bag Survived Our Transfer to New Zealand

Packing light does not come naturally to me. I’m (regrettably) the person breaking a sweat to shove their too-full carry-on into the overhead compartment, the one who throws an extra eight items into the backseat seconds before pulling out of the driveway for a road trip.

So, when my husband, son, and I decided to uproot our lives in Colorado and spend 4 months living/working in New Zealand, I was a touch nervous about fitting all our necessities (and “necessities”) into a reasonable number of suitcases. When I got my hands on an early model of the 2024 Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel Bag, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Since mid-December, I’ve taken this mega-hauler on a road trip to Illinois, a ski trip to Steamboat Springs, Colo., and across the globe to New Zealand. Here on the South Island, the Black Hole has been a staple on weekend excursions in our trusty 2009 Nissan Vanette. I’ve hauled, rolled, shoved, stuffed, and squeezed it, and after more than 11,000 miles of travel, it’s clear the bag isn’t perfect … but it’s pretty darn close.

In short: After nearly 4 months of testing, I can confirm that the 2024 Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel Bag ($419) delivers the durability and overall quality I’ve come to expect from Patagonia’s Black Hole luggage line. This bag is bomber, big enough to move a family across the world, and convenient for airport travel and weekend excursions. Launching this August, the updated model’s sustainability benefits and burly wheelset only sweeten the deal. This is a great duffel despite slight weight and storage penalties.

If you’re in the market for a smaller duffel or an option without wheels, check out our guide to the Best Duffel Bags of 2024.

Editor’s note: The Black Hole 100L Duffel reviewed here does not launch until August 2024. (Here is the current version.) We will update this review when a link is available.

Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel Review

As this delightful Instagram vid explains, Patagonia’s Black Hole line of duffel bags has been around for decades. Over time, the Patagonia team has fiddled with the bag’s shape and expanded the range of size offerings.

I married into my first Black Hole duffel, a standard 40L version, circa 2011. Then I got the now-discontinued Black Hole Mini Messenger Bag, the Black Hole MLC Cube 12L, and the Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip Pack 1L. I’ve trusted our fleet of Black Holes with everything from ski helmets and bike shoes to keys and laptops.

In keeping with the brand’s “Earth is now our only shareholder” sentiment, the 2024 Black Hole lineup puts Mother first with a fully recycled laminate coating on the exterior (recycled TPU) rather than using virgin TPU, which comes from petroleum. Using recycled TPU decreases carbon emissions and gives the new Black Hole lineup a sleek, matte finish rather than the familiar shiny one.

Patagonia designers also slightly revised the 100L model specifically. They moved the external pocket from the side to the “top” (the end that points up when rolling) to facilitate easier on-the-go access; updated the ease of repairability on the wheelset; and made the internal frame collapsible so it’s easier to store.

Size and Organization

Size is arguably the Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel Bag’s biggest attribute. The bag holds a lot of gear — the equivalent of a 7-year-old child and a little bit of gear.

I had room to spare when packing for both a 2-week road trip to the Midwest and a 4-day ski trip. Had I taken advantage of the internal cinch straps, there would have been even more space. In packing for New Zealand, however, I needed to maximize the load while maintaining some semblance of order.

When it comes to organization, the Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel Bag lives up to its name. Unzip the maw of this monster, and it’s just an empty cavity ready to eat whatever you throw in. Like prior models, two internal pockets attached to the lid provide great stash space for smaller items like socks, undies, cords/electronics, etc., but otherwise, the organization strategy is left up to the user.

In one aspect, that’s a benefit: The user decides if and how to use packing cubes like Patagonia’s 3L, 6L, and 14L “Cube” line. On the other hand, packing cubes up the price tag on your luggage setup considerably.

Personally, I dig packing cubes, but if I had my druthers, the 100L would have an additional compartment or two, including at least one with an anti-odor lining for storing dirty clothes.

Design and Durability

After experiences with checked bags getting lost and a gate-checked stroller returned with a crippled front wheel, I have minimal confidence in baggage operations handling my stuff with any care at all. Knowing that this Black Hole 100L bag’s exterior is polyester ripstop fabric, bolstered with a toughness-enhancing TPU finish (both recycled), helped to ease my concerns.

As it turned out, I had no need to worry. We checked the bag at Denver International Airport, and two flights and 21 hours later, we snagged it at baggage claim in without any noticeable damage.

The real durability test came when we walked more than a mile up and down escalators, through a quasi-creepy hallway, over a paved outdoor path, and across tile and low-pile carpet to get from international arrivals to domestic departures in Auckland. An important note: this test (trek) wore a hole in one of our other duffels. The Black Hole Wheeled Duffel Bag 100L was unscathed.

A week after arriving, I discovered the bag fit perfectly in a cutout in the back of our van. Since then, I’ve slid the duffel into its little nook for each weekend adventure, scraping the exterior against glorified plywood, catching it repeatedly on a metal screw, and banging it on the van’s linoleum floor in the process. Even now, it barely shows the beating it’s taken.

Updated Wheelset on Black Hole Duffels

The wheels’ durability warrants applause as well. Pavement, of course, is no problem, but the roughly 3-inch (80mm) wheels also make it easy to cruise over chunky gravel driveways.

The dirt, tufts of dried grass, and tree roots at our campsites weren’t a problem, either. Even after testing them on a rocky beach. I was impressed to see only minor scuff marks on the plastic wheelbase.

Weight and Storage

Weight typically isn’t an issue for a wheeled duffel since you’re rolling, not carrying, the bulk. However, weight matters when you’re checking a bag and trying to avoid the fee for going over 50 pounds. That’s one scenario when the Black Hole Wheeled Duffel Bag 100L’s heft (around 10.5 pounds) can be problematic.

In my mind, packed size is the duffel’s biggest downside. Maybe that’s no fault of Patagonia’s. It’s just the nature of owning a bag this big. The Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel Bag’s updated internal frame allows the upper half to collapse on itself, but you still need to find a spot to house a roughly 33 x 16 x 5.5-inch bag.

Other similar bags, like the No Matter What Duffel Bag from Eagle Creek, offer more in terms of packability.

Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel: The Final Word

Patagonia’s updated Black Hole Wheeled 100L Duffel Bag has a sleeker finish with the new recycled TPU-film laminate. Durability-wise, I’ve continued to knock around the duffel handles on ski trips, shove and scrape the exterior on van adventures, and wheel it across campsites. It’s proven durable, and then some.

The size is also an enormous attribute when you’re hitting the road — or the skies —and need to pack a lot.

Of course, its dimensions also make the bag heavier and harder to store. The Marie Kondos of the world will want to budget for packing cubes (better organization, more weight). Overall, there’s no question that the updated 100L model is a stellar addition to the heritage Black Hole line.