TESTED: SEA TO SUMMIT NOMAD DUFFLE
A UBIQUITOUS PIECE OF 4X4 TOURING LUGGAGE.
THE duffle bag has been around for many, many years and has remained the popular choice for vehicle-borne adventurers. This type of loadlugger is popular for their basic design, cavernous volume (for minimal weight), as well as tough build and fabrics. Duffle bags can be tied to a yak or donkey for a climbing adventure, or just thrown in the back of a 4x4.
Numerous brands have duffle bags in their luggage range, and they all follow a very similar design DNA – a cylindrical space with a small enclosure (lid) up top. So it’s interesting to see highly regarded Aussie brand, Sea To Summit, enter the competitive duffle-bag market with its Nomad. The designers at Sea To Summit have definitely done their homework with the Nomad duffle, addressing a number of design points and aiming to improve on them.
The most obvious new design feature – and one we reckon most people will applaud – is the oversized lid. For those used to shoving their hands in the (often) smallish opening of their duffle and scrabbling around blindly in the hope of finding a particular item, this bag’s large clam-shell-type lid opens to expose most of the space inside, making access far simpler. Access is made easier again by the simple design tweak of using a brightly coloured fabric inside, allowing gear to be more easily spotted.
The Nomad is constructed using heavyduty nylon material, and features a padded base and lid. There are external compression straps and lash loops for securing the duffle to a roof rack if needed. The lid is also built tough, and a dual-zipper ensures it won’t break when pulled or tensioned (or if the bag’s overpacked) and aids in upping the security of your gear inside.
The handles can be attached/detached to suit three different carrying options for when you’re out and away from your vehicle: a backpack-style harness, an over-the-shoulder set-up, or just carrying it with the two straps like a piece of carry-on luggage. Two small magnets in the handles mean you no longer have to fiddle with Velcro tabs to secure them together – they just snap together once each handle is close enough to the other. It’s simple but it makes a difference.
The 130-litre Nomad on test has proven faultless over the past few months. Nothing much can go wrong with a duffle bag anyway, but little things like faster joining of straps for carrying, the threeway strap/harness system, and – most obviously – the awesome large lid have been much appreciated. Add in the bombproof construction and I reckon the Nomad will do excellent load-lugging service for many years.
The Nomad is available in four sizes (45L, 65L, 90L and 130L) and in three colours (blue, orange and charcoal).
It’s available now.