Marmot Long Hauler Duffel Review

Updated: March 29, 2023
marmot-hauler-duffel

The Marmot Long Hauler duffel bag is a budget-friendly, lightweight bag with all the functionality you might need to get you through your next great adventure. Or it’ll get you to the gym; that’s what makes duffel bags special - their versatility. Whatever your use might be, it won’t hurt to find something that’s budget friendly like the Long Hauler.

The Marmot Long Hauler performed fairly well across the board, but because of its price point we awarded it the Best Value Duffel Bag Award in our duffel bag buying guide. Selling for less than $85, it really is a steal for such a good bag.

So if you’re looking for a new duffel bag that is both light on your shoulders and on your wallet, then look no further than the Marmot Long Hauler!

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Marmot Long Hauler Duffel Bag

Manufacturer: Marmot

Pros

  • Lightweight (one of the lightest we tested)
  • Comfortable to carry like a backpack
  • Shoulder straps convert to carry handles
  • Organised and good access options

Cons

  • Not the toughest bag
  • Poor water-resistance

Conclusion

There was a lot to like about the Marmot Long Hauler, starting with the lightweight design. It’s easily one of the lightest bags we tested, weighing in at just 1340g (75L model). This probably has to do with the 210D Nylon that Marmot built the bag with and has some fairly large downsides that we’ll come to soon.

It has good access options that allow for some pretty nice organisation, with a zippered exterior pocket and internal pockets as well. The D-shaped main lid has a rain flap that can be fastened over top to provide extra weather-resistance but is unfortunately not that effective. It comes in a decent range of volume options, although we would’ve liked to see a size bigger than just 105L.

The Long Hauler might have a lot to like, but the material used in its construction isn’t one of them. We were a bit surprised to find that the nylon didn’t quite hold up as well as other bags we’ve tested, with a few blemishes popping up after some fairly light testing. In the end, there was no serious damage and the gear inside was untouched, but you can definitely tell that the bag has been used.

The same goes for the water-resistance: it’s rather average, even with that rain flap fastened over the lid. If you know you’ll be putting your bag through some tough environments, then the Long Hauler probably isn’t for you.

See Other Duffel Bags

Finding the correct duffel bag for your needs and budget remains a tricky task and sifting through the troves of reviews can be time consuming and confusing. To make things easier, check out our expert review on the best duffel bags here.

Key Features

Transportation and Comfort

The Long Hauler performed very well in this category, as it has comfortably padded shoulder straps that can be adjusted to double as carry loops. As always, we wouldn’t recommend carrying a fully loaded duffel bag as a backpack for extended periods of time, but this bag was more than capable of getting us from our transportation to where we were staying without any pain. If you want something to actually hike with, you should be looking for backpacks or daypacks, not duffel bags.

As for transportation, the Marmot Long Hauler has a number of daisy chains and loops on the sides of the bag to make it easy to strap down to a car, bus or even a pack mule. The tubular shape of a duffel bag, as always, can be squeezed into small spaces very easily, and this bag is no exception, so you should have no problem getting this thing around. The only way you might do better is to get a wheeled duffel bag instead.

Volume

As we mentioned briefly earlier, we wish this bag came in a slightly larger size than 105L. It does have a decent volume range from 38-105L, but with only 4 sizes in total it doesn’t really give as much option as many of its competitors do.

As for which volume is right for you?

It’s subjective, as we always say. It depends on what you’re going to be using the bag for. If you need something to get you through an equipment-heavy, long, hiking adventure, then the 105L model might be best; but for general use we always recommend going for the more medium 50-75L models, as they give you that much more versatility.

How packable is it?

The Long Hauler excels in this category too. The fairly thin material, paired with effective compression straps that run along the sides of the bag, does a good job of holding its shape when you pack it to the brink of exploding. The double layered bottom also protects your back from anything digging into it should you be carrying it like a backpack.

The D-shaped main compartment and interior designs are really stuffable, so you’ll definitely be able to get everything you need for your trip into the bag without any issues. The zippered exterior pocket is also useful for separating dirty equipment or for keeping smaller items that you might need quick access too.

Durability

We’ve said most of what we need to say about the durability. It’s not great, it’s not terrible. They made trade-offs to get to a lower price point and a lighter weight, which we think is pretty fair. It’s up to you to decide how important durability is going to be in the bag that you end up buying.

About the author 

Mark Whitman

Mark has trekked extensively in Asia, Europe, South America and Africa. He founded Mountain IQ in 2014 with the sole aim to be the best online information portal to some of the most popular mountain destinations around the world. When not writing for Mountain IQ, Mark is out exploring the outdoors with his wife!

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