Last week I waxed poetic about my favorite synthetic down jacket; now let me tell you about another one of my all-time favorite Patagonia products: the Black Hole Duffel. I purchased my first Black Hole bag (yes, I have more than one) when I was living a relatively nomadic lifestyle. To be able to pack up my life into the back of my 2001 Toyota 4Runner was paramount, and Patagonia’s most voluminous gear hauler seemed like the right choice. It was; with a 120-liter capacity — I can fit my entire body inside the thing — the bag lived up to its name, swallowing up all of the clothing I owned and then some.
The Black Hole wouldn’t be what it is without a rock-solid design. Patagonia built the entire collection with a rugged polyester ripstop fabric equipped with a weatherproof TPU laminate and a water-repellent finish as its foundation, and then threw in a gaping D-shaped zipper opening and padded backpack straps for convenient carrying. Thanks to those straps, I’ve been able to tote my fully-packed 120-liter into backcountry cabins and between apartments in New York City. It’s also acted as a handy catch-all for spur of the moment car camping trips.
It only took a couple of months before I doubled down on the Black Hole line and bought the 60-liter model before a month-long trip to Ecuador. It’s acceptable as carry-on luggage even when packed to the brim and features all of the same details that drew me to its bigger companion. I’ve had both bags for years now, and neither one has failed me yet, despite numerous cross-country road trips and international flights.
Today is the last day of Patagonia’s end of season sale, and the 120-liter Black Hole duffel is still marked down by 40 percent. The Black Hole Collection has expanded since I bought my first bag to include new sizes and formats, including backpacks and wheeled luggage, all of which make exceptional haulers for nearly any pursuit.
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