Going on 20 years, Patagonia’s Black Hole line of bags has been a bright, reliable spot in the ever-changing landscape of outdoor gear. They represent the pinnacle of gear-hauling, offering a brilliant balance of capabilities, capacities, style and more. Granted, the bags themselves have seen a lot of changes over that span, as well.
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Today marks another set of changes as, in a surprise move, the brand has released its Spring 2024 Black Hole collection early — moving the beloved duffels in a more sustainable direction than ever before.
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The Next Step in Black Hole Sustainability? Recycled TPU Coatings
In a NYT essay last week, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard wrote, “People ask me how [Patagonia] has managed to stick around so long … I tell them it’s been our unrelenting focus on quality, which includes making things that last and that cause the least amount of harm to our planet.” The Black Hole line has been a shining example of this ethos, and this latest iteration of the collection is certainly no exception.
The largest change to the new lineup of bags? Along with 100 percent recycled body fabric, lining and webbing (a holdover from previous models), these new bags now feature a 100 percent recycled thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coating — as opposed to the virgin TPU used in older versions. This is the same laminate that gives the bags their exceptional weatherproofing and durability. And while this shift makes them a lot more eco-friendly, it does so without sacrificing their capabilities — and that’s excellent news for fans of what the Black Hole line has always stood for.
