Drive By :: Boreas Erawan

by Ando, April 12, 2013

Boreas give the classic adventure duffel a little shove…

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A good duffel is about hauling gear. Lots of it. It should be simple enough, durable, and cavernous.

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But once you’re hauling a bit of gear, you generally need some reasonable straps to carry it with. And maybe some compression. Possibly a pocket or two. And then all of a sudden, you’re drifting towards a full-featured backpack again – hence the challenge of designing a good duffel.

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Boreas recently released their Erawan duffel, and like most Boreas products, it adds a twist or two. In their words, it’s the backpack lover’s duffel, so it has a bunch of carry conveniences designed in. We’ve had a play, but not yet given it an extensive workout.

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Winner winner chicken dinner

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Great straps attach lower down the pack body, which lets the whole duffel sit higher on your back. This avoids the typical large duffel issue of it hanging down over your bum and hindering movement.

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These straps are then further differentiated with the ability to attach the strap bases at various points along a semi-hidden daisy chain, again improving strap length and comfort.

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But the Erawan never forgets great access, with a separate wet & dry bag and a big main section generally unhindered by the straps.

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Durability is then built into the base, which you’ll be able to drag and abuse for years to come.

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So what’s the compromise?

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Basically, this is not a duffel for hauling up big granite walls. Rather than extreme mountain conquering, this duffel better suits adventure travel, where you don’t stress about it, but nor do you abuse it.

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The mesh back will survive baggage handlers, but probably not sabre-tooth tigers.

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At around 1kg, in 50-liter and 70-liter sizes, and for around $150, we feel it helps bring the adventure duffel concept back to relevance for many. Great stuff, Boreas. Keep the original thinking coming.

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