In the world of outdoor gear, there are the premium brands that dominate Instagram feeds and sponsorship deals, Gonex is amazing. Sure, there are the practical workhorses that quietly get the job done without the hefty price tag. But, the Gonex Duffel Bag firmly plants itself in the latter category, delivering remarkable functionality at a fraction of the cost of its high-end competitors.
Amazon is filled with so many products with bizarre names – it’s a topic of hilarity in my house. The other day I came across a bag called Korialia – what? It served its purpose, but it’s for limited use as a simple bag that sits in my Land Cruiser for tools. But, I took a chance on a product – the GoneX Duffel. Patagonia, Osprey, Kifaru, Kuiu, Uncharted Supply, knock-off bags in Vietnam – I’ve tried a whole lot of duffels. Rarely do I come across a random I actually believe in (don’t look at those hiking sticks from years ago). This was a chance I’m glad I took.
In a world of bags, in the 5F Artamis reviewed, this is the bag that rules them all. So, let’s find out what Frodo and Samwise should have loaded up everything into on their journey to Mordor.
What exactly is Gonex?
I’m not going to lie – the Gonex story is sus. When I first bought this bag (more on why in a minute) it said in really odd English they were a group of friends in North Carolina that wanted to develop the perfect bag. That is no longer on their website or Amazon page. I’m going to say that based off it being Made in China, and the AI generated photos on the Amazon page and their website, it’s probably not a bunch of friends in North Carolina making a bag. But, it’s Amazon, it’s filled with crazy Chinese names, and I’m quite familiar with knock-off bags.
That’s why I started looking in the first place – we were in Vietnam on a multi-week hike/bike/kayak trip and we kept going in to stores in different cities and finding what were called ‘third shift’ items – third-shift, as in, there were from the third-shift and making their way into stores throughout cities. You want North Face, Patagonia, Nike, even Cotopaxi – it’s all there. They are just a little bit off, but still good quality. The duffel I had did terribly with the rain, everything stayed soaked inside if we were moving around with the bag and I decided when I got back, I would look into another travel bag for overseas trips. On to Amazon, on to Google, eventually I landed on Gonex.
I landed on the the standard foldable travel duffel, a waterproof PVC dry bag version. I bought the standard foldable travel duffel – the one most people will encounter when searching for an “80L duffel bag.” This is the version marketed as a multipurpose travel and gym bag. It’s so much more than that.
At this point, it’s made it’s way across hundreds of miles in the back of a Can-Am, Africa, the Middle East, and this bag simply just keeps going – with nary a drop of water or dirty inside the bag.
The 5F’s – how does it do?
Form
The Gonex 80L has a utilitarian design that prioritizes function over flashy aesthetics. The dark grey version I bought looks professional enough for business travel while still being rugged enough for outdoor adventures. It’s a good looking bag, as good as anything you’ll find at REI or Cabelas.
It’s constructed from “high-density 1200D PVC fabric” that feels substantial without being overly stiff. The longer you have it, the better ir breaks in. It says water-repellant, but I have found it to be water proof. The overall shape is a classic duffel when carried horizontally, but transforms into a decent backpack configuration with hidden straps that tuck away when not needed.
The bag’s visual profile is not quite clean and uncluttered, while it has thoughtfully placed zippers and compartments, it’s still a little chaotic with the pockets and zippers. It won’t win any design awards, but it looks competent and purposeful – exactly what you want in a workhorse travel bag.
Fit
This is where the Gonex really impressed me. Despite weighing 3.28 pounds empty, the ergonomics are excellent across all three carrying configurations.
As a backpack, the shoulder straps are adequately padded and the weight distribution works well even when fully loaded. I’ve carried it for miles without significant discomfort, though I wouldn’t want to do multi-day hiking with it.
The “side soft handles enable comfortable hand-carrying and lifting” – this is genuinely true. The dual handles are positioned perfectly for two-person lifting when the bag is heavy, and they’re padded enough for comfortable single-person carrying over moderate distances.
The convertible nature means you can adapt the carrying method to your situation – crucial for varied travel scenarios.
Function
The Gonex delivers on its core promise of versatile, high-capacity storage. The 80-liter capacity is genuine – I’ve packed a weeks worth of clothes plus gear for an antelope hunting trip without issue.
The large main compartment has a U-shaped opening and, it matches the claims they make – it provides convenient access to your belongings. It’s easy to zip, the zippers don’t hang up and haven’t broken. Internally, it has two big mesh pockets for storing valuables like tablets, phones, and wallets. You have plenty of space to segregate your gear and valuables in the bag.
The water-repellent coating works for light and heavy rain – I have learned to not expect true waterproofing, but for rain showers, thunderstorms, an errant sprinkler dumping water in the back of a Can-Am – no problem at all. The bag sheds moisture well enough for normal travel conditions and even in heavy downpour, it’s still dry inside.
Field Performance
After a year of real-world use, including airline baggage handling domestically and internationally, being thrown everywhere in Africa, a camping trip, and daily Can-Am use, the Gonex has held up surprisingly well for its price point.
The zippers remain smooth and functional. When I first started using it I treat them gently based on experiences with other budget bags – now I just zip and rip, no issues, regardless of how filthy the bag is. The 1200D PVC fabric shows no wear despite it’s varied travels – it still looks good when I spray it off.
The conversion between duffel and backpack modes remains easy and secure after extended use. I’ve seen no degradation in the strap attachment points or buckles.
Where field performance falls short is in truly wet conditions – would I trust it in the rainy season in Vietnam – yes, I would, but I’d check it a decent bit. Unlike the Uncharted Supply vault (INSERT WEBLINK), the zipper are not water proof zippers – they have an overhang that protected them from water. So far I haven’t been able to drench everything inside it in conditions it’s been in. But, I’m not going to dunk it in a pool – I like the bag too much to test it like that. So, I’ll consider this a likely fail.
Water Resistant
Here is where the Gonex has some challenges. It’s water resistant.
Into the shop shower, I let water run on it for 1 minute.
Unfortunately, as you can see below – it did not stand up well to the 1 minute water test.
So, water resistant – that’s questionable. A light rain, yes. A downpour – probably not.
Financial Investment
I’m not a financial advisor, but I would tell you, for $45, this is the best $45 you will ever spend. So long as you are not deploying the bag into an area with heavy down pours, it’ll be fine. This bag has been through light rain showers and performed quite well.
If we are talking I would put this up against every single duffel I have – Patagonia, Uncharted, Osprey – and I would trust this bag to deliver.
How many Thumbs Up? 4.5.
4.5 – it passed every F, with the exception of water resistance, with flying, questionable background colors.
I now own the 70L and 100L wheeled duffel bag versions. In Africa, I took the 80L as my plane bag and the 100L as my checked bag and at no point was I remotely concerned – the 80L held all my valuables, from binoculars to Mac to everything else, and the 100L all my clothes. The 80L fight into the overhead compartment, was easy to access for the longest flight that Delta does, and the 100L did just fine being thrown all over the place – from baggage handling to a customs shake-down to the back of the Land Cruiser and the field.
If I can make one recommendation – do what Frodo didn’t do, and wishes he would have when Gollum smashed up all the Elven bread – get the Gonex.