Kitworks Adventure Duffel Reviewed

When I was a kid, my hippy parents used duffels when we traveled because suitcases were too bourgeois. That, and because it was much more difficult to throw a hard-sided suitcase on top of a Mexican bus.

I grew up thinking duffels were better, too, and rarely use a suitcase, even now when they come with smooth-rolling wheels that make them a breeze to pull through airports and city streets. I still prefer a duffel’s rugged versatility and schlepping something on my back to a suitcase’s limited mobility and packability.

As a gear tester, I’ve used, abused, and loved most of the standard duffels—the Patagonia Black Hole, The North Face Base Camp, and the Yeti Panga. They’re all in my garage waiting for the next adventure. Lately, however, the bag I’ve been using most is from a much smaller company called Kitworks, which offers a totally new take.

Kitworks Adventure Duffel 60L

Since its launch in 2022, Kitworks has shot out of the blocks, thanks to smartly designed gear boxes with lots of dividers and internal attachment points so you can meticulously organize each one either by activity or gear type. The same concept applies to their Adventure duffel. Inside, several rows of attachment rails let me hook on dividers, shoe holders, and other Kitworks accouterments, creating the most organized duffel I’ve ever had.

Emphasis here on the word “organized.” Duffels are great for the top of Mexican buses, but they’ve always sucked when it comes to organization. The first time I reach in to retrieve something at the bottom of a duffel, the entire contents become a messy jumble that threatens to spill out, and the only way back is to re-pack the whole thing.

The Kitworks dividers eliminate the chaos because everything has its place. To provide easy access, the duffel lid zips open a full 270 degrees, so I don’t have to reach through a single slot on the end. When packed, the left third of my bag is dedicated to shoes, socks, and underwear. The middle holds all my warm layers in the winter (and swimsuits, towels, and extra hats in the summer), and the right is for daily clothes. Each compartment still gets jumbled, but the jumble is contained.

Kitworks offers a 60- and 90-liter version; I went with the 60 because it’s small enough to fit in an overhead compartment. I’ve used the bag for a week-long trip and found it plenty big enough as long as I pack smartly and rewear clothing. The removable backpack straps are svelte but comfortable, and they allowed me to run through an airport to catch a departing plane as well as haul the bag over a mile through a destination city.

Made from a 900-denier, 100-percent recycled ripstop fabric and laminated with a TPU shell, the Adventure duffel is just as durable as other top-shelf duffels and will last decades, even if it’s regularly abused. The bottom of the bag is completely waterproof so I can set it on wet ground, and the top is highly water-resistant so my gear will be fine if I have to carry it through a rainstorm. The entire bag is PFAS-free.

There are a ton of attachment points on the outside, making it easy to strap on the top of my truck for an overland trip, or to a yak if I were hiking into Everest basecamp. Near the grab handles are four spots where I can stick on a Velcro name tag or Velcro contents badge.

All of Kitworks’ gear is expensive, but it’s well made and innovative. The expense seemed worth it the first time I pulled a rainshell out of the bag and didn’t end up with most of my wardrobe on the ground.