Eagle Creek Load Warrior 22 Inch Carry-on Luggage Review
Price: $299 Listing
Pros: Tons of well-designed and usable pockets, lightweight for its volume, big wheels roll well on uneven and rough ground, lots of comfortable grab straps
Cons: Not as easy to maximize space, harder than other models to zip shut when total, feels slightly less maneuverable than others
Manufacturer: Eagle Creek
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Updates to the Gear Warrior Wheeled
This wheeled duffel has gotten a consummate makeover this year, featuring 100% recycled materials and an updated handle and wheel design. The sizing has too shifted a fiddling. The 32" (92 liter) version that we tested isn't offered anymore. The closest sizing in the upgraded bag would exist xxx" (95 liters), which we now link to above. See the newest Gear Warrior below in the first image, compared to the version we tested in the second paradigm.
To summarize the updates:
- Recycled Materials — Eagle Creek is moving in strides towards sustainability, offering lots of their new bags in recycled materials. The new Gear Warrior line is entirely comprised of recycled materials, including a PET ripstop and recycled coating.
- Handle Updates — The handle organization is all new and impact-resistant, with an enhanced tube design intended to increase strength and reduce wobble.
- New Cycle Design — The new purse features larger, more-treaded tires for when you have to have this pocketbook "off-road".
Since we haven't tested the updated Gear Warrior, the remainder of this review is for the version we previously tested.
Hands-On Review of the Gear Warrior Wheeled
The Eagle Creek Gear Warrior is a wheeled slice of luggage that near every traveler can appreciate. It sports a host of well thought out pockets and compartments at a slightly below-average weight, meaning y'all have to retrieve well-nigh what yous bring marginally less before hitting nearly airlines 50-pound baggage limit. The Gear Warrior was a footling harder to aught shut when packed to the brim. It also does not avowal the best weather resistance, but for nearly airline travelers, it sheds precipitation adequately.
The Gear Warrior is a summit-notch wheely purse. The majority of travelers will appreciate its pockets, organizational features, and respectably low weight, and while it didn't win an honour in our review, most folks will find information technology plenty durable and weather resistant for airline travel.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Ease of Transport
The is a pretty darn easy way to move around a lot of stuff; information technology features the most prominent wheels of any model in our review, which allows you to hands pull it over rough, uneven, or unpaved surfaces.
The Gear Warrior'south iii.5-inch wheels were the largest in our review. While this blueprint did make this model slightly less nimble, information technology was the easiest to pull beyond uneven terrain. from cobbled streets to gravel roads.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Several members of our review staff commented on its cushy grab loops, and one is featured on nearly every side of the bag. While we initially idea they would be insignificant, every single tester commented on how pleasant it was to pull the Gear Warrior off baggage carousels and luggage racks.
Our entire testing team commented how functional and cushy the grab loops were. Featured on almost every side of this model, they simply made it easier to elevate our purse effectually, whether pulling information technology out of the trunk or off a baggage rack.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
The Gear Warrior'south wide wheelbase is a definite advantage; it allows the model to exist stable when standing up; and then steady, in fact, that nosotros would often leave a haversack hanging from the handles (as long as there was enough weight in it) and it would rarely tip over. The downside is that this award winner is a piffling harder to control in tight spaces or crowds.
The Gear Warrior, along with The Due north Face Rolling Thunder, was the virtually stable to be left free-standing. This contender was so stable that as long as our conduct-on wasn't insanely heavy, it could exist left hanging from the handle.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
The handle extended far plenty to give united states of america the adequate leverage needed to tote our l-pound handbag around the airport relatively well. However, we liked the longer handle, and the college distance betwixt the top of the pocketbook itself and the handle found on The North Face up Rolling Thunder xxx" and the Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled better. Why? The more significant distance just made it easier to handle the bag, especially when nosotros had another purse on top of it. With that said, the Gear Warrior is an excellent bag to pull around, and the big wheels are major selling points.
The Gear Warrior'southward handle tucked away nicely in a pocket-size zippered compartment. We really liked this blueprint as information technology kept the handle cleaner and it was less probable to become dinged or nicked up.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Ease of Packing
The Gear Warrior, forth with The N Face Rolling Thunder 30", and The Northward Face up Rolling Thunder 36", offering some of the all-time features for staying organized.
Besides the primary compartment, the Gear Warrior sports 3 additional compartments for arrangement. We used the big "U" shaped pocket inside the main compartment; the access zipper more or less mirrored that of the ane institute in the master compartment. While this award winner had a thinner volume and material that some of the others, the handbag itself was easy to admission and close. Inside this compartment is a long zippered mesh pocket, which is an ideal area to shop small items that are like shooting fish in a barrel to lose. This notable winner is an excellent fashion to stay organized in general.
This photo shows the dissever zippered U-shaped compartment and associated mesh zippered pocket located directly in a higher place the master compartment. This handbag features a ton of organizational features that we remember travelers will really appreciate.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
The final compartment is on the elevation of the bag almost the handle. While it'due south a touch on the modest side for shoes and things of that nature, it was still an ideal place for our liquids and other items of that size and nature.
The main compartment of the Gear Warrior is accessed via a large U-shaped zipper, making for a classic clam-shell design. This design makes it super easy to find almost any item in this compartment, only when loaded to capacity, nosotros find it is more than difficult to zip shut.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
The but disadvantage of the Gear Warrior is that it tin can be difficult to maximize its 92-liter capacity; if you pack it super total, it's harder to zip shut than most models. Unlike the The North Face Rolling Thunder and the Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled, the attachment is primarily on the acme of a box that y'all fill and then shut the lid on. With the Gear Warrior, information technology closes on the upper corner of that box but is still slightly on the side.
When fully loaded, this bag was harder than most to aught close.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Weight
Despite sporting one of the larger volumes in our review, it weighs in at an impressive 7 pounds 9 ounces (for the 32"/92-liter model). Information technology certainly isn't short on pockets or organizational features, either.
This organizing genie weighs ii pounds less than the slightly smaller The North Confront Rolling Thunder 30" (9 pounds 14 ounces for the fourscore liter) and very close to the same weight as the Patagonia Black Pigsty Wheeled (lxx liters). Nonetheless, the Eagle Creek model is twenty liters larger and features more pockets. We like the Gear Warrior, equally it sports more than features, like a keeper to strap bulky items, a secondary compartment, treaded wheels, and reinforced corners.
The Gear Warrior uses relatively burly fabrics and reinforcements compared to the vast majority of luggage. It is plenty durable for most airline travelers. The only reason this model didn't score higher in this metric is because there are several models in our review with burlier, more durable fabric. As far as the longevity of the handle and frame or the actual quality of construction, we remember the Gear Warrier is a solid contender.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Durability
The Gear Warrior Wheeled is certainly as durable as most classic airline baggage and will last most users years of abuse. All the same, information technology isn't as durable as most of the models in our armada.
The frame and handle of the Gear Warrior are nearly equally durable to any other model, similar the Patagonia Blackness Pigsty Wheeled or The North Face up Rolling Thunder. The difference in durability becomes apparent when we discuss the materials that each 1 is crafted of; the Gear Warrior is constructed of 450D ripstop polyester, with an additional layer 210D in high article of clothing areas for reinforcement. When yous compare this to traditional luggage, information technology'southward extremely burly; however, when compared to models like the Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled (900D polyester rip-finish and reinforced with an additional layer of 630D) or The N Confront Rolling Thunder (1000D polyester with 1680D reinforcements), the Gear Warrior simply isn't quite as tough. Durable, yes. Identical to the most substantial duty models in our fleet? No.
Weather Resistance
There are plenty of reasons to purchase the Gear Warrior simply top-tier weather resistance isn't one of them. It doesn't offer poor weather resistance, simply average.
Its exceptional at keeping your stuff dry in a drizzle, but information technology's nowhere near every bit weather resistant as the Patagonia Black Hole Wheeled or The North Confront Rolling Thunder models. In both our side-past-side testing likewise as in existent-globe use, the Gear Warrior did non stand up to the previously mentioned contenders during our hose spray down examination.
The Gear Warrior Wheeled is a height-tier model for the majority of airline travelers. While you tin can buy more atmospheric condition resistant and durable models, the Gear Warrior withal provides enough of both for most airline or bus travel, plus a host of other design functions and features that those users will appreciate.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Best Applications
The Gear Warrior is best for primarily airline travel, but its big wheels, host of pockets, and organizational features, and any traveler tin truly appreciate respectable weight. While it isn't the most robust of the agglomeration, it is rugged and will outlast the majority of baggage y'all run into on the carousel.
Value
At $299, the Gear Warrior is a decent price; information technology'due south more or less in line with many other wheeled pieces of baggage of its quality and feature set up. We're firm believers in getting what you pay for, specially when it volition pay off in its durability and convenience of design.
Conclusion
The Gear Warrior is one of our favorite models for folks looking for a handbag with lots of pockets and compartments. This accolade winner is ideal for those doing lots of traditional airline travel. With its excellent attributes, including its lightweight, well-designed grab loops, tuck-abroad handle, and stable platform, this handbag deserves a notable mention.
Source: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/travel/duffel-bag/eagle-creek-gear-warrior-wheeled