Eagle Creek Expanse Luggage Review for Family Travel

Seeking durable luggage for family travel? Look no further than Eagle Creek. This company of travelers and innovators has been perfecting luggage and duffels to improve the travel experience since 1975. Their stuff is made to withstand a beating and even comes with a lifetime warranty. Whether flying overseas, embarking on a road trip with kids, or heading to a campsite, you know Eagle Creek will make your family’s belongings safe and sound to your destination. I took their wheeled Expanse Drop Bottom Duffel and Expanse Flatbed for a spin. Read on for my full Eagle Creek Expanse review.

This review is brought to you in partnership with Eagle Creek.

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Eagle Creek’s Expanse Line

Eagle Creek‘s Drop Bottom Duffel and Flatbed are duffel bag/suitcases that are part of their Expanse line. Both are equipped with sturdy treaded wheels to help you navigate over rough terrain. This means easy steering, whether you’re an outdoorsy family or you’ll be rambling over cobblestones in European cities. These roomy bags can stow all sorts of family gear. Plus, they come with external lash points for securing bags to the car rooftop for extra space on family road trips.

The Eagle Creek Expanse Drop Bottom Duffel and Flatbed easily fit into the back of my messy minivan along with my daughter and dog! (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

Eagle Creek Expanse Drop Bottom Duffel

The Drop Bottom Duffel’s namesake feature, the Drop Bottom compartment, provides a zip-away divider to separate camping gear from clothing. You could also use this zipped area to separate dirty and clean clothing during any type of travel. Additionally, the Drop Bottom’s sturdy duffel handle makes it easy to carry over terrain not suitable for wheels. The Drop Bottom Duffel comes in one roomy size: 14 x 32 x 16 inches and weighs in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces. You can really cram a lot of travel gear and other goodies into this baby.

Eagle Creek Expanse Flatbed

Similar to the Drop Bottom Duffel, the Flatbed offers a separate compartment, but it’s much smaller. The Flatbed is more of a standard and sturdy suitcase that can be used as a duffel. Like the Drop Bottom, it’s got duffel handles on four sides, making it easy to load in and out of the car. It comes in two sizes, both with plenty of room to store your family’s stuff. Choose the 32-inch (16 x 32 x 12.25 inches; 9 pounds, 4 ounces) or 29-inch (16 x 29 x 12 inches; 8 pounds 14 ounces).

Drop Bottom Duffel vs. Flatbed

If you’re trying to decide between the two pieces of luggage for family travel, I can provide a little insight. For travelers planning to use the bag for frequent camping trips, I’d say the Drop Bottom should be your pick. Meanwhile, the Expanse Flatbed stands up on its own and, therefore, would be my pick for flights. For road trips, it’s a toss-up. 

Eagle Creek’s Drop Bottom Duffel and Flatbed are versatile and can be used for any kind of travel. Why not get both?Visit Eagle Creek’s website now to see all of their innovative luggage and travel gear.

A Note from The Travel Mama: This giveaway is sponsored by Eagle Creek. I received sample product and monetary compensation related to this story.

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