Thule RoundTrip duffel bag review

Thule is known for well-considered design and quality construction, both of which are exemplified in the RoundTrip duffel bag.

It may only have 55 litres of storage on offer, but it’s incredibly well organised, with pockets designed to house specific bits of bike kit.

Although there’s just the one padded shoulder strap to lug the RoundTrip around with, Thule has included other carry handles around the bag to make life easier when hauling it in and out of the car.

Along with a multitude of pockets, there’s also an internal divider that can be detached and collapsed out of the way, offering lots of little ‘cells’ to help with kit organisation.

Thule RoundTrip duffel bag performance

Fold the lid of the main compartment open and the first thing you’ll notice is the organising ‘cells’, which take up around three quarters of the space.

These offer compartments to stuff smaller items of clothing, making it easier to find and separate them from everything else.

There’s even a reinforced, padded cell to stow riding glasses or goggles, which helps keep them safe from the rough and tumble of travel.

In use, these compartments work as intended, but because they’re not massive, you’ll need to roll up bigger items such as MTB jerseys or waterproof jackets to stuff them inside.

Should you not want to use this storage system, you can detach the poppers and collapse it down into the base of the bag.

It can’t be fully removed, though, so eats into the overall storage capacity, which is a shame.

Within the main compartment, Thule has set aside space for your open-face helmet (you’ll see small pictures in certain areas to denote what kit is meant to go where).

The lid of the main compartment has a decent-sized pocket on the inside and is coated in tough, waterproof material.

This material is also used throughout the pocket at the end, designed to hold mountain bike shoes.

Here, you’ll find space to just about squeeze chunky winter boots, but regular riding shoes fit without a problem.

There’s another pocket that runs along the length of the RoundTrip. This features internal mesh organisers, as well as little stash loops, making it the perfect place for your tools and spares to live.

On the outside of that pocket lives one final pocket, which I used for small spares such as cleats and brake pads.

Loaded up, you can expect to get three to four days’ worth of riding kit inside, and some spare clothes if you pack carefully.

Otherwise, the RoundTrip is an excellent day-to-day kit bag, leaving tools and the like in there all the time and chucking in the kit you need for each ride as you go.

However, I wish Thule produced a larger-capacity RoundTrip.

I’d love to see the same design and layout, but with even more space for longer trips. However, I’d be keen to have the option of removing the cell storage system completely.

There’s no integrated luggage label, which is not the end of the world, but the relatively light interior makes life easier when digging around the main compartment for smaller items.

As it stands in this size, the RoundTrip is a great bag that’s perfectly comfortable being lugged in and out of the car in between rides. It’s well organised, well-made and works really well.

Thule RoundTrip duffel bag bottom line

While I’d love to see a larger-capacity RoundTrip bag, this one works incredibly well as a day-to-day kit bag or for long weekends away.

The kit-specific pockets and storage make organising things really easy, with a place for just about every bit of riding gear to live securely.

On top of that, the quality of construction and appealing price make this well worth considering if you’re in the market for a new kit bag.