Planes, Trucks, Villas, and Cabins: A review of 5.11 Tactical’s 126L SOMS Rolling Duffel Bag
OK, the first ‘field test’ of 5.11 Tactical’s SOMS 126L Rolling Duffle bag involved rolling it to and from my Ford pickup, where I loaded and unloaded it when attending the Safari Club International 2024 Convention in Nashville. When I knew I’d need a rolling duffle for several upcoming trips, I contacted Nathan (Newt) Borowski of Backbone Media. He is my go-to guy for equipment and clothing, and I trust him implicitly to steer me toward quality products. I assume Newt can be wrong, but so far, he hasn’t failed. When I asked about a rolling duffle, he came back quickly with the suggestion that I look at the 5.11 Tactical SOMS Rolling Duffel.
Testing the SOMS Duffel
Let’s start with a possible negative for the 5.11 SOMS duffel. The empty weight of this bag is a bit over 16.5 pounds. This may seem like a heavy starting point. Still, it reflects the sturdy construction necessary to stand up to the abuse of airline baggage handlers and travelers like me who demand a lot from my ‘luggage’; the duffel must endure heat and dust clouds in the back of the PH’s Land Cruiser, being hoicked around by trackers and, finally, dropped from a height by yours truly when not paying enough attention when departing tents, hotel rooms and helicopters. However, the two handles – one each end – made the nearly 80-pound duffel carried to the SCI convention, heavy because it contained copies of my book, easily manageable. I assumed I would be struggling with the load and almost called the hotel porter to help. Then, I realized I was not that weak yet. Used to the non-rolling variants of duffel bags, I was also thrilled by the smooth action of the wheels, even when challenged with an overabundance of Bringing Back the Lions.
The other part of this first field test involved the initial packing, which pointed to several features, making the duffel extremely well-designed. The accompanying photos show what we quickly put into the 5.11 SOMS; the 126L inside this duffel is apparently a lot of space. We could have sat on the duffle and ended up with tons more inside, but why bother when Newt sent us two? When packing and unpacking, the large area of the top, zippered cover means when open, all parts of the packed area are in view – this means no feeling around or needing a headlamp/I-phone light to see into the corners.
If you want more rigidity, the 5.11 SOMS comes with two support rods that fit into sturdy plastic receptacles at either end. And, for separating different articles of clothing or equipment from clothing, there is a flexible ‘shelf’ secured to each side of the duffle by Velcro. We used neither of these options, not needing either extra rigidness or separation of different items. Returning to the ‘heaviness’ of the SOMS. With my other duffels made of lighter material, they bulge to the point that it is difficult to get them through door frames. The SOMS held its shape because of the density/heaviness of its outer shell. It was a relief NOT to have to wedge it through tight openings. That may seem trivial, but trust me, it isn’t. The extra weight associated with a sturdier build was a welcome relief to me. But you can find lighter duffel bags. The tradeoff is durability and ease of moving the bag around – rolling rather than carrying by straps and/or dragging. You choose. I’m going with the SOMS.
The first international adventure for the SOMS involved a hunt in England for Chinese Water Deer and Muntjac. (The species actually aren’t important, but I like bragging that I’ve hunted for these cool, fanged deer.) The duffels came through their first trial-by-baggage-handlers without tears or even many scuff marks. The handles, wheels, and straps resisted the damage we’ve seen in other luggage. This may seem like a moot point. It was just one trip, after all, so surely the bags would not show significant damage already. In reply, I would say that Frances and I have traveled to 34 countries, some many times, over the past decade. Our experience is that some 5-star-review bags fell apart after one journey.
Our final trip for the 5.11 SOMS duffel test came when Frances and I headed to the British Columbian Skeena Mountains for a Black Bear hunt and a time watching the training of First Nation youth in a myriad of outdoor skills by Driftwood Valley Outfitters. We started this hunt like so many others, climbing into the shuttle van after loading a gun case, a carry-on with all our camera and recording equipment, and the two SOMS duffels. We expected our time in Driftwood’s remote camp in the Skeena Mountains to be the biggest part of the test. Instead, 23 hours after starting our travel, we’d pulled the SOMS duffels over three miles, mostly through airports. Needless to say, we came away impressed with their ease of movement when loaded to 50+ pounds. Most telling was Frances stating, “These are super easy to get through miles of airports, except where the management puts in those @#$%@&*, metal poles at the bottom of escalators!!”
We spent the night in Prince George, with Michael Schneider, owner of Driftwood Valley Outfitters, picking us up the following morning in his extended cab pickup. Michael knew we would travel on some pretty ‘greasy’ roads and suggested covering the 5.11 SOMS with garbage bags to keep off the mud that would inevitably land in the bed of his truck. We knew the duffels would resist the rain but were happy to keep them from ending up the grey color of the roads we traveled.
Arriving in camp, we lifted the bags from the truck bed, noting the coat of road ick on the garbage bags. Intending to check out the territory a bit that afternoon, Frances and I quickly uncovered the duffels in our cabin, unzipped the top compartment and side pockets, and extracted our hunting and photographic gear. All of the clothing and equipment were in perfect condition. After retrieving what we needed for the afternoon hunt, we slid the mostly empty SOMS under our beds and headed into the countryside with Michael. As an aside, the 5.11 SOMS duffels themselves, once again, came through the travel in vans, planes, and pickup trucks in almost pristine shape. The 1050D nylon and 1680D ballistic nylon used in the SOMS construction really does keep the bags from damage by baggage handlers and their machines, and travelers like me who drop them repeatedly in my haste to get into the woods.
Mike Arnold has been a life-long hunter. The Hunter’s Horn blew very early for him. From the age of five, Mike has spent months each year pursuing game animals – from quail and rabbits behind his parents’ house, to kudu and leopard in Africa, and Brocket deer in Mexico. Mike’s articles include feature pieces in Sports Afield, Hunter’s Horn, Safari Magazine, and African Hunting Gazette. Mike also produced two TEDx presentations on the topic of conservation-through-trophy-hunting. You can find links to many of his articles and his Blog here.
Mike is also a Professor and the Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia. He works in conservation biology and is the author of the 2022 book, BRINGING BACK THE LIONS: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique. Mike’s book is available for purchase at bringingbackthelions.com, Amazon and local bookstores.