Cotopaxi Allpa 50L Duffel Field Test Review

The Cotopaxi Allpa 50L is a durable duffel made from 850D TPU-coated nylon on the outer, and 850D ripstop nylon on the bottom. This thing is pretty bomber, and that’s the first thing you notice. At no point during testing did I ever worry about ripping or damaging the bag, even at the crag. However, I do wish the base of the bag was TPU-coated like the rest of it. While I didn’t expect the base to rip, I did find myself worrying about moisture seeping through the nylon.

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Cotopaxi Allpa 50L features

The bag consists of a main compartment, four exterior pockets (two zippered), an exterior “dirty laundry” compartment in the base, a mesh organiser inside the lid, stow-away side handles, and removable backpack straps. On paper that’s a lot of features, and is probably what sets it apart from similar duffels (like the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 55L). Although I didn’t find myself using these external pockets much, I could see it being valuable to some users. 

I found the laundry compartment in the base handy for weekend trips, but a bit too awkward to use for climbing shoes or a rope since it eats into the main compartment’s volume rather than adding volume underneath. I also found all four exterior pockets too small to fit my climbing shoes, meaning they usually lived in the main compartment. 

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I’ve had mixed experiences with shoulder straps on duffels, but I found the Cotopaxi Allpa surprisingly comfy while carrying a rope, rack, and several pairs of shoes around Araps (my soft pair, and my even softer pairs). These shoulder straps are also removable in case you use the Cotopaxi Allpa as checked luggage—unfortunately this can be a bit slow to do since the bottom of the straps are threaded (unlike the Black Hole duffel which has a push buckle). 

Our verdict

The Cotopaxi Allpa 50 feels like a classic case of “jack of all, master of none”. Since being sent one from Cotopaxi, I’ve used it as a crag bag for sport climbing, taken it to the bouldering gym, used it on weekend trips, and pretty much everything else you can do with a duffel. In all of these cases it performed well, but never felt like it was excelling. Having said, it’s not designed as a climbing pack—it would be better suited to someone looking for an all-purpose duffle bag. Overall though, it is a solid option from a company that is striving to make ethical and sustainable products. 

Overall, I’d rate it 3.75 out of 5 blue offsets.