Gear Review: Yeti Panga

If you’re in the outdoor industry and have never heard of Yeti, you’re outside living under a rock. Coolers, drinkware, bags, chairs, cool gear for your pet, and even a bucket with accessories, Yeti has made a name for itself as a premier brand in the outdoor industry by being #builtforthewild. There are hundreds of reviews of their coolers; they all pretty much say the same thing; Yeti Coolers are top picks versus other similar products on the market.

Today we’re going to talk specifically about the Yeti Panga, the most expensive yet most appreciated duffel bag you’ll ever own. Waterproof and durable, this fully submersible bag is a blessing to anyone who owns one. Designed to keep the things inside it dry, the Yeti Panga is the one bag any angler should have in their collection of gear bags. So here is our review of the Yeti Panga. We are aware Yeti offers a Panga Backpack, but today we’re only reviewing the duffel bags. We realize we do not have any “adventure” pictures, usually because we are too busy adventuring, so you have to take our word for it.

The Yeti Panga is offered in 3 duffel sizes 50, 75, and 100 Liter volume bags and is great for any outdoor experience. Camping, fishing, hunting, or any aquamarine adventure, the Yeti Panga is a great bag to transport your gear for any outdoor adventure.

Our tester uses the Yeti Panga 50L as a boat bag while going up and down rivers to find trout, salmon, and steelhead. While its parallel zipper design does not provide the widest opening, it does provide a good opening to stuff gear in. It does offer ample space to fit all your essential gear. The EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) foam bottom combined with the durable ThickSkin™ shell provides a rigid cavity for your stuff. The ThickSkin™ shell is high-density nylon virtually indestructible. It also does not absorb any water like other moisture-absorbing materials preventing additinal water weight.

The zipper is a HydroLok™ Zipper that keeps water out, even fully submerged.

Features and Benefits:

FEATURE	BENEFIT
HydroLock™ Zipper	For a fully airtight, watertight, weatherproof, fully submergible duffel bag.
ThickSkin™ Shell	Durable, durable, and durable.
Mesh Pockets	So smaller things don’t get lost.
Backpack Straps	To make transport easier. Comfortable and effective.
EVA Molded Base	The Ethylene Vinyl Acetate foam molding protects the base of the bag from abrasion and provides some cushioning.

Cons:

Heavy	With durability usually comes weight.
Zipper is sticky	With a tough and waterproof zipper, comes a zipper that is challenging to zip.
Zipper is placement	The straight parallel zipper limits the opening. A diagonal zipper length wise would be an improvement.
Not enough Mesh Pockets	You don’t have enough pockets for the small things.
Expensive	It is the highest price point compared to comparable bags.

Pros:

Durable	You’ll be hard pressed to rip this this thing, ever.
Rigid and Spacious	The EVA molded bottom gives it structure and volume.
Fully Submergible	No matter what Mother Nature throws at you, or if you throw it in the water, this bag will perform and keep things dry.
Size Options	Offered in 50 Liter, 75 Liter, and 100 Liters, this range is perfect.

Overall we like the Yeti Panga Duffel. It is a simple design that does what it is supposed to do; it’s waterproof, durable, relatively easy to transport, and ready for all the elements. It’s not the best bag strictly for travel, but it is the bag of choice and even considered essential for any outdoor excursion; fishing, hunting, rafting, or any adventure where water and Mother Nature can make things get wet, the Yeti Duffel performs as it touted too. It is expensive, but it is a bag that will protect your other expensive things and last you a lifetime.

For more information about the Yeti Panga, check out Yeti’s line of duffel bags here. To purchase, we always recommend finding a local dealer.

Other Gear Reviews:

• Patagonia Foot Tractor Wading Boots
• Fishpond Luggage
• Riversmith’s River Quiver