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The term “Military Grade” is used everywhere to convey to the buyer that something is extremely well-built and tough; unfortunately, for the most part, it’s untrue. When my fellow soldiers and I want good gear, we don’t look for military-grade; we look for civi-made. The Condor Colossus duffel bag is a great example of this.
The Colossus, Condor’s version of the traditional military-issued duffel bag, is a well-built heavy-use bag that can hold all the gear you need for any mission.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONDOR COLOSSUS DUFFLE BAG
RATING
SPECS
Total Capacity: 3780 Cu In / 60 liters
Overall Dimension: 10″H x 27″W x 14″D
Material: 1000D Cordura Nylon / PVC
Manufactured: Imported
PROS
- 1000D CORDURA NYLON
- REINFORCED BOTTOM
- REINFORCED STITCHING
- LARGE CARRY CAPACITY
- HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL WITH DIVERSE CARRY CAPABILITIES
- VERY AFFORDABLE PRICE
CONS
- NOT ENOUGH ORGANIZATION POCKETS
- BOTTOM COULD HAVE EVEN STRONGER REINFORCEMENT
- NO HOOK OR LOOP PANEL ON THE FRONT
CHECK OUT MORE GREAT GEAR
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PRICE
(DISCOUNT CODE: TG4L777 FOR 15% OFF)
IS THE COLOSSUS WORTH YOUR MONEY?
Yes, the Condor Colossus duffel bag is worth the cost. At only $84, it’s a deal. It’s tough and well-made, can hold everything my military duffels can, and is even more functional with its different carrying capabilities, reinforced bottom, and extra storage separation ability.
OVERALL
The Condor Colussus is an excellent all-around bag. With a total volume of sixty litres, it can hold everything you need and more for a mission, camping trip, or just a good old vacation.
It’s extremely tough and durable, being made entirely of 1000D Cordura nylon and having a reinforced PVC polymer bottom.
The Colossus has three external pouches and two more mesh pouches inside the main compartment for all your small, important gear.
It has tough nylon straps and felt handles for a strong and comfortable carry. It also has multiple carrying capabilities, so you can carry it single-handed, over the shoulder, or as a backpack.
Overall, the Colossus is highly functional, tough, and ready to go.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
When I first pulled the Colossus out of the package, I was impressed with the quality that Condor put into the overall build.
I examined the materials used, the quality of stitching, and the bag’s customizability closely, and I wasn’t let down.
The Colossus is, all in all, a very nice bag.
IN THE FIELD
The Colossus got its first real field time during a few solid and hot range days.
Besides my actual guns, I could pack everything I needed into the Condor Colossus, from ammo to ear pro, shooting mats to extra clothes, and plate carriers to snackables.
The few extra pockets on the outside of the bag also let me store my keys and other small essential items that I never want to lose in the jumble of the main pouch.
The felt handles were also a very nice little addition. I loaded the bag full, and it was heavy, but the felt handle made the Colossus easy to hold, regardless of the weight.
QUALITY AND DESIGN
CONDOR COLOSSUS EXTERIOR
COMPARTMENTS
Condor gave the Colossus an outer front and rear pocket and a single end pocket.
These pockets are great for small items, so they don’t get lost in the main compartment, and you have easy access to essential items.
CARRY HANDLES
The main carry handle uses strong nylon webbing. It has a reinforced nylon handle with a hook-and-loop panel to hold the main handles closed, making it much easier to carry.
The side handles have a reinforced felt grip over the nylon webbing, making them strong and comfortable when you need to pick your bag up and toss it into the back of a truck.
ZIPPERS AND BUCKLES
The zippers are pretty standard and nothing to write home about, but that isn’t to say they aren’t well made. The zippers are double-stitched and extremely strong.
I packed the Colossus to the point where I really had to reef on the zippers to close them, and they never felt like they would break.
Zippers are often a point of concern on packs, but the zippers on the Colossus have proved to be well-built.
The buckles are also strong yet standard dura-flex buckles. They hold well, but it would have been nice to see larger, beefier buckles on the Colossus.
D-RINGS AND CONNECTORS
The Colossus’s D-rings are metal; however, they are fairly thin, which is probably my biggest concern when it comes to any of the bag’s attachment points.
The hook attachment is also dura-flex and holds well, but again, it isn’t that beefy.
So far, though, with the loads I have carried and the stress under which I have put this connection point, they have held up great.
BACK PADDING
Condor added padding on the top of the bag for when you want to use the Colossus in its backpack-style carry.
This is one of those solid little features that makes a huge difference. The padding provides solid comfort, allowing you to wear the Colossus as a backpack for an extended period of time.
STRAPS
The shoulder straps on the Colossus are very similar to those on Condor’s 3-Day assault pack. They have a breathable mesh lining and decent padding.
They’re not pillows like Eberlestock straps, but are still quite comfy. Even with a full load, I haven’t experienced any discomfort while using them.
BOTTOM
The bottom of the Colossus is one of my favourite aspects of this bag. It has a completely reinforced PVC polymer bottom.
One of the first locations on any bag or pack to start to show wear and tear is the bottom, so having a reinforced bottom really helps to extend the life of the bag.
CONDOR COLOSSUS INTERIOR
MAIN COMPARTMENT
As the Colossus is Condor’s version of the issued military duffel bag, the interior of the main compartment is one large open space. This is nice as it lets you stuff a ton of gear inside.
At the same time, one of the major issues with duffel bags is losing your small delicate and important items in the jumble of gear stuffed into the bag.
To help with this, Condor added a couple of mesh pockets to the lid of the Colossus. However, a few smaller compartments for sorting would have been nice around the inside edges of the pack.
BOOT COMPARTMENT
Condor gave the Colossus a boot compartment on the side of the bag, which allows you to sort your gear a bit more or put your muddy boots in to prevent the rest of your gear from getting dirty.
If you don’t want to put boots or other gear in this compartment, Condor made it so the loose inner wall between the boot and main compartment can actually extend into the boot compartment.
This gives you added room in the main compartment for more or larger gear.
FRONT, REAR, AND SIDE COMPARTMENTS
The front, rear, and side compartments are all simply wide-open dump pockets.
They don’t provide fine customization capabilities for small items, but they do allow you to separate your smaller items more than not having them.
Even without inner mesh pockets in these compartments, they are a solid design and a great design feature on the Colossus.
FUNCTIONALITY
SIZE
One of the great aspects of military duffel bags is the size. They are large and provide you with a ton of space to carry all your gear.
Initially, the Colossus appeared smaller next to my issued duffel, which caused me to worry that it wouldn’t be able to hold all my gear. In my opinion, this would counter the very reason to purchase it.
So, I had to see if the Colossus could hold everything I needed it to hold.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I emptied out all my winter gear from my duffel bag, and as you can see from the photos below, I was able to fit it all into the Colossus with no extra difficulty.
The Colossus’s size and the extra inner and outer storage make it a highly functional duffel bag whether you’re in the field or on vacation.
MATERIAL AND STITCHING
The body of the Colossus is made from durable and strong 1000D Cordura nylon. The handle straps are also made from high-tensile-strength nylon, and the bottom is reinforced with PVC polymer.
Condor chose solid materials for each part of the Colossus, making the entire bag strong and durable, ensuring it will hold up through years of abuse.
Condor uses double stitching, cross stitching, and bar tacking on all vulnerable areas and connection points throughout the bag.
These forms of stitching reinforce and strengthen the entire bag, preventing the zippers, nylon webbing, and connection points from tearing and ripping under the strains of daily use.
GEAR SORTING
Condor didn’t give the Colossus a ton of extra pockets for sorting your small or most important gear, but they did give some, and what they did give really helped make the whole bag even more functional.
The ability to prevent your gear from getting lost in the main compartment and giving you quick and easy access is huge, especially when trying to find your gear in the dark.
MULTI CARRY CAPABILITY
The multiple different carrying styles the Colossus offers make it highly functional in nearly any and every situation.
You can pick your bag up from the ends with two hands and toss it into a truck or pick it up from the main handle with a single hand and walk into a building.
Sling it over your shoulder with the shoulder strap or throw it on your back for a long walk. The bag is what you need it to be, when you need it to be it.
WHAT I LIKE BEST
FIT AND FINISH
Overall, the Condor Colossus is a great-looking modern military duffel bag alternative. It’s designed well, built to a high standard, organized well, and has many great features.
Condor did a great job designing this bag. From the moment I opened it, I was impressed with how it looked and felt.
REINFORCED BOTTOM
The bottom of any bag or pack takes the most abuse. From being tossed around or dragged over dirt and rocky ground the bottom gets really beat up.
So, the reinforced bottom of the Colossus was a fantastic attribute to see. The PVC polymer is quite strong and durable and really adds to the life of the bag.
In addition to the functionality the polymer bottom adds to the bag, the black bottom also makes the Colossus look really slick.
CARRYING CAPACITY
I was highly impressed with how much the Colossus could hold. As I said earlier, I had no issue storing all my winter gear in it.
I also had no issue fitting all my range and hunting gear in the main compartment, even after filling the boot compartment with ammo.
Now as good as the as it is, I could understand someone maybe wanting the main compartment a bit larger, but it really isn’t needed and it performed well with my numerous different gear sets.
CONCERNS AND CRITICISMS
SHOULDER STRAP CONNECTION
One of my main concerns with the Colossus was the connection point between the shoulder straps and the bag. This seems to be the only connection point not reinforced by one of the previously mentioned forms of stitching.
Now Condor built the 3-Day Assault pack shoulder straps the exact same way, and in that article, I mentioned the same concern.
So, even though I am concerned about possible tearing and pack failure, I can honestly say I have yet to see one of Condors’ packs actually tear at this point.
On top of that, no one I know who runs a Condor pack daily has had their pack tear here.
POCKETS AND POUCHES
My other main concern with the Colossus was the lack of smaller gear pouches. I mentioned earlier that the pouches they did provide were good, but they could have been better.
Adding some smaller mesh pouches on the inside of the main compartment or on the inside of the outer compartments could have made the Colossus even more functional.
Losing small, important items in a main compartment is always a concern in the field, so small pockets are a highly useful and functional aspect of great bags and packs.
CONCLUSION
The Condor Colossus is a well-designed, well-built, solid duffel bag. It is strong and highly durable, being made from near-ballistic nylon and having reinforced stitching on nearly every inch of the bag.
The PVC polymer coating on the bottom protects the bag’s most abused section and ensures a long life span for the whole bag.
The Colossus’s ability to be carried in multiple configurations and its added storage pockets make it highly functional and adaptable to any situation.
Its large carrying capacity also ensures that you’ll always be able to carry the gear you need to be mission-ready.
The Colossus is a solid duffel bag and worth every penny on the price tag.
(DISCOUNT CODE: TG4L777 FOR 15% OFF)
