YETI Crossroads® Wheeled Luggage: The Best Rolling Suitcase for Adventure Fishing Travel

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By Kurt Mazurek | Last updated Oct 1, 2024 4:00 PM ET

Transparency Note: Although I have not been paid by any of the manufacturers, some of the gear reviewed in this article was provided to me at no cost for evaluation. The views and assessments presented are entirely my own. If you buy something via one of these links, there is no additional cost to you and I may earn a commission.

The more I travel, the more I understand the value of intelligently designed, well-built luggage. And the more I learn about YETI, the more I know that intelligently designed and well-built are universally true descriptions of all their products, including luggage.

Sure, the YETI brand evokes visions of the original high-end cooler, and rightly so. But YETI offers a wide range of really smart, durable products to help you make the most of your outdoor lifestyle—built for the wild®, as they say. From French presses to lawn chairs to wine tumblers, their focus on design and quality is always immediately obvious.

Here is my honest review of the YETI Crossroads®, 29-inch, wheeled luggage which I carried on a recent cross-country fishing trip.

Intelligently Designed

I love the idea of organization, but to be completely honest, when I’m traveling things can get a little loose. The YETI Crossroads® luggage is designed to make it difficult to be anything but super organized.

On the outside of the bag you’ll find a vertically zipped stash pocket, which is perfect for storing maps, magazines, a tablet, or any paperwork you’ll need to grab quickly and easily. Along the top, front edge is a roomy, zipped pocket that’s a perfect place to store chargers, cables, a wallet or other small, miscellaneous items. There’s even a built-in tether for attaching your keys. It seems like such a simple thing, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve landed back at my local airport, travel-weary and just ready to get home, then frantically searched every pocket of every bag, trying to find my car keys.

While discussing the outside of the bag, let’s note its many and various grab handles. There’s literally one on every side. Whether you’re trying to wrestle it off of the baggage carousel or slide it into the trunk of your car, having a firm spot to grab this bag from any angle is a blessing.

And inside the Crossroads® is where things get really organized. The bag zips open in a 70/30 split. The deeper side is covered by a zippered, mesh, divider panel. This space is deep enough to easily accommodate a couple pairs of my extra-large shoes and my rain suit bib and jacket with several tees and shorts on top. Once zipped closed everything is kept in place, but you’ll also see two, large, mesh pockets on the front of this panel, perfect for socks, underwear or a couple extra t-shirts.

The shallower half of the case is split again, approximately 70/30 with two zippered pockets about 4 to 5 inches deep. I used the smaller one to hold my camera gear and toiletries and the larger one for a Plano box and miscellaneous fishing tackle. I should mention, this 29” Crossroads® bag comes with small and medium, expanding Crossroads® Packing Cubes. I found the small one to be perfect for toiletries and the larger one stored my DJI OSMO Action 4 camera and accessories like it was made for it.

Well-Built

Again, the more I travel, the more I notice the toll that the whole air travel process and remote, rugged destinations can take on your luggage. But YETI’s focus on materials, construction and overall durability means this bag will be around for a long time.

Let’s start with materials. This suitcase is built on a molded polycarbonate base for maximum durability and protection. Then the rest of the bag is expedition-grade, 700 Denier, TuffSkin Nylon which is water and abrasion resistant. Before I let it slide past, I had no idea what Denier was and whether 700 was a good amount, so I looked it up. Denier is a unit of measurement describing the thickness and weight of the individual thread fibers in a fabric. Generally speaking, the higher the number, the more durable the fabric, but that comes with additional weight. To give you an idea, a nylon ski jacket might have a 40 to 70 Denier rating. So, 700 is pretty tough.

Mechanically, the extending handle slides into and out of the bag with a solid, flex-free, reassuring feel, like no other roller suitcase I’ve owned. The zippers all feel strong, solid and extra-beefy. And the roller wheels are rugged and large enough to easily pull over curbs or even off-road. And back to that intelligent design point I was making earlier, the wheels are completely serviceable and replaceable. I know on past suitcases I’ve owned, inevitably the wheels fail, but honestly, at that point the bag itself will probably be ready to retire. YETI has designed a bag that will serve you for a very long time.

Specs

-29.9” tall, x 16.1” wide, x 12.4” deep
-Empty weight is 10.5 lbs.
-73L by volume
-Includes small and medium Packing Cubes for extra organization
-3-year warranty
-Available in Olive, Navy, Black, Alpine Brown and Seasonal Colors

It is also worth noting that they offer a bag with very similar design and build, but in a smaller, carry-on size—the YETI Crossroads® 22” Wheeled Luggage.

What Is This Luggage Good For?

I took this bag on a five-day, air travel trip. During that time I needed clothes for fishing in everything from cold and rainy to sunny and warm conditions. I also had a formal event to attend one evening, so add a sport jacket, button-up shirt, dress pants and an extra pair of shoes. And, I carry more camera gear than the average person. I only had this bag and one small carry-on backpack. Everything fit just fine.

If you want luggage that nearly automates organization, will never force you to drag another wonky, squeaky-wheeled bag through an airport, and protects your stuff from any punishment those eager baggage handlers can dish out, the YETI Crossroads® Wheeled Luggage is good to go.

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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