The North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro Travel Pouch Review

The North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro Travel Pouch is a companion accessory to the Base Camp Voyager Pro travel line, which also includes a daypack, travel backpack, and crossbody bag. It actually hooks onto the travel pack’s shoulder strap, putting organization at your fingertips without having to remove the bag, but it also functions as a standalone sling.

We took it to Florida on a 4-day trip that involved travel by air, car, foot, and even Skyliner to see how it fared, and while it is tiny, it seemed to be a mighty little travel companion. Let’s dive in to find out why.

External Components

Since it’s part of a dedicated travel line, you shouldn’t be surprised to see it’s made with the same materials as the larger bags, just in smaller proportions. For example, it has a different material for the bottom, or boot, of the bag, despite the fact that you can’t really stand it up on that base as you can the larger bags, nor are you likely to set it on the wet or dirty ground the way you would a daypack or travel backpack.

Nevertheless, the main material is 300D recycled polyester with a TPU coating; the boot is 840D recycled ballistic nylon with a PU coating and a non-PFC DWR finish; and the back panel is 420D recycled nylon with a PU coating and a non-PFC DWR finish. That’s a lot for a little bag, but it does match the aesthetics of The North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro Travel Pack and The North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro Lightweight Pack well, so it’s appropriate.

The pouch comes in the same two color combinations as the other packs in the line: New Taupe Green/TNF Black and Anthracite Grey/TNF Black, which we’re testing. On either colorway, The North Face logo is on a Hypalon-like patch on the front, and it’s about as loud and proud as you expect from The North Face.

The YKK zipper on the main compartment has a pull made of the same grippy material, making it easy to grasp. The zipper is sturdy and a little on the stiff side, so we sometimes needed two hands to open and close the bag, but not every time.

The harness system is simple, with a webbing strap long enough to wear crossbody or around your waist that connects with a Duraflex buckle. The strap includes strap keepers, but it slides out of adjustment pretty easily, so you have to keep tightening it if you want to wear it close to your chest.

There are also two daisy chains of loops on the back panel to attach it to hooks on the Base Camp Voyager Pro Travel Pack or another bag, and you can tuck the strap behind the back panel if you do. We actually found the pouch to be the same size as the top pocket of the WaterField Designs Trigo Laptop Backpack our tester was using at the same time.

That real-world use helped us realize exactly why it’s handy to attach the pouch to a larger travel bag. Airlines are getting quite strict about allowing only one carry-on and one personal item. Despite the pouch’s small size, it would technically be a third bag if you were to wear it crossbody with a daypack and rolling carry-on luggage. Connecting it to your daypack or using it as pocket organization inside a larger bag until you reach your destination gets you around that issue.

Fit Notes

While the strap is simple and the back panel has the most minimal padding, we don’t find The North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro Travel Pouch uncomfortable to wear. This tiny sling only has about a 1L capacity, so you just can’t weigh it down too much. The biggest issue we have is that the strap seems to come out of adjustment quite often. While you may cinch it close to your chest at the start of a day, after a few hours, you’ll notice that it’s fallen out of place.

That happened when, as the primary tester, I took it resort-hopping along the Skyliner at Walt Disney World. I started my day at Hollywood Studios, walking the connector path to the Boardwalk for about 10 minutes. The bag was already lower on my body than it had been when I started. Throughout the day, as I rode the Skyliner to different resorts to explore, eat, and shop, I ended up cinching it tighter at least three more times over the course of seven or eight hours. It’s not a huge deal, and it mostly happens when you’re moving quickly, as I found while wearing it to power walk around the golf course at my resort on another morning.

However, while it slips, it’s not uncomfortable on bare skin next to a tank top or on a thin T-shirt, and it’s so small that you don’t get sweaty wearing it, despite the lack of breathable mesh. It’s got a very functional, casual aesthetic, so it doesn’t pair well with a nicer dress, but it fits nicely with most travel clothing, from tees and hoodies to sundresses and swimsuits.

Inside The Sling

So, it’s small, lightweight, and durable, but what’s inside?

There’s only one compartment on this sling, and it opens via a single-headed zipper. The interior layout is simple: there’s a key clip on a very short leash and a mesh divider. We can’t really call it a pocket because it’s so loose and floppy, but it does work, for example, to keep your keys slightly separated from your phone. We still liked to put something between the two to avoid taking the chance of the keys scratching our phone screen through the mesh, but a wallet works well for that purpose.

What you put on either side of the divider mostly stays where you put it. In my case, I put lip balm and hand sanitizer “in” the pocket on the side of the key leash, which I mostly used for my office key fob while at home and not at all on the trip. My hotel room key went in there instead as I traveled, and that’s when I noticed that it wasn’t always as easy as I’d hoped to open the main compartment. I needed to use the hotel key to get into the pool, and I couldn’t always open the pouch one-handed to get it (I had coffee in my other hand. Priorities). It seemed odd to struggle with such a small pouch, but it usually happened when the strap had loosened up on its own, as the pouch wouldn’t stay in place on my chest as I tried to unzip it.

There’s more space “outside” the pocket—or against the front—since a slight gusset allows it to protrude. That’s where I put my phone with a MagSafe wallet attached, tissues, and a small bottle of hand lotion. That’s about all you can fit inside, but in most cases, that’s all you need for a day of exploring a new place.

The small size is especially useful for air travel. I really liked being able to keep the essentials packed inside of it instead of having them in a larger daypack and then having to unpack and repack at my destination. So, whether or not you’ve invested in The North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro Travel line of bags or are just looking for an extra sling to hold the contents of your pocket, it might be worth the not-too-hefty price. The durable materials are certain to hold up for years of use, as long as you don’t mind cinching up the straps every now and then.