Our Duffel Boxes are made to be used hard. They’re meant to be loaded up, cinched down and stuffed into truck beds, dragged across trails, tossed into the berth of boats and hauled through airports. With that sort of (ab)use in mind, the conversation changed about how the construction could be improved.
The new RUX Duffel Box MultiCam keeps the wide-mouth opening, segmented roll-top and modular RUX system that make the Duffel Box best-in-class, but utilizes the Challenge Outdoor EPLX600 MultiCam fabric, a laminate built around a 600-denier high-tenacity polyester face and designed for harder use.
“When we started working with EPLX600, what stood out was how much capability we could get from the material without making the Duffel Box feel overly stiff or technical,” said Tony Richardson, RUX Designer. “It has the durability we were looking for, but it still has a nice hand and moves the way a Duffel Box needs to move. That balance of durability, structure and flexibility is what made it interesting to us.”
Sure, the camo pattern grabs your attention first, but the material is the real reason we made it.
Built for Harder Use
The EPLX600 material starts with a tightly woven 600D high-tenacity polyester face. Behind that sits a 45-degree CrossPly reinforcement, followed by an RUV matte film backing that adds abrasion and UV resistance.
Challenge rates EPLX600’s durability, stitch-holding and abrasion resistance against 500D Cordura, while maintaining a more supple feel. In ASTM D3884 abrasion testing, the MultiCam EPLX600 construction is rated to 2,000 cycles. ASTM D2261 tear-strength testing produced results of 38.4 pounds in the warp and 30.7 pounds in the fill.
The numbers matter, but what matters more is how the material performs when the Duffel Box leaves the lab and gets put to work in the field
Strength Where Fabric Wants to Move
Stuff it full, cinch it tight and fabric starts working in every direction. The 45-degree CrossPly reinforcement helps resist the diagonal stretch and distortion that can occur when a material is under max load.
In the MultiCam construction, the CrossPly uses recycled polyester. Combined with the outer face and RUV film, it creates a layered material package built for hard use.
The Purpose of the Interior Matte Finish
There’s a reason the interior of the MultiCam Duffel Box doesn’t have the glossy look of other laminated fabrics. The RUV matte film is a protective layer engineered to improve abrasion resistance, reduce wrinkling and provide 97% UV resistance. The result is a more durable, hard-wearing matte.
Inside, the white TX50 triple ripstop liner creates a brighter interior, making it easier to spot your elusive necessities when available light is less than ideal. It also adds another layer of reinforcement, using a CrossPly construction with Ultra UHMWPE yarn.
Same RUX System. Different Material.
We didn’t reinvent the Duffel Box for this MultiCam edition. The wide-mouth opening still provides full access to the main compartment, the segmented roll-top still folds up and down with ease and the internal rails and modular design still make it part of the larger RUX system.
The difference is the material. Challenge EPLX600 gave us an opportunity to push the Duffel Box toward harder use cases, without changing the architecture that already works so well.
The result is a limited-run Duffel Box ready to be packed, tossed and dragged over and over again.
