Score an Eagle Creek Docking Duffel (and Maybe Much More)

It’s time for the annual Passports with Purpose drive, which I think I’ve supported every year since 2009, and this time I partnered up with one of my favorite gear companies, Eagle Creek. They are supplying one of their new Docking Duffel bags as a prize you can bid on for just a $10 donation. (I’m proud to work with them again—they supplied a DigiHauler backpack in 2012 and it was a big hit.)

So what is Passports with Purpose? It’s a once-a-year charity project run by a few volunteers and made possible by a slew of travel bloggers and donors. Each year there’s a very specific and attainable project the money is going toward, teaming up with someone who already has the local means and contacts. In the past the group effort has resulted in some amazing outcomes:

– Built and funded a school in Cambodia

– Built an entire village in India

– Built two entire libraries in Zambia

– Funded the drilling of five village wells in Haiti

– Funded schools and adult literacy programs in southern Mali

This year PwP is teaming up with Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) to train farmers in Honduras. The organization’s goal is to provide farming families in Central America with the training and tools to preserve our planet’s tropical forests while overcoming poverty. Here’s more info on them . You can bid on a whole array of great prizes and the worst thing that can happen is you helped some people who really need it.

See the prize catalog here .

So about that bag…

This Docking Duffel from Eagle Creek is two bags in one. It’s a duffel with a removable shoulder bag that you can use as your daypack when sightseeing or to have with you in your seat on the plane. When you take that off, the duffel can expand, so you get more storage space where that other bag was. You get lots of useful pockets (including a clear 3-1-1 cosmetics pouch), a padded tablet sleeve, and a panel that allows this to slide over the handle of rolling luggage.

At 41 linear inches, it easily qualifies as a carry-on and will even fit in the overhead bin of those tiny regional jets. It only weighs 1 pound, 7 ounces (less than a kilo) but has a capacity of 43 liters. The company’s “No Matter What” warranty is one of the best you’ll find from any luggage maker, covering the bag for life. In my experience, that’s a reflection of good design and manufacturing: I’ve had close to zero problems with Eagle Creek gear over a 21-year travel span.

This transformers bag retails for $155 and comes in two colors. Winner must reside in the USA or Canada for this one, but there are loads of other prizes to choose from, including some digital goods and gift vouchers that can ship anywhere. Bid on this bag here , or see the full prize list at the Passports with Purpose site .

But hurry! The drive ends December 17, 2014.