Take note of one of the updated colors for the Transporter shown in the photo above. Aside from colors, the pack remains identical to the version we tested in this review.
June 2020The Osprey Transporter 40 crosses so many categorical lines that it is hard to classify. In the strict category of "travel backpack," it does not crush the competition — however, it is a broadly useful and utilitarian bag with an overall outstanding design.
With the Transporter series, Osprey has challenged the assumption that a duffel is not comfortable to carry. It is a gear-hauling machine, designed for hucking from trunk to truck to yak back to basecamp — with a few conveyor belts mixed in. Duffels are distinctly not meant to be lugged around on your back for any length of time.
The Transporter 40 does not have suspension, a frame, or even a hip belt, but it is still remarkably comfortable with loads up to 25 lbs. Osprey accomplished this comfort with well-designed shoulder straps (wide, firm padding) that keep the load close to your back and a sternum strap that allows you to situate the straps where you want them to fall on your shoulders. The thicker fabric not only makes this duffel more durable, but it also gives it a little bit of structure. Even the pocket that stows the shoulder straps for travel or provides a slightly stiffer panel which rests flush on the back, contouring gently while holding its shape.
But this sounds like a backpack, you say, not a duffel! Okay, so let's stow the backpack straps and bust out the shoulder strap. Gold star for Osprey, again. They have solid attachments points on opposite corners of the bag for the (again) nicely padded and adjustable shoulder strap. And if you want none of these straps, the duffel has big sturdy grab handles on all four sides. Keep up the good work, Osprey.
The Transporter is a fairly streamlined travel backpack or a highly featured duffel bag. It doesn't have all of the airport-ready features of a travel backpack, nor the neat folded design to keep your blouses or trousers wrinkle-free. However, the features it does include are impeccably well made and useful.
For one, the zippers are burly and super smooth. Even when overstuffed, we couldn't get them to catch or stick. The large flap opening is much easier to pack than a traditional single zippered opening characteristic to a typical duffel. And there are load securing straps inside to keep your clothing from sloshing around. These buckle the bag inward when overtightened, so they aren't our favorite design — but helpful in some situations.
On the side, there is a name tag holder and a hidden zippered pocket, handy for small items, like our phone and car keys when we used this backpack as a gym bag. Inside, there is a single zippered mesh pocket which we found to be awkwardly placed, so we rarely put anything here that we needed frequent access to.
The shoulder straps stow nicely in a zippered panel on the top flap of the pack. They are easy to deploy with strong, durable, and color-coded buckles. Swap these for the shoulder strap, and you have sturdy and easy-to-operate hooks that clip on like a carabiner. If you are using this duffel on an expedition, you'll be able to open and close and adjust and transform this duffel-turned-travel-backpack with ease — even while wearing gloves.
The Transporter is not optimized for airport travel, but packing and accessing your items is still easy. The large opening makes it easy to pack and unpack and ensures you can dig out your laptop for the occasional TSA visit. The load securing straps inside also keep the contents from sloshing around excessively inside, no matter how bumpy a journey you've just had.
There is a single zippered pocket on the outside of the pack, slightly hidden but convenient. Inside, on the other end of the bag, there is another zippered pocket. This one is harder to get to, so we found it to be useful for infrequently used items or things we wanted to be secure and out of the way, like our passport.
This bag steals the show in this category. It is made of highly durable fabrics, so tough we could even throw an ice axe or trekking poles inside without worrying about puncture wounds to the bag. Beyond the fabrics, the features are all very sturdy, with plastic and metal buckles large enough to handle even the heaviest of loads. The stitching and overall manufacturing inspire confidence. The grab handles are burly, with reinforced seams and excellent finishing touches.
We were sure this bag would fail in this category, but we were wrong. The fabrics are burly, so one would assume this bag would be relatively heavy. However, Osprey streamlined the design of the duffel/backpack such that there is no excess, nothing you don't need. The result is a highly streamlined, simple, rugged, and still relatively lightweight travel backpack. This bag has the second-best weight to volume ratio in our entire review; it holds 40 liters and only weighs 2.34 pounds.
The Transporter is a real bargain. It is a highly versatile, surprisingly comfortable, and impressively durable duffel-turned-travel backpack for your myriad travel needs, AND it comes at a very comfortable price.
At OutdoorGearLab, sometimes we are guilty of having a distinctly outdoor bias. This certainly factors into our affection for the Osprey Transporter 40. Osprey lists this bag as an expedition duffel, and we found it to be exceedingly useful in this capacity and confidence-inspiring for its durability. If you're looking for a TSA-savvy soft-sided suitcase, this might not be your best bet, but it'll still fit the bill — and it will do so much more than airport travel. This versatile expedition duffel will follow you on all your adventures, except maybe the most formal business trips. Even then, at least the bag will look neat and tidy with its shiny colors and impressive durability.
