Osprey 65 Duffel

Review by Kate Agathon

The Osprey Transporter 65 Duffel is the perfect bag for an extended weekend getaway.

Unless I’m traveling on a plane, I don’t use a suitcase. It’s just too structured and takes up too much space for a weekend trip in a car packed with gear and dogs.

I needed something durable that could hold all my gear and can handle being dragged, crushed, shoved, thrown, and crammed into a car or rooftop box.

The Osprey 65 size offers a versatile hybrid (can be used as a duffel or a backpack) design.

While I preferred to use it as a duffel due to my petite size (I’m 5’0”), I did appreciate the hands-free backpack arrangement and placement of the shoulder straps attached to a contoured, padded full yoke harness.

The harness and shoulder straps are discreetly tucked into the lid. Unlike other travel duffels with confusing, detachable straps, this one features intuitive stowaway straps that require zero setup.The other thoughtful thing that Osprey did was include a sternum strap to stabilize the load. People with narrow shoulders will appreciate the extra help in keeping the straps in place.

First Impressions

Described as an “expedition duffle”, the Osprey Transporter 65 Duffel seemed to be the perfect size to pack a long weekend’s worth of clothing for a variety of activities.

The durable, water-resistant duffel offers high-volume storage with easy packing access thanks to its U-zip clamshell design. I was really impressed with how the wide lid just peels back, revealing the interior contents.

I liked how the interior has two adjustable straps (a nice feature not often found in duffels) to secure contents so that everything doesn’t topple out.

Finally, I particularly liked the Raven Black/Black for its classic look- no trendy colors here! Since I plan on using this for several years, I favor the classic color neutrality that black offers.

Features

• Lightweight, durable protection
• Convenient access
• Overlapping rain flap
• bluesign®PRODUCT
• Water resistant NanoTough™ exterior fabrics that incorporate 100% recycled high-tenacity nylon
• Grab handles on each side
• Internal zippered mesh pocket
• Eight webbing lash points for securing duffel

Overall Thoughts

Measuring 24.4H X 13.8W X 15.7D”, the Osprey Transporter 65 Duffel is the ideal sized bag for extended weekend adventures, such as car camping or road trips. It is, however, not ideal for air travel as the duffel is too large for airplane carry-on.

The extreme durability combined with eco-friendly construction makes this bag a winner.

When not in use, the Osprey Transporter 65 Duffel comes with its own storage pouch. Being able to pack it down into an easy pouch is soooo much more convenient than trying to do seemingly impossible duffel origami and restuffing it back into its pocket pouch (Osprey competitor, you know who you are).

My only suggestions for improvement are to include: include a waist belt, add an exterior storage pocket, and place a handle in the center of the rain lid, or somehow connect two of the side handles for easier carrying.

When I carried the duffel, I had to use the longer side handle and the contents often shifted to the bottom of the bag, despite the interior straps to secure clothing.

Also, I didn’t really use it as a backpack due to my height.

Put it this way, if you were to buy a back pack, you’d want to make sure you had the fit dialed in to maximize comfort, stability, and lighten the load. You’d consider the shoulder straps, sternum strap, and waist belt.

For me, the 65L size as a backpack was not really doable due to the challenges of torso length mismatch and physical interference. In short (no pun intended), wearing it as a backpack overwhelmed my petite frame.

Using the Transporter 65 Duffel as a backpack is useful if you’re going through an airport or in a temporary situation where you need to be hands free. But it lacks a waist belt so you won’t be able to balance your load comfortably.

I also miss the embroidered Osprey logo featured on the Transporter duffels maybe 15 or so years ago. Sidenote: I had the smaller version that I used to take everywhere. In those days, it didn’t feature the remarkable technical or recycled properties that make it the stand out it is today, but I found the embroidery aesthetically pleasing.

Overall, I like the Osprey Transporter 65 Duffel for its size, durability, and minimalist design. The back pack part can be a challenge for short people, though. I recommend it for extended weekend or week-long road trips.

Backed by the company’s All Mighty Guarantee™, the Osprey Transporter 65 Duffel is available in six colors (Raven Black/Black, Blue Flame/Nocturnal Blue, Mystery White-Moody Burgundy, Glow Dew-Torrent Blue, Pine Leaf/Earl Grey, Euphoria Purple/Purple Ink).

Kate Agathon

Dr. Of Stoke

Freelance writer, bicyclist, outdoor recreation enthusiast, and mom to her furbabies, Sansa and Benjen.

 

A Colorado native, Kate considers the outdoors her mother ship. She brings her passion for bicycling, the environment to her writing.

Her primary outdoor recreation activities are mountain biking, road biking, nordic skiing, alpine skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, and peak bagging Colorado’s 14ers. She and her husband, Paul, live in Summit County with their dogs, Benjen and Sansa.

Kate earned a BA in History from Colorado State University and later an MSEd and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University. In addition to her education, Kate’s background serving two terms on the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and experience working for non-profits and bicycle sales well position her to bring depth and understanding to the complex changes currently taking place in the outdoor recreation industry.

The Dr. of Stoke has been part of the Engearment team since 2016.