Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

First of all, I am a 15 year airline agent. I'm the one who boards you at the gate and will tell you your bag is too big for overhead stowage. Check it! .. and now you're mad (at me). Well, I too, would be told the same thing if I was travelling so I am not exempted. If you travel alot you will agree that most connections include a regional jet that has small overhead stowage and must gate check..and G-d forbid you have a tight connection and have to wait planeside for your bag!! Think underseat stowage!!

I just bought my Porter last night because I plan a week long trip to Spain. I want nothing to carry but my Porter. That means smart packing of essentials and wearing cargo pants (Ladies, not a fashion statement, but oh, so practical, comfy and secure!). I will PACK a smaller bag for treks during the day.

The design of this bag is so detailed, it's worth the asking price (more than I wanted to spend, but glad I did!). This bag will last, but look over every snap, strap, closures, and read the short manual provided inside by Osprey. Every detail has a purpose so you can use it to its full potential. There is a natural curvature to the padded side panels so that when all is packed and compressed, nothing is protruding and inhibits stowage or snagging. There is a front pocket that is accessible especially from under you seat above the handle. It's a bigger pocket than what is given credit for (e.g. Ipod, camera, small book).

I wish REI would provide more detailed pics of this bag because the one shown shows the bag fully packed. I suppose after I put in souveniers it will look like that. My trip is in March so I will let you know how it will go. But I'm confident.

Please be kind to airline agents (honestly, our intention is NOT to upset you, our work is time restricted and can be stressful; help us to help YOU). Happy travels!

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

This bag is great for travel, and it can really hold a lot. I bought this for my wife to carry while in Italy, I carried the Osprey Meridian 28. This worked great as a carry on because I could stow the backpack straps when putting it in the overhead, and sending it through security. It was easy to access on the plane, and attached easily to the Meridian. The compression straps worked great to snug everything up.

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

I have been an avid, if not obsessive seeker of traveling backpacks. Every trip was an excuse to buy yet another backpack. But since finding this backpack over two years ago, I haven't had that insatiable "bug" to go shopping for backpacks.

This bag turned out to be the right size (I can still fit in one or two "not absolutely necessary" items in there). And it has two webbed loop handles lengthwise, which are great for hauling it up onto a table or for security. I use these all the time -- more than I expected.

The compression sides and back make it so you don't need to have internal straps. And they work so well, that once I was able to hand my husband my backpack through a bus window when I realized I got on the wrong bus and was looking down an aisle packed with other backpackers!

The backpack straps are fairly easy to set-up quickly, but they stow away so nicely, that there's very little to snag on when you slide above you in a bus or into the airplane's overhead compartment.

The inaccessibility of the front pocket (the compression straps go over it) at first frustrated me, but I would say have made me a better traveler -- lighter and better planned -- the large front really is reserved for the "what if" cases, like a wind breaker or rain coat - but I rarely used it though as it was then just as easy to get into the main compartment. (the top pocket serves quite well as a storage place and it's not readily visible)

To top it off, this bag is one of the lightest I ever dealt with -- when you first pick it up you'll notice right away. The materials all work together to make it comfy, yet firm in all the right places and at all the right times.

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

I'm a single female world traveller and used this backpack to explore Asia, staying in hostels mostly, this year for 9 months. I could carry it easily and also store in cabin on airplanes. The straps tuck away for neatness and no need for extra bagging on airlines.

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

I love this bag. I bought it with my dividend and 20% off coupon because I was planning a trip to Europe in the fall. Unfortunately the trip got cancelled so the bag has had to settle for flights to CA for 4 days, NYC for 5, Las Vegas for 4, and back to CA for 4 more. I took it camping, and even on a last minute overnight backpacking trip when I didn't have time to get a backpackers backpack. Every time I use it I love it a little more.

I carry it on all the time, and skip gate checking it on the small little regional jets that fly in and out of Montana because I always seem to have tight layovers, and I've never had a problem fitting it into the overhead of the even tiniest plane, even after spending a little too much time in the airport bar at JFK. The compression straps are fantastic and I love the pocket at the top; I can stash my 1 quart Ziploc bag with all my liquids for easy access at security. Not to mention, who doesn't look cooler at the airport with a sweet backpack like this one, rather than some giant wheeled contraption, making you look like a high maintenance over-packer; no one has to know that you can over-pack just as easily with this bag!

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

My husband and I both used the Porter 46 on our 18 day trip to Italy. We were on the move a lot (no more than three nights in any one location) and this bag was perfect. The top opens up so you can see the entire contents (no fishing around for stuff). There are enough compartments to keep things organized but not break the storage area up. We used compression bags and were able to carry-on our bags even on intra-italy flights. Very comfortable on the back. Even has a waistband.

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

Avoid checking in!

This is the best carry on bag ever. It's exactly the maximum dimensions for both domestic and international air travel. I've carried it aboard every international as well as domestic flight I've been on since receiving it three years and 350k miles ago.

It fits in the overhead of the little regional turbo prop I got into as well as fitting nicely in the 777 overhead bin.

The biggest issue with international carry on is the weight limit. This bag is great because it's very light when empty, giving you the most packing weight of any bag I've found thus far. Wheels would be nice, but typically take up almost half of the allowed 8kg carry on weight.

It's got one large compartment which is easily accessible. The compression straps really help to minimize the overall size of the bag when in transit.

This bag is perfect for up to a one week trip for casual / business casual travel. I don't have to pack a suit so I can't really speak for that, but anything up to slacks and a sports coat are great in this bag.

Finally, on those rare occasions when you need to pack more (and are willing to checkin), this bag expands out nicely to allow you to bring those gifts home.

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

I used this pack for a two month backpacking trip to Europe in the spring time. I had to pack for temperatures between 40 and 80 degrees, which meant I needed a bit more space than a summer backpacker.

I was most pleased with the durability of the bag (not one tear or zipper problem!!). It was a perfect size for the two months (do not stuff the bag if you want to use it as a carry on). All of my things were extremely easy to access. I recommend keeping all of your liquid items in the top pocket (I found out the hard way that it is perfectly waterproof).

This bag is not designed to carry much weight. With too much poundage, the straps become uncomforable and the back of the pack buckles. I am a smaller/average framed woman (5'3 and 125 pounds) and had bruises on my shoulders and hips from carrying 20 pounds of weight. I did not do any extensive walking with the pack on (1-2 miles a day)and was still hurting.

For backpacking purposes- I do not recommend this pack. Maybe it would be good for weekend trips?

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

I bought this bag to replace/supplement a similar bag that I bought last year. I love the other bag, but it does not have adequate straps - looked and felt sloppy when it wasn't completely full. This Osprey design offers multiple strap configurations. My favorite qualities, other than the straps, are the firm side panels and that the bag is VERY lightweight. I took this bag on a week long trip to Boston recently and look forward to using it to backpack through Europe. If you are a light and practical packer, this bag is the way to go even for long trips - no need to check it in on airlines.

Comments about Osprey Porter 46 Travel Pack:

I just purchased a Porter 46 at a recent REI sale, so haven't actually used it on a trip yet, but, can comment on and commend its design and construction quality. Suffice it to say that these aspects at least equal several other bags intended for the same role by three other very good manufacturers (Tumi, Redoxx Patagonia) and some features clearly are better. The superior features include its adjustable carrying harness, with a waistbelt that really transfers weight to the hips, an effective compression system to further improve carrying it, and even, use of those compression straps to decrease its size for storage. If I were headed out on a trip with multiple destinations, that made primary dependence on public transportation, including trains and buses, this is clearly the bag I would take. Finally, even at the normal retail price, this bag is a better buy than any of the other three makes of carry-on bag.