Osprey Porter 30

she blows, Fully locked and loaded I still have a stack of room I can fit so much more in this bag and it will probably still go in your overhead. It'...

These are incredibly versatile travel bags that feature padded sidewalls with straightjacket compression, a dedicated laptop sleeve for keeping your e...

The older version has a more sturdy I feel like and this is this new version that thing they skim out on it a little bit but other than that I think t...

To me today, we're testing the Osprey Porter 30. This pack has a lot of features, so we'll go over those first and then we'll talk about performance.

*Like*, though, not love. It's tough as nails and still looks as new as the day I bought it, but tbh it functions better as a duffel than a backpack, especially when your weight starts approaching 20 lbs, it gets uncomfortable in a hurry. I also liked the Osprey Porter 30 Travel pack as it has compression straps and a slick design, but I'm also a hiker and it doesn't have any dedicated water bottle pockets on the outside like its larger sibling, the Fairview 40, which has an XS/S torso option, while with the Porter 30 (and *possibly* the Porter 46, not 100% sure), there's only one torso size option and you get what they give you.

Previously I was using either a messenger bag or an Osprey Questa that started falling apart. I wanted a bag that was in the personal item size-range, wasn't overbuilt (tried the Osprey Porter 30) but would be comfortable to carry with some weight (I tried the REI Flash 22, Gregory Nano 16, and Mountainsmith Scream 25), and didn't have lots of compartments/pockets (I've looked at the TB Synapse 19 many times) or have a separate laptop compartment. I am not a fan of NF (they refused to honor a warantee on a pack of theirs) and have been disappointed in Osprey as of late.

In 2016 I discovered the joy of traveling with a backpack, an Osprey Porter 30. It was a nice introduction to the world of backpack travel, but too big for me and had a lot of unnecessary padding. In 2017 I went to Tom Bihn synapse 25, great bag but too much built in storage. I sold it in spring 2020 and am now using the Tentree Mobius, mostly in the 16L mode but I love the clamshell and ability to expand when I want to bring camping gear with me.