Osprey Packs Luggage: One of My Favorite Travel Gear Brands

If I remember right, I got my first Osprey Packs backpack in the mid-’00s, when I took off on my first trip to South America, around two decades ago. I used it for many more trips when I was on the move as a solo traveler. It’s still going strong. 

A couple years later I got my first Osprey suitcase and traveled with it to several continents, around Mexico, and on U.S. trips when I could check a bag. It’s still going strong too. The bag I’ve used the most the last few years when checking a suitcase is the one below: my Osprey Ozone 26-inch suitcase with two wheels. 

Rugged and Reliable Osprey Luggage

Over the years I’ve added lots more from them, including a daypack and a shoulder bag, and have continued to use the oldest products regularly. I’ve got one checked size suitcase that’s been to four continents.

All are protected by Osprey’s famous All Mighty Guarantee which says if one of their products doesn’t hold up or something breaks, they’ll fix or replace it — “Any reason. Any product. Any era.”

If you compare that Osprey bags policy to the guarantee with lots of fine print you’ll find from the likes of Tumi, Samsonite, or even Travelpro, it’s a huge step up. (And if you look for the guarantee on a cheap suitcase from T.J. Maxx or Walmart, you’re probably lucky to get a promise that the bag will last 90 days.)

In my experience, these backpacks and suitcases show all the signs that separate a piece-of-junk luggage from the quality pieces that could serve you well for decades. The two-wheeled ones have got the kind of wheels you see on in-line skates, not cheap and flimsy ones that will fall apart on you or fail to move well over uneven surfaces. The heavy-duty zippers have pull tabs and metal loops where you can insert a lock to keep your belongings safe.

The backpack straps are padded where they need to be and the materials are upgraded rip-stop nylon that’s usually water-resistant. They’ve got multiple padded carrying handles, compression straps, and well-made retractable rolling suitcase handles meant to go in and out hundreds of times without breaking. They’re comfortable and easy when conditions are good, but won’t crap out on you when you’re on an overland adventure trip way off the grid. 

Back to suitcases in a minute, but let’s start with the 1974 roots of Osprey and talk about backpacks. You’ll see their backpacks on long-term travelers all over the world and that’s because the people taking off for 12 months or more need something rugged and dependable. 

Osprey Backpacks and the Farpoint 70

If you’re going to travel the world like a backpacker, it’s much easier to do that with a real backpack and not a wheeled suitcase. Sure, if you’re a business travelers or a remote work flashpacker just going from airports to Ubers/taxis to hotels and back, then a wheeled suitcase is fine. If you’re going to be walking any distance though, navigating stairs, and moving over uneven surfaces, it’s 10 times easier to have your belongings on your back and shoulders. 

So if I’m not on a quick out-and-back work trip and I know I’m going to be in areas with lots of steps, cobblestones, and dirt paths, I turn into a backpacker again. On my last trip I did that with the Farpoint 70 backpack from Osprey and you can see my video review of it here: 

This backpack ticks all the boxes for me, including the fact that it can be turned into a suitcase for checking, the straps behind a zippered covering. It’s also Bluesign certified and mostly made from recycled materials. It has a separate daypack that attached to the front that you can detach and use while siteseeing on arrival.

You can get the Farpoint in several sites at the official website or at REI. 

Naturally, Osprey makes plenty of other kinds of backpacks, including laptop bags, super-lightweight backcountry hiking backpacks, and hydration packs. More on that in a minute. 

Osprey Ozone Checked Suitcases

I live in Mexico most of the year when I’m not traveling, so we tend to come back with more belongings than we went with. So I almost always check a bag when coming back from the states, which is free with my United credit card. 

That’s how I first used the Osprey Ozone 26-inch, 2-wheel, 75-liter suitcase in the “Buoyant Blue” color you see at the top. See my video rundown of it here on my YouTube channel. Since then I’ve used it on at least 20 trips within Mexico and abroad. It’s my favorite bag to take when I’m checking one. 

It weighs a shade more than five pounds, making it the lightest wheeled check-in suitcase I’ve ever owned. That’s thanks to a lightweight aluminum frame, a single handle in the middle, and rugged but lightweight materials.

Just because it’s light doesn’t mean they skimped on things: the metal zippers have pull tabs and holes for locking them closed. The two wheels on the bottom are the Rollerblade kind I mentioned earlier. It got a bit dirty on the way, but the water-resistant material easily wiped clean. 

This Ozone suitcase has a lot of nice features and not extra ones that just get in the way. The single handle is more expensive to manufacture, but makes it easier for packing since there aren’t two bars going through the bottom of the suitcase. There’s a nice sealed-off pocket in the top where you can put something that needs to stay separate from the rest, like toiletries or a dirty pair of flip-flops. A large flat pocket on the back is great for magazines, papers, or flat-folded clothing.

There’s a hidden loop you can pull out for attaching another bag when rolling through the airport and there are two separated mesh pockets on the inside for socks and underwear. As with most Osprey luggage, you’ve got an array of compression flaps and straps to keep everything tight and secured. 

The Osprey Ozone rolling suitcase lists for $280 and there’s a carry-on version too. It comes in blue or black. See more details and buy direct from Osprey at the official website or combine it with other gear orders at REI. 

I’ve also been checking out a newer version of this suitcase, the Ozone 4-wheel 27-inch version that holds an impressive 85 liters. I’ve said many times before that I like a 2-wheeled suitcase better than a 4-wheeled one because the latter requires smooth surfaces all the time and doesn’t move as fast. There’s no doubt that these have gotten more popular with infrequent travelers though, so luggage companies need to meet the demand. 

If you are going to get a 4-wheeled spinner suitcase, at least get one with well-made wheels that will last instead of crapping out on you. You’re assured of that with this Ozone suitcase, or others from Osprey, because they are guaranteed for life. 

I came full circle with this one because I left Mexico with just a carry-on and came back with 85 liters worth of stuff crammed into this suitcase. Once again, the series of compression straps kept everything together and this bag moved through the airport with ease. 

I had around 45 pounds of capacity to work with if I wanted too: despite the large size, this Ozone 4-wheel bag weighs less than five pounds! See more at the Osprey site. 

The Sojourn Series Carry-on

I’ve got an Osprey bag for every situation, including this Sojourn carry-on that’s 22 inches and holds 43 liters. When I need to carry my luggage with me instead of checking a bag, this will do the trick. 

This one has the bigger in-line skate wheels instead of four spinner ones, so you can move along the flagstones and bumpy surfaces with this and you can move through the airport a lot faster if you’re running late for your connection. 

This one has a hybrid solution though if you get dropped off by the bus and find out that you need to walk a mile down a rutted dirt road to get to the cheap hotel where you have reservations. You unzip a flap on the back and it has backpack straps! Zip it back up after the walk when you go into suitcase mode again. 

See more on this suitcase here. 

As with the other models, this Sojurn comes in a few different versions, It comes in backpacks for 30 to 65 liters, suitcases from 45 to 80 liters, and a big cargo hauler called the Sojourn Shuttle Wheeled Duffle. It’s 30 inches high and holds 130 liters, so your challenge there will be keeping it under the normal 40 or 50 pounds maximum for checked luggage. 

What Else You Can Get From Osprey Packs

The company is still known as Osprey Packs because they started out making backpacks that were better than anyone else was making. They’re still probably the brand you’ll see the most if you go backpacking around the world, though in some spots they get edged out by Kathmandu (from Australia) and Deuter (from Germany). I’ve seen Osprey backpacks on travelers from every corner of the planet I’ve visited. 

True to their roots, they also make a wide range of serious backcountry hiking backpacks, as well as ones specifically crafted for mountain bikers, bike commuters, and urban laptop toters. If you’re a parent looking for a child carrier backpack, they’ve got you covered there too.  

They make a wide range of luggage now though: 2-wheel and 4-wheel suitcases, carry-on bags, duffel bags, and gear haulers. If you want to upgrade to a suitcase you won’t have to replace in a year or two, go browse around. They’re Osprey Bags these days too really as they’ve gone well beyond packs. 

If you like your backpack and want a suitcase with the same functions, this company is great at cross-design, as mentioned in that Sojourn section above. I talked about the Farpoint backpack at the top, and here’s the wheeled Farpoint suitcase that I spotted in an airport: 

 

You can pick up some nice travel and adventure accessories while you’re there too, like packing cubes, dry sacks, stuff sacks, gadget organizers, and a bike tool roll. 

I don’t do an entry in this “My Favorite Travel Gear” series very often. When I do highlight a brand here, it’s one I’ve used extensively, that stands behind its products, and has stood the test of time. Osprey Packs meets all those criteria and then some.

Not cheap, but highly recommended.