Osprey Wheeled Transporter Review & First Impression

The Osprey Wheeled Transporter Duffel might be the best unconventional duffel bag you’ll ever use. It is the ultimate versatile, durable and practical bag to haul your gear to your outdoor adventure activities.

If you’re tired of lugging 50 kilos of gear on your back across gravel roads, cities or airports – I’m with you. That’s why I was so excited when I found out Osprey was elevating their duffel game and bringing in a heavy hitter like no other: The Osprey Wheeled Transporter Duffel. I was more than excited to test it out for action adventure travel – whether you’re heading off for outdoor trekking, adventure climbing, mountain adventure, trail and ultra running or a trip that encompasses it all, Osprey’s new duffel will ease getting your essential outdoor gear from A to B.

Before we continue on with the phenomenal specs and overall user friendliness of the Transporter, for a limited time Paddy Pallin is offering you a chance to win 1 of 6 $500 OSPREY SHOPPING SPREES! If you’re a keen gear lover like I am, your eyes have probably already lit up.

I know I know, hear me out – I’m aware of the Osprey Sojourn and Osprey Ozone. These bags have been on the market for some time and serve their purpose well. They’re fully functional travel machines built for years of abuse, but there’s just something about the Sojourn and Ozone that missed the mark for my personal needs. They’re more complicated than what I need my duffel for, and relatively heavy. I don’t need the shoulder straps. I don’t want extra padding or multiple compartments. I simply want a safe place to put my belongings while I travel. Plus, the added versatility to do what I want with the bag, compartmentalising it with stuff sacks, dry bags, etc.

The Wheeled Transporter Duffels on the other hand, do the job like no other. Osprey has successfully stripped out everything you don’t need in a rolling bag and left only simplicity, efficiency and durability behind.

It’s the gear-hauling machine so many adventurers have been asking for.

The one caveat of any duffel is its sheer size. It truly is a blessing and a curse. When opting for a duffel for long-haul travelling, I want it for carrying an enormous amount of gear from Point A to Point B. The downside to that is, if you have the space, you’ll probably use it. And the more you pack, the heavier that duffel becomes.

Cue mankind’s greatest invention: The wheel.

With the transporter’s oversized monster wheels, I hardly noticed uneven surfaces while dragging it over curbs, down stairwells, across gravel roads and muddy fields. The duffels wheels are ‘field serviceable’, which means if you have to, you can remove them with a hex key. (But you really shouldn’t have to, as Osprey will repair or replace any product that gets damaged within reason.)

Stairs don’t care: Drag the Wheeled Duffel up and over anything. The beefy wheels and High Road Chassis protect the duffel when dragging it through cities or the outback.

The overlapping rain flaps cover the zipper. Combined with the Transporter Duffel’s TPU coated nylon and ultra durable face fabrics, you’d be hard-pressed to find bad enough weather to dampen the gear inside. There’s one large pocket on the handle end of the bag for storing small items. This pocket is accessible while the bag is vertical or horizontal, making it a nice place to store items that you might need easy access to, like battery banks or travel guides.

There are numerous handles which make tossing the Transporter Duffel easy. There’s also a card slot for easy bag identification, as well as a good sized zippered pocket found just below.

While I had no need for the external lashing points found across the outside of the bag, they’d theoretically come in handy when strapping the pack to a rooftop cargo rack, just like Osprey’s more traditional duffels.

The duffel has internal tie down straps to keep gear in place while in transit, and has a reinforced backing and bottom, which makes the duffel easy to pack without the sides collapsing in on themselves. When used on climbing expeditions we found we always had ample room for tents, ropes, climbing helmets and camping gear. Having one place to store all your equipment makes it easier to hit the road without delay.

Just like your regular Osprey hiking packs, the Wheeled Transporter series offers more than enough variation to keep most people happy. I opted for the larger 120 Litre version for the purpose of this review, but Osprey also makes 90 Litre and 40 Litre wheeled versions. No matter which size you choose, they all share the same simple design, fabrics, and colours.

The Osprey Wheeled Transporter duffel proved to be the perfect go-with-you-anywhere, take-what-you-want, and get there comfortably bag. With heaps of space for your gear (and your partner’s gear), you’ll be ready to set up your base camp for a hike up Mt Feathertop, or your expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro.

If there’s one downside to the Wheeled Transporter it’s the weight. Noticeably heavier than their predecessors, the Osprey Wheeled Transporter Duffel 120 Litre, tipped my scale at 3.85kg compared to theolder, more traditional Osprey Transporter 130 Litre Duffel, which came in at 1.8kg (The Wheeled Transporter 90 Litre and 40 Litre Duffels weighed in at 3.5kg and 2.7kg, respectfully).

The PTU coated nylon sheds water like a dream and the overlapping rainflaps keep water from reaching the inside of your bag. The zipper also boasts a TSA approved design, allowing you to secure valuables while in transit.

While I find this a small price to pay for its comfort and ease of use – this could chew into your overall checked luggage weight limit and should be noted in advance. The 40 Litre Wheeled Duffel is carry on size, while the 90 Litre will have to be checked if you plan on flying. The 120 Litre duffel and the largest of the three, while massive, comes approximately 7 cm shy of being considered oversize luggage, so you should be able to check it while travelling on most airlines without additional fees (as long as it doesn’t exceed the weight limits).

Whether you’re looking for the best wheeled luggage around, something that’s built like a tank and able to take a tumble, the Osprey Wheeled Transporter literally has your back and will save your back and shoulders from having to carry all the weight all the time.

Fill them up and take them anywhere. The Osprey Wheeled Transporter Duffels will get you off the beaten track – getting you and your essential outdoor gear where you need to go.

Bring it everywhere.

Are you a gear hauler who could use a new Osprey duffel to elevate your gear collection? Paddy Pallin has got your back! Shop the Osprey Transporter range in-store or online. Plus, if you haven’t already, enter our giveaway for a chance to win 1 of 6 $500 Osprey Shopping Sprees at Paddy Pallin HERE (available for a limited time only!).

Welcome to the Blog

The name Paddy Pallin certainly means many things to many people. For some it brings to mind the genial personality of one of Australia’s pioneer bushwalkers. Others will recognise the name from the label of a sleeping bag or rucksack that has given a generation of faithful service in the great outdoors. Or perhaps it brings to mind the colourful history of Australia’s greatest cross-country ski race. For most people however, the name is associated with a group of specialist retail stores catering for travellers and outdoor enthusiasts.

The Experience Blog is a place to collaboratively share knowledge, adventures and inspire each other to enjoy the outdoors. We stand firmly by the motto that 'Experience is Everything' & strive to embody that philosophy within our community whenever possible.