New Osprey Porter with Laptop compartment on the back!
 

Folks,

Yesterday I read a thread over on Reddit's r/Onebag that has since been removed for some reason. They talk about the new Osprey Porter for 2017 that seems to only be available on REI for some reason.

Anyway, they have made a number of adjustments to the bag:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR-y...ature=youtu.be

In a nutshell,
they improved everything I and others have been complaining about the bag.

1. The laptop compartment is against the back now.
2. The bag can stand on its own
3. The top compartment is now accessible when the straightjacket is closed.
4. The Hip Belt and shoulder belts can be used independently... great for those of us who hate hip belts.


I just ordered a 46L and a 30L version to test out. The wife is going to kill me. :)

Nice. And I just got the Farpoint 40 the other day, though I am loving it (got it over the Porter due to reviews saying it's got a better support/suspension system) I got the s/m due to the size and the 8" width. Should be good for both domestic and Int. I'm interested to see what you and others think of the new Porter. I too wish mine had the laptop compartment in the back.

Let us know what you think of the Osprey Porter 30L and 46L. Just got my REI catalogue this morning and it included a 20% off coupon! I am really tempted to try one due to the light weight of each of the above and am wondering if the 30L would be large enough to hold all that I need.

Another nice bag that is quite light weight is the Patagonia Black Hole duffel 45L. It weighs only 1.7 lbs and holds a lot, 2375 ci by my reckoning. I use packing cubes as there is no organization to speak of. The carry handles are long enough to use as backpack straps, very workable for managing an airport or train station though you certainly wouldn't want to backpack that way. Bag weight is a big deal for me: some carriers that I fly allow just 5 kg (11 lbs) for a carryon, plus my back lets me know if I've overpacked.

Looking forward to your review!

I've received the 46L version already and should get the 30L on Thursday. I will say this, the 46L version seems a bit too huge for my needs. It is even taller and bigger than my Goruck GR2. Lately I've been using MOSTLY my GR1 (26L), so I'm hoping the 30L will be more my speed.

Would also be interested on how you find the backpack straps on the Osprey in comparison to the Goruck since you don't use or like the hip belt. I have the 20L Rucker and the one thing I love about the Goruck is that with those straps, you don't need a hip belt for heavier loads. I really like the Osprey Porter but with a heavier load, I find the hip belt really helps for longer times on the back (though in all fairness, the Osprey carries almost 2x as much).

Your last sentence hold the key. Just because a bag CAN hold a ton, doesn't mean you should overstuff it. I learned the hard way that weight is paramount. I never let any of my packs get over 15lbs, thus the straps aren't super important to me (unless they are just horrible). I've always said, if you need a hipbelt, you've packed too much stuff!

I agree.....almost. I too try not to pack more than 15lbs, give or take a pound or two. I can pack almost two weeks worth of light clothes in a TB Western Flyer or Aeronaut 30 when traveling to Southeast Asia, but the problem is not the weight, but the length of time on the back. I like to walk to and around the terminals (It's how I get my exercise when traveling). Walking from the domestic terminal to the international one at ATL (a very long walk) instead of the airport terminal train or taking the airport City Link train at BKK to the MTR (a 1/4 mile walk), then up the stairs to the BTS to my hotel stop, then walk to the hotel from there. Doing that with an Ebags Motherlode Jr. in backpack mode is not fun. Even a moderately packed Western Flyer can get uncomfortable worn for an extended period of time, but these are hybrid bags, and were not designed to be worn as backpacks for long periods of time. The Goruck and Osprey are backpacks first. What I love about the Goruck is due to its design and well padded backpack straps, It can be worn comfortably for long periods of time without the need of a hip belt. At 20 Liters, I find it a tad too small for an extended trip. I find the Osprey Farpoint, with it's light weight and carrying capacity (38L) a great size, but for extended periods on the back, I find the straps a little too thin, so use the hip belt which makes it much more comfortable. I love the Osprey, but was hoping with my type of traveling, that it would be more like the Goruck.

I'm curious on how you find the Porter 30, since it's the same size as my Aeronaut 30 but probably packs more efficiently and holds a laptop (which is now very important for me).

Field trip to my closest REI
 

I went to my closest REI this morning to check out the Osprey Porters (30, 46). The 46 was just too big (I am a 5'4" female) and the 30 was too fussy. All the laptop compartment padding, on both sides, took up depth space from the main section. While the straight jacket wings do their job, it was just too much fussy bag and not enough actual packing space for my use. I ended up getting the Osprey Nebula 34. It's not as decked out: the waist strap is just a strap, no padded wings, and the straps don't have a tuck away zippered pouch, but it is very light (2 lbs 1.5 oz), it has external cinch straps, and I think it may well fit underseat if not stuffed to the hilt. I did a test pack at home and it held two ebags medium packing cubes packed full plus two ebags slim cubes, also packed full. This was just in the main section and there was room for more. Since it is likely that I will be using the backpack straps rather than a shoulder strap, I think this is a good compromise for me. I do wish Red Oxx could figure out a way to reduce the weight of their Sky Train to a 2 or 2.5 lb range. I am a big Red Oxx fan and feel like a bit of a traitor buying an Osprey.

Am still curious to read your reviews on the two sizes of Osprey Porters.

I checked out LordHamster's video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR-y...ature=youtu.be ) and went and got a new Osprey Porter 46. I had literally JUST bought the older model, and returned it for the 2017. Like it a lot better. Just little touches, the one-color instead of mismatching two-tonedness, and the front organization pocket is way better than the old model.

With the REI sale going on right now, it's like $112, down from the $140 list.


I took it walking around Cinque Terre and Barcelona for a week, really zero complaints on performance.

I noticed an error on the REI site - it says the front organization pocket has lockable zippers. It doesn't. The lockable parts are now the back (laptop) and main large pockets. Which is weird, as the old one had locking zippers on the organizer. Not a deal killer - I don't lock my pack when I'm walking around with it, I only put a lock on it when leaving it in hotels or otherwise out of my sight. I toss my valuables into the back or main, lock it, and go. But I keep my passport and wallet in the organizer... so I have to just pop those in the lockable section before heading out.

Nice pack. I've got an Osprey Ozone 46 as well - better straps / backpack, but it doesn't open up as well as the Porter.

I should mention - just in case anyone else goes through the downselect I did - that in the store, empty, the Porter series always bothered me. Those padded "wings" seemed extraneous and got in the way. But when I got it home and started FILLING it, it made sense and I really warmed to it. Now I flip between the two (Ozone and Porter) whereas at first I thought the Ozone was the best, and the Porter fussy, I now realize the Porter is a great bag too. I just wish I could hybrid the two!



TDM

Stupid question for folks who have the Porter. Is it possible to get into the organizer pocket or the map pocket without undoing the compression strap clips? That is what always kept me away from the Porter series.

Map pocket: definitely not.

Organizer pocket: maybe you can zip it down partway (especially with the 2017 REI redesign) and access the topmost area of the organizer.

You can can certainly access the rear laptop/tablet compartment, which has a high, long mesh pocket separate from the main padded laptop one.

You also have have that small topmost pocket for sunglasses/tickets/wallet/charger whatnot no matter if the bag is buckled down or not.

Update weirdness: I wrote Osprey. They say the new Porter 46 *does* come with lockable front compartment zipper. I went to REI and the new ones most certainly do NOT (as shown / proven in the video above).

I wonder if the factory is using up old zippers or there will be a change in future ones once the first batch gets out.


REI website still shows the front lockable zipper as a feature, clearly spelled out on the new 2017 model. Osprey customer service said they do, and seemed confused at my telling them they didn't. :)

REI online also says Porter 46 is an exclusive (LINK). They probably just mean a color choice, right?