Osprey Airporter LZ Duffle
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Packs into its own small stuff sack.Full size yet lightweight economical pack protectorcover for airline and train travel.
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Technical Details
- Keeps Your Pack Safe While Traveling- lockable zippers
- built-in storage pocket
- ID window
- Built-in shoulder strap
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By BananaSlug (Sacramento, CA)
This works great for protecting your straps and buckles on a backpack. My backpack alone is not lockable without getting creative, so this bag worked great for locking the backpack. But as others have mentioned, I could not find any way to comfortably carry my backpack in this bag. The shoulder strap attaches from the top of the bag to about 2/3rds the way down; so, when you throw the bag over your shoulder, the top of the bag is at shoulder height, and the bottom of the bag sits around knee height, and the bag hits your legs as you walk. Like a backpack, the shoulder strap should be lower on the bag, so that it keeps the bottom of the bag higher up your torso.
By David C. Black (Austin, TX United States)
Kept our packs safe as we transported ourselves from Texas to Utah on a recent trip. Plenty of room for a large extended pack. Our only trouble was that the airport security folks removed our airport approved locks. Nothing else was missing.
By D. Lee (NC)
Big enough to fit any size pack, I put an 80L external frame in it and there was plenty of room to spare. I agree with the assessment that it may not be the most necessary item; I use it because I'm paranoid. It has been useful at least for peace of mind on trains and buses since it is much easier to lock one zipper than to secure multiple straps and zippers on a backpack; though if someone really did want to steal my dirty undies they would just need to cut it open with a knife. While it is relatively bulky, it does compress a bit and I've never had a problem squeezing it into a corner. My biggest complaint is that the strap doesn't adjust small enough. I'm relatively short (about 5'9") and I can't just sling it over my shoulder without the bag dragging on the ground. So I usually end up waiting to zip up my pack at the moment of check in and taking it out as soon as I pick it off the luggage drop. Overall this is a worthy buy if you really want a bag to put your pack in; otherwise I don't view it as a "must have" for a backpacker going through an airport.
By Erik Olson (Ridgefield, WA United States)
I read somewhere that it's important to encase a backpack with a duffel bag when checking it as airline baggage. The duffel bag keeps the pack's various straps and buckles from catching in baggage claim conveyer belts, and helps prevent the loss of items attached to the pack (or that fall from opened pockets). With that in mind, I figured I'd go with the Osprey Airporter for my plane ride to Paris, France, en route to the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. It served me well, but was it really necessary?
The Osprey swallowed my 4,300 cubic inch medium-sized Gregory Baltoro with plenty of room to spare. It has a small external pocket for an ID tag, and a bare-bones shoulder strap for grabbing the Airporter off the baggage claim treadmill or hauling it around the airport. When not in use, the Airporter stuffs into a small pouch that is part of the bag, and the whole thing flattens down a little smaller (but thicker) than a Frisbee. The Airporter did its job on my round-trip flight - no pack straps or buckles were damaged, its metal zipper stayed closed without a lock, and I didn't lose any gear. And with a green ribbon tied around the carrying strap, it was easy to spot and snag on the baggage claim treadmill.
However, there are cheaper and easier alternatives to the Osprey Airporter. For example, I noticed that one backpack on the baggage claim treadmill had been wrapped in a clear plastic bag with the airline's logo on it (Continental). I'm not sure I'd count on every airline to provide that service, but it gave me the idea that perhaps all you need is a large heavy-duty garbage bag. It's not pretty, nor does it have a shoulder strap or ID tag holder. But a garbage bag can also double as a pack cover, liner, or poncho in case of rain. And after you've left the airport you can toss the garbage bag - however, you'll have to haul the Osprey around, thus taking up precious pack space and adding weight (to relieve myself of that burden, I eventually mailed the Osprey to a post office in Santiago, where I picked it up after finishing the Camino).
At any rate, if you have a fondness for specialized travel items and don't mind the extra bulk or expense, then go for the Osprey Airporter. It protected my backpack and prevented equipment loss, so I'm grateful. But keep in mind that there's nothing wrong with cheap and easy alternatives - a lesson I learned on the Camino.
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