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Osprey Porter 46 travel bag

We are going on a 3 week Europe trip to France, Italy and Germany.
We have very nice 24" suitcases, but are thinking about trying to do it with a carry-on.
Has anyone used the Osprey Porter 46 as a carry-on, we like to hear feedback?
We are flying American Airline to and from Europe and size is good.
We are flying Transavia Paris to Naples, and Air Dolomiti Florence to Munich.
How strict are these airlines if bag is little bigger from stuffing or over 22lb weight limit for carry-on

We are traveling October 1-22

We already paid for a checked bag for all flights when we made reservations months ago, but a carry-on backpack might make us more mobile

Posted by
8178 posts

I have used Transavia; more strict with bags on full flights; and flights seem to be full all the time where you are going
so do not chance if you do not want to pay the fee for not complying with the allowance rules;

there are 111 reviews here but it looks small and compliant size wise
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/17409081292368933617?q=Osprey+Porter+46&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS748US748&oq=Osprey+Porter+46&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l2&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Also I find if you can carry it on your back walking on versus rolling something: less scrutiny;
I have a back pack High Sierra with wheels never had to check it in 10 trips to Europe since 2014 works like a charm

Posted by
103 posts

you might not make it with transavia i flew them in april and they were definitely checking people. the porter is going to be larger than 9" if it's full, and it will be full if you're worried about the 22lb limit. I have the osprey farpoint 40, which I love, but which I've measured at as much as 13" deep when not even totally full, and the official measurements have it max out at 8". if you've already paid for checked bags, it's less of a worry if you're over, and yes, backpacks will definitely help you to be more mobile!

BUT.

another thing to consider is this: regardless of the weight limits, are you ok to carry 22+lbs? have you tried rick's suggestion to go take a walk around window-shopping for an hour whilst fully loaded? I would also suggest to do a couple flights of stairs as well. if you're struggling, it's time to pare down the load - clothes, shoes and electronics are the likely culprits.

Posted by
4657 posts

Why not get a lightweight 20 inch suitcase...or whatever meets the smallest airline dimensions?

Posted by
12 posts

Anticipating our next trip to Europe, my partner and I both bought Rick Steves' wheeled carry-ons. They are smaller than the limits imposed by US carriers but conform to the smaller sizes called for by European airlines--20x13.5x 9. Although we haven't flown to Europe yet, on a recent trip in the US we were put on a tiny plane for the last leg of our flight. We had no trouble stowing our bags in the very small overhead bins while other passengers had to gate check theirs. So, yes, I do recommend these bags. And they are affordable.

Posted by
1606 posts

I traveled recently with an Osprey Porter 46. I flew Cleveland-Newark-Stockholm, Bergen-Copenhagen, and Copenhagen-Newark-Cleveland, all on SAS. On a day to day basis my bag was about 19 pounds. At the airport I put a few heavy things in my purse just in case it was weighed. I think the limit was 18 pounds on the Bergen-Copenhagen flight. I could easily have fit 5 more pounds of stuff in the bag, so be careful about packing it too full.
As mentioned above, definitely wear the bag on your back while at the gate. Twice, gate agents were requiring folks to gate check their roller bags and some of these bags were smaller than mine. I even motioned to get the check bag ticket from the agent, she looked at me and said, "no honey, you are just fine, you can take your bag with you." It was a small plane and it took me several minutes to get the bag into the overhead compartment. So carrying the bag on your bag will increase likelihood it will get through.
I am 52 and "non-athletic" and I was able to handle the bag on planes, trains, and buses without difficulty.
I like having the larger bag just in case I want to bring something home I would have the option to check it without having to buy another bag. I took a cross body purse as my second bag. I wore them both and was able to keep my hands free.
My trip was 19 days. I am very happy with what I chose to pack. I could take more or less than I did but this amount was my happy place.

Posted by
1530 posts

We have osprey Farpoint 55s which are not carryon compliant although we have gotten away with carrying them on with American in the past. It is VERY easy to overpack a bag like that. I just received my new Osprey ozone convertible 50L, and although I haven't used it yet - I really like it! It's very comfortable on the back, and I love having an attachable day bag. Is carryon compliant and the main bag is not too big - so I don't think I'll be overpacking this bag:) I love Osprey products in general.

Posted by
19283 posts

How strict are these airlines if bag is little bigger from stuffing

The Porter 46, if stuffed, will not meet the thickness limit on any of those airlines.

On Transavia, if you check a bag, you pay 21€ more for your ticket. If you don't pay to check it, and you get to the gate with a bag over the carryon thichkess, they will put it into the hold for 40€ more. (If you get to the gate with a bag that meets the limits, but the overhead bins are full, they will transport it in the hold for free).

Note: the European length limit is 21-5/8". That's only a little shorter than the advertised 22" length of the Porter bag, and it would probably pass, but you can't count on it.

Posted by
108 posts

I have an older version of the Osprey Porter 46 (from about 5 years ago) which is slightly different from the current version, but I LOVE the bag. It's my go-to carry on bag, even though I have a very....robust luggage collection (hazard of living overseas and traveling a lot). I like that it's light, sturdier than most soft-sided bags but more flexible than hard-sided bags, can cinch down for smaller overhead bins, etc.

I've not flown any of the airlines you mention, so can't speak to whether the bag would cause issues with either one, but in dozens of trips, I've never had its size or weight challenged. Granted, I fly regular airlines (Lufthansa, United, American, Turkish Air, etc), so that may make a difference, but even when they've been strict with roll-aboards, I've never been asked to weigh my Osprey Porter or put it in the bag sizer, and I've never had an issue with it fitting in overhead bins, even in smaller regional jets.

In short, I really love the bag. :)