Osprey Porter 46

This roomy pack is the maximum legal carry-on size and is one of the most travel friendly packs around. The pack is made of a durable material and is padded on all sides. The main compartment panel opens wide for easy packing and accessibility and the front organization panel has pockets for both laptop and tablet.

Combined with lockable zippers and stowable straps, I recommend this pack to any traveler.

Likes

• Shape and size: The shape of the pack is within most carry-on standards and I have not had a problem getting the pack to fit into an overhead compartment. The pack is also very streamlined without too many straps and loops.

• Volume: At 46 liters, it's one of the biggest travel backpacks.
• Panel opening: The main compartment is accessed through a full zip panel that can flip open fully.

• Main compartment shape: The padded sides help maintain the shape of the pack making packing easy.
• Pack material and padding: The pack is made of a durable 420 nylon hex-diamond ripstop material. The pack is padded on all sides keeping everything in the pack well protected.
• Laptop/Table sleeve: The front organization pocket zips open to reveal multiple pockets, a padded laptop sleeve and a zippered tablet pocket. The pocket is in the center of the pack which keeps the contents off the ground when the pack is set down. The pack can fit a 15” laptop though it's a tight squeeze for my 15" workstation laptop. Another option for laptop storage is the large zippered compartment on the back of the pack which is meant for tucking away the shoulder straps. It runs the length of the backpanel and does fit my workstation laptop.
  
  
  
• Stowable shoulder straps: The shoulder straps are padded and can tucked into a zippered panel. There's a clip on the load lifter and clip on the hipbelt that need to be undone before the shoulder strap can be stowed.
  
  

• Stowable hipbelt with foam padded hipwings: The hipbelt features padded wings which offer some carrying support without being too bulky. Generally when I’m traveling, I’m not carrying the pack for hours at a time so a thick padded hipbelt is not necessary. The hipbelt also can be tucked away.
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• Front pocket: tThere is a front zippered pocket that’s great for a book, map, or tablet.
  
  

• Lockable zippers: Both the main compartment and front panel compartment zippers can be locked.
  
  

• Zippered top accessory pocket: The top pocket has a key clip and is handy for small items and toiletries when going through airport security.
  
  

• Front compressions straps: The front straps can be used to carry extra gear and compress the load. If the pack is minimally packed, the front straps can be clipped to the side of the pack for additional compression. You can see the side clips on the right side of the pack.

• D-Ring shoulder strap attachment: The left side of the pack has two D-rings to attach a shoulder strap. Personally, I find a backpack more comfortable to carry so I’d never use this feature.

• Foam padded grab handles: There are three grab handles on the pack; top, side, and bottom.

• Internal zippered pockets: There's one mesh zippered pocket and one fabric zippered pocket on the walls of the pack for additional organization.
  
  

• Cord loops: 4 loops used for attaching a daypack.

Dislikes

• Side pocket: I generally have a water bottle of some kind on me when I travel. A side pocket would be nice.

Notes

• There are pros and cons for having the laptop sleeve on the front of the pack. On one hand, the weight is farther away from your back making the pack feel heavier but it does make the laptop easier to get in and out, especially when the pack is full.
• The pack has a duffle bag shape which means the pack tapers at the top and bottom of the pack. It makes handling the pack pretty easy but the pack does not stand upright. It also makes using every cubic inch of the pack is a little tricky while packing.
  

Conclusion

• This roomy pack is the maximum legal carry-on size and is one of the most travel friendly packs around. The pack is made of a durable material and is padded on all sides. The main compartment panel opens wide for easy packing and accessibility and the front organization panel has pockets for both laptop and tablet. Combined with lockable zippers and stowable straps, this pack met all of my requirements and I highly recommend it. 

Recommended uses

•  This pack is great for multi-day travel, snowboarding trips, and travel where a laptop is needed. It's not optimal for climbing/hiking due to its weight and lack of pockets/gear loops,.

I love this pack. Even though this is considered a daypack the foam lining and straitjacket design give it tons of support. I keep my base weight at 15lbs and this pack is plenty comfortable. I've hiked with as much as 40lbs over 30 miles with a 1000 ft. elevation gain where water was not available, and it stayed pretty damn comfortable. It can get a little sweaty in hot weather though.

I really like the duffel bag style. It makes it so easy to access anything in the pack without having to pull everything out because you need something in the bottom. Because you can cinch it down it doesn't matter if you are carrying a little or a lot and the pack adjusts beautifully holding all of your gear just the way you packed it. I know in descriptions this bag claims that for more casual day to day use you can purchase a shoulder strap and use it messenger bag style, but it's really awkward to use it that way. If you are too cool for shoulder straps I guess it's a good option.

This pack also has a large top pocket for items you might need to grab quickly and plenty of loops to attach things to the outside. The only reason I'm giving this pack 4.5 and not a full 5 stars is because there is nowhere to attach a water bottle. I get by figuring out some way to attach it, but you have to be a little clever. I know they probably wanted to keep the design really sleek and simple (which is what I love about it) but they may have gone a hair too far in not adding something to stick a water bottle to.