Osprey’s Road Trip Essentials Are Perfect For Days Packed With Adventure

Backpacking | Gear

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With the way COVID has completely changed our lives, many people aren’t eager to hop on a plane and travel around. As we start to ache for the outdoors and some excitement, more and more people are turning to road trips to experience adventure. Taking a road trip allows you to practice safe social distancing while experiencing the outdoors and a little excitement! So consider planning a road trip for your friends or family, or even just yourself! Pack your car and head out into the wilderness to experience something different than the inside of your house or local walking route.

Osprey is an industry leader when it comes to gear for the outdoors and have created some of the most remarkably designed backpacking packs in the world. They have gathered some of their products and added them to a recommended “Road Trip Essentials” list where you can find great items to inspire your road trip.

The Daylite® Family

Of course, the company that created one of the best backpacking packs transformed those designs and innovations into items that are more versatile that you can use every day. The Daylite® Series started out with humble beginnings, a simple accessory to attach to Osprey’s larger packs. However, its lightweight, simplicity, durability, comfortable carry and price has proven to be wildly popular, and today their popularity is undeniable. While the Daylite® and Daylite® Plus continue to serve well as add-on packs for traveling and more, they shine on their own with incredible versatility and are now available in an even more robust color palette than before.

From carry-ons, wheeled luggage, backpacks, waist packs and duffels to totes, slings and kids’ packs, these multipurpose solutions can be used every day, everywhere: on a day hike, on trips near and far, at the market or on the go. Photo courtesy of Osprey.

The Daylite® Family embodies versatility. From carry-ons, wheeled luggage, backpacks, waist packs and duffels to totes, slings and kids’ packs, these multipurpose solutions can be used every day, everywhere: on a day hike, on trips near and far, at the market or on the go. Osprey’s updated Daylite Family, now featuring new travel-specific packs and luggage, is made with sustainable recycled materials.

Shop the Daylight Family Now!

DAYLITE® CARRY-ON WHEELED DUFFEL 40

Daylight® Carry-On Wheeled Duffel 40. Photo courtesy of Osprey.

Lightweight and durable, the Daylight® Carry-On Wheeled Duffel 40 is ready for your next trip out of town with a large main compartment that makes packing quick and easy and two exterior pockets that hold quick-access items. This two-wheeled duffel fits most carry-on requirements and features deployable backpack straps in case you need to hurry through the terminal or ascend tight stairways. When your travels come to an end, this duffel collapses for easy storage. This bag is sustainably made from bluesign® approved recycled materials with a PFC-free DWR treatment that sheds moisture.

Shop the Daylight® Carry-On Wheeled Duffel 40 Now!

TRANSPORTER™ FAMILY

Perfect for hauling anything anywhere, these rugged and reliable bags are built for adventure in duffel, wheeled duffel, day pack, carry-on or wheeled carry-on form. Photo courtesy of Osprey.

Perfect for hauling anything anywhere, these rugged and reliable bags are built for adventure in duffel, wheeled duffel, day pack, carry-on or wheeled carry-on form. Durable water- and abrasion resistant fabrics combine with impeccable construction and functional designs to create a family of bags that handle everything from remote mountain ranges to urban jungles.

Osprey also has bigger duffle bags, called the Transporter Duffel, that come in 40-liter, 65-liter, 95-liter, and 120-liter sizes. These are for more intensive traveling, but all the duffles have backpack straps attached so that you can carry the pack on your back. The Transporter Duffel comes in black, pointbreak gray, haybale green, deep water blue, camo black, and ruffian red. These packs are perfect for longer road trips or when bringing a lot of gear, such as when camping for multiple nights.

Shop the Transporter™ Family Now!

TRANSPORTER® WHEELED DUFFEL 90

Transporter® Wheeled Duffel 90. Photo courtesy of Osprey.

This is your go-to companion for big trips that require lots of room for lots of gear. Traveling can be tough on luggage, and that’s exactly what the Transporter® Wheeled Duffel 90 is designed for. Durable and weather-resistant fabrics with overlapping rainflaps protect your gear from wet weather and the HighRoad Chassis’ oversized wheels allow you to roll smoothly over the rough surfaces you’ll encounter outside of the terminal. Multiple grab handles make it easy to maneuver and lashing points help you secure the pack to cargo racks. Constructed with durable, TPU-coated bluesign® approved recycled polyester with a PFC-free DWR coating that sheds moisture.

Shop the Transporter® Wheeled Duffel 90 Now!

POCO® Child Carrier Family

Aly Nicklas and eight months old, Wolfie, on his first backpacking trip in the Wallowa’s. Photo courtesy of Corey Arnold, Aly Nicklas and Osprey.

If you’re bringing your little one on the adventure, Osprey offers a child carrier pack that is superior to all competitors. Osprey took the technology they created for their revolutionary backpacking packs and made a child carrier more comfortable than you can believe. These child carriers come in starry black and blue sky. Not only will the POCO child carrier hold your young one, but it also has an outside compartment that has a surprising amount of storage. It even has a stand that kicks out to turn the child carrier into a booster seat when you want to take your pack off for a break.

Read about Wolfie’s first backpacking trip in Wallowa Lake State Park, located in northeastern Oregon

Kids and gear weigh a lot, but the newly redesigned Poco Plus handles the load with ease. Osprey ditched its anti-gravity suspension used in previous models in favor of a fully suspended mesh back panel that is completely separate from the hipbelt (it was a continuous system before). This means the tensioned back panel fits comfortably and breathes well, while the hipbelt supports heavy loads with ease.

You will rave about a single feature: the included sunshade. It tucks away in a small pocket but easily deploys with small tabs to protect your babe from sun rays or light precip. Stiff mesh paneling on its sides allows for a breeze to pass through and make it strong enough to prop up a snoozing baby’s head. The Poco Plus can easily handle bonus gear on long hauls with it’s 26 liters of gear storage.

Shop the POCO® Child Carrier Family Now!

POCO® LT

Poco® LT. Photo courtesy of Osprey.

Share everyday adventures with the Poco® LT. Small and safe, this lightweight child carrier is ideal for tight stores, busy sidewalks and shorter hikes. Our patent-pending frame folds flat to store small and out of the way. Featuring ventilated AirScape® suspension, adjustability to fit a variety of body shapes and a built-in UPF 50 sunshade. TUV-certified and made sustainably with bluesign®-approved materials and PFC-free DWR.

Shop the Poco® LT Now!

Archeon Series Backpacks: Minimal, Meet Functional

While the Archeon Series packs are technical and versatile with a universally comfortable carry, they’ve been refined with a mountain-chic, minimalist design. Photo courtesy of Osprey.

Osprey’s backpacks had to make it on the list of recommended road trip essentials. These are not only designed impeccably for their intended use backpacking or hiking, but these packs also hold a lot of storage, something that is so essential on a road trip when space might not be at a surplus. Utterly stylish and unapologetically versatile, the Archeon pack features a roll-top closure and a clean silhouette that can just as easily accompany your commute to the coffee shop or carry the essentials for a day hike.

Shop the Archeon Backpacks Family!

Archeon 28. Photo courtesy of Osprey.

The Archeon 28 can be your carry-on companion, a weekender and your go-to for gear-heavy commutes. This pack comfortably carries your daily essentials and includes a padded laptop sleeve, internal organizer, and dual stretch-woven size pockets for items you need access to on the go. Constructed from recycled nylon canvas with a PFC-free DWR coating.

Shop the Archeon 28 Now!

Life Outside with Osprey’s Archeon

It’s not so much about what you can fit inside the Archeon, as where it will take you. Intentionally and sustainably built, this pack is a reliable companion you’ll treasure through a lifetime of travel and adventure.

Conclusion

When planning a road trip into the outdoors this winter or spring, or if someone you know is, these recommended Osprey Road Trip Essentials would make a great Christmas present! Osprey’s bags are of incredible quality and would be perfect for your run-away-from-reality road trip!

If you want to give someone a gift they can use for hiking, skiing, or road-tripping, there are plenty of stocking stuffers on Osprey’s list as well! They have an awesome bottle opener made from old bike chains and Osprey logo t-shirts, hats, and of course, socks. Socks are the perfect stocking stuffer, especially when buying them from a company as great as Osprey. An unconventional gift for a friend who loves hiking (or for yourself) is either the Daylite ® Sling or Daylight ® Waist Pack. These come in a ton of different colors and are perfect to throw in your car or larger pack to take on a day hike or to the store.

About Osprey

Photo courtesy of Osprey.

Osprey was founded in 1974, and since then, every design has been approved by the owner and founder, Mike Pfotenhauer. His vision then and the company’s vision now is to “Relentlessly Innovate to Ease your Journey.” Everything Osprey creates is of the highest quality and made sustainably and ethically. As a company, Osprey is committed to improving the welfare of their community and planet. To them, how they make their products is just as important as the actual products.

Osprey is so confident in their product’s quality, and that you will love them, that they have three “product end-of-use programs.” The All Mighty Guarantee Program means you can send any of your damaged Osprey gear back to the company, and they will fix it free of charge. The Osprey Renewed program recycles products that are beyond repair and recycles them into new gear. Their Repair to Share program takes packs that are returned, repairs them, and donates them to youth programs, schools, and groups. These programs keep Osprey products in use and out of landfills, meaning you’ll get enough use to justify your purchase. You will also help the Earth by eliminating unnecessary waste.

Osprey is such a great company from both a sustainability and social standpoint, and their products are amazing! Their recommended Road Trip Essentials list is a great cumulation of some of their coolest products. Check it out for yourself or anyone you may be shopping for this holiday season.

Here’s some more articles on our favorite packs by Osprey: