Osprey: The Best Wheeled Backpacks For Long-Term Travel

Backpack or suitcase? Straps or wheels? 60 L or 80 L? What is the best pack for traveling? These were the questions we had in mind when we started to plan our round-the-world trip back in 2019. Now we are on the road since December 2019 and Osprey Wheeled Backpacks were our best friends during that time … but getting here was quite the story!

In our opinion, a bag is a critical investment that you will make and it is probably the most important item you should think about before starting your trip. Getting a less-than-perfect bag can ruin your body and your trip. This is especially important if you are planning to travel long-term.

We wanted to get rolling packs but still to have the option of carrying them as backpacks. The first reason is that carrying our main back the whole time makes our backs hurt toward the end of a long trip.  The second is that we are carrying our computer and photography gear in a larger day-bag.

I (Tsvete) wanted my pack to be a bit larger but not too huge – that’s why I chose to get Osprey Fairview 65 liters because the size is perfect for me! Peter carries a little bit more than me, that was the reason he took the bigger pack Osprey Sojourn with 80 liters.

Many thanks to Osprey Europe for providing us Osprey Sojourn 80L and Osprey Fairview 65L packs for our round-the-world trip! All opinions, as always, are our own.

When we first started thinking about our round-the-world trip we thought of getting normal backpacks. Even though the long-term traveling forced us to adopt a more minimalist packing style, we still found the weight to be a little too much for us to carry the whole time. Traveling with a standard backpack is very convenient because we don’t have to worry about staircases, uneven terrain, cobbled streets, or beaches, but our travel experience teaches us that all these scenarios appear less than 10% of the time. This means 90% of the time we could just roll our belongings without having to sweat around carrying all the stuff. Well, this turned out to be a game-changer while traveling!

If you have no desire to carry a large amount of weight on you during your trips, or you want luggage that gives you the comfort of a suitcase and the ease of a backpack at the same time, then the Osprey Wheeled Backpacks are for you. It is like having the best of both worlds – the convenience of a suitcase with the flexibility of a backpack. The combination is just perfect!

Osprey Sojourn and Fairview hybrid packs have been on quite a journey with us! We were traveling non-stop for the last 18 months and we changed a lot of environments and numerous modes of transportation.  As you can imagine, the terrain from time to time was very testing, so it was fantastic to have the option of converting our bags into backpacks. Despite the amount of use, these hybrid packs are still in fantastic condition! We never thought that the zips were on their last legs … The wheels of both packs are still in excellent shape, despite the rough terrains (sandy beaches, tracking paths, etc.) they have been over.

Osprey’s Wheeled Packs are a backpack and a suitcase at the same time: The thing we love most about these bags is their versatility. We wheel the Backpacks around most of the time, but if we ever encounter stairs or uneven ground, we know that we can pull out the straps and use them as backpacks.

Osprey’s Wheeled Packs have large wheels: The wheels on both Osprey Backpacks are big! Even rolling them on the beaches of Southeast Asia was easy enough …

Osprey’s Wheeled Packs have amazing quality: Everything from the material to the zippers feels really strong and ready to withstand whatever you throw at it. Even after 18 months of non-stop traveling the backpacks look almost brand new! So far our Osprey backpacks have been hauled up trains, thrown in boats, and rolled on the beach and in the jungle but they are still going strong and looking perfect!

The Osprey Wheeled Packs are backpacks that can be carried on your back or rolled around. We are able to carry our luggage easier than with the suitcases we had been using before we got the Osprey Packs. The wheeled backpacks are often used by people going around the world or on long trips, but I (Tsvete) felt that it was recommended for women who are not very strong and want to carry their luggage easily. In the second case, traveling with a wheeled backpack would make the life of many women much easier!

Osprey Sojourn Wheels  80L
• Dimensions: 28H x 14W x 14D
• Weight: 4 kg
• Daypack: Not included; Daylite can be attached
• External Pockets: None
• Internal Pockets: Four zippered pockets in the main compartment
• Fabric 1680D Ballistic Nylon
• Adjustable trampoline suspended mesh back system
• Osprey HighRoad(TM)chassis

Osprey Fairview Wheels 65L
• Dimensions: 70L / 41W / 34D
• Weight: 2.8 kg
• Daypack: Not included; Daylite can be attached
• External Pockets: Easy access liquids & valuables pocket
• Internal Pockets: Internal Mesh Pocket
• Zip away harness & hip-belt
• Fabric 210D High Tenacity Nylon
• Internal compression strap system

The sides of the Osprey Wheeled Backpacks are very solid, giving them the benefits of a suitcase structure. Both Backpacks at 65 and 80 liters have sufficient room and we never have to worry about being able to fit all of the things we need during the long trip. Overall, the quality is more than superb.

After 18 months of non-stop traveling the bags are still in great condition and we barely can see some signs of use. The zips are high quality and the wheels have shown to be highly durable. The bags are easy to be cleaned and they proved to be very durable in all kinds of travel challenges, situations, and surroundings.

We would absolutely recommend Osprey Fairview 65L & Osprey Sojourn 80L wheeled backpacks! If you have no desire to carry a large amount of weight on you during your trips, or you want luggage that gives you the comfort of a suitcase and the ease of a backpack at the same time, then the Osprey Wheeled Backpacks are for you. It is like having the best of both worlds – the convenience of a suitcase with the flexibility of a backpack. The combination is just perfect!