We purchased the Osprey Trailkit for an overseas cycling trip. Osprey has a great reputation for making quality bags for adventures so we were excited to see a duffel designed with the cyclist in mind.
The Trailkit is a 40 liter duffel/backpack weighing 1.93 lbs and easily fits most carry-on size restrictions. (bag is 22 x 13 x 11 inches)
It’s an attractive bag, coming in three colors – we went with the ice blue.
There are side pockets for water bottles, snacks, etc., and a ventilated bottom pockets for wet or dirty items. Keep your shoes in this pocket and the rest of your gear stays clean!
A big plus for cyclists is the dedicated helmet carry system on the top of the bag. Pull out the stowaway helmet carry, clip in your helmet and you’re on your way. This system seemed to work pretty well for our helmets but I would be concerned if you anticipate your bag being tossed around.
The bag has strong, comfortable handles on all sides and stowaway backpack straps. It is comfortable to carry as a backpack for short distances, but would have been difficult for me over time as there is no place to attach a hip belt and, at 40 L, the bag does get heavy. It is advertised as having D-rings for attaching a shoulder strap, but we found the location of the D-rings problematic so didn’t use them.
A big drawback for us was the lack of locking zippers and that is why we ultimately left the bag at home for our overseas biking trip.
It is a great bag when we’re traveling by car or train. We love the ability to organize our cycling gear as well as daily wear in one bag. And the bag is great for car and train trips when we’re not cycling. The helmet system stows away handily. There’s plenty of room in the cavernous interior for 2 weeks worth of clothes!
Suggestions to improve this bag:
- hip belt anchor points
- locking zippers
- D rings placed parallel to each other rather than diagonally across bag.