Osprey Transporter Wheeled Carry-On 38 Review

Rolling luggage doesn’t always get the same love as backpacks, but sometimes wheels just make sense, especially when navigating airports or long stretches of pavement. Osprey’s Transporter Wheeled Carry-On 38 aims to give you the best of both worlds: the durability of their outdoor soft-sided gear paired with the convenience of a roller.

This updated version looks a bit sharper, swaps in tougher fabrics, and still packs plenty of thoughtful organization. Of course, no bag is without its quirks, so we’re putting it through its paces to see if the upgrades make it a worthy travel companion—or if it’s just another carry on with a shiny facelift.

External Components

The updated Transporter Wheeled Carry-On still uses a slew of different fabrics for its exterior, with a few slight changes to the roster of materials. There seems to be an overall increase in the fabrics’ deniers. The main fabric is a 630-denier recycled high-tenacity nylon with a ripstop pattern, while the bottom gets a heavier 840-denier high-tenacity nylon. You can’t really see the weave’s thickness as both fabrics have a carbonate coating that makes them slick against accidental splashes, but you can definitely feel it when touching the bag.

Although the Transporter Wheeled Carry-On’s build quality feels reassuringly solid—as most Osprey gear usually is—the carbonate coating is a point of concern. We’ve had readers who owned the previous version tell us that theirs exhibited flaking after long-term use, which seems like the typical affliction of such carbonate coating. Unfortunately, that’s the kind of issue that only surfaces after months of use, not two or so weeks of testing. In other words, we’ll have to report back if the flaking issue persists on this updated version.

The Transporter Wheeled Carry-On looks sharper now, thanks to a more rectangular profile, which is most evident around the top area. “Newer is always better,” as some might say, and we can at least tell that this version is the more up-to-date one, even if it’s only marginally better looking to us. That said, it’s not like the previous version was offensively gaudy. If we have any actual complaints, it’s that there is still only one colorway available, as the Blue Flame/Nocturnal Blue one is out of stock at the time of writing (that’s the really eye-catching one).

External features aren’t too impressive. At the front are two loops on each side, for a total of four. It’s not a lot, and since they’re located so low, you can’t reach any accessories hanging from them very quickly. Meanwhile, there are two padded handles: one at the top and one on the left, with the latter having an ID slip pocket underneath. The right side is puzzlingly left unfurnished, with no handle, water bottle pocket, or even stands to speak of. Any one of those would’ve been a welcome sight, but their absence at least keeps the Transporter Wheeled Carry-On’s profile tight.

At the bottom is a one-piece stand corresponding to the bag’s hind wheels. It also doubles as a solid handle that lets you shift the bag around while lying on its back. Osprey thoughtfully curved it so the handle doesn’t get too grimy when fulfilling its standoff duties. You might be thinking that the curvature is an afterthought, but it is an intentional design choice.

The two hind wheels mount on a curved frame, cohesively called their HighRoad chassis. As with the handle, the chassis’s curvature gives you a bit more ground clearance to work with. Combined with the chunky 90mm wheels, navigating relatively rough terrain should pose no challenge. The chassis covers a significant chunk of the back’s lower portion, too, so you can also use it as a kickplate.

Next up is the telescoping handle. Everything about it is pretty straightforward and conventional. It’s aluminum, has one adjustment level, and a plastic handle. However, the handle is quite interesting and unique, as it doesn’t have a lock-release button. Instead, you unlock the height adjustment by squeezing the entire handle, which has this neat-looking cat’s eye shape. Mechanically, it works just as well, if a bit more finicky, than a traditional button, but we appreciate the unique touch; it’s harmless fun.

Fit Notes

Engaging the handle takes some getting used to if you’re used to luggage with a lock-release button. Extra grip strength is required, but there’s something else, too. While extending, something is catching along the joint, which initially made us think there was a mid-height adjustment level available. However, that doesn’t really make sense since fully extended is the only level you’d realistically want, considering this is a roller, not a spinner.

With a roller, a shallow (but not too shallow) pulling angle is desirable so that the bag’s weight is relatively centered and balanced. So, we confirmed that there isn’t a mid-height adjustment; the handle is just sticky around the joints. Otherwise, rolling and pulling the Transporter Wheeled Carry-On around is a pretty smooth experience. It’s also worth noting that it’s quite easy to carry around, since the HighRoad chassis’s curved rear side doesn’t bump too harshly against the leg when you’re doing so.

Inside The Carry On Luggage

One of the main benefits of soft-sided luggage such as this one is that it’s easier to build pockets into its design; fabric is just a much more malleable material than plastics or aluminum, after all. As such, the Transporter Wheeled Carry-On’s top pocket is quite handy for those traveling with many everyday carry accessories that need to be easily accessible.

The pocket’s opening spans almost the bag’s entire width, which translates to a pretty roomy interior as well. That said, the space might theoretically exist, but it’s entirely dependent on how packed out the main compartment is. In testing, the entire pocket got pushed up as soon as we had all our clothing squared away. Consequently, the top pocket’s liner bunched up really badly, which, in turn, obscured a lot of the tiny accessories we had packed inside.

The front compartment houses many more pockets to organize beefier everyday carry items. In back-to-front cascading order are the laptop sleeve, a zippered pocket, and a wide stretchy liner pocket with two pen slots on the right. These are great for storing tech items you’d want to bring alongside your device, especially the zippered pocket, which has a built-in smart tracker slot. Also, there is a short key leash, so feel free to throw your house keys there so you know where to reach for them by the time your trip is over.

Protection is also decent, courtesy of rather thick padding at the front side and incidental cushioning from your gear in the main compartment. The entire front compartment is elevated from the floor by quite a distance, so we wouldn’t worry about bottom shocks. Would we check this bag? Only if we had to, but we are quite confident in how much protection there is.

The main compartment has a conventional luggage layout: a lid-side compartment with built-in zippered pockets on one side and a main bucket space covered by a mesh partition on the other. The former is relatively deep, so much so that we can comfortably fit packing cubes and pouches side by side. That said, the lid folds over at a steep angle, so arranging gear while trying to stop everything from rolling off is quite the challenge. Meanwhile, the adjacent mesh pockets are ideal spots for stashing smaller clothing, such as underwear and rolls of socks. You can get creative with them, but our favorite technique is using one for clean clothing and the other for used clothing.

However, most of your clothing will reside in the main bucket space. Unzip the mesh cover and you’ll find space for a hoodie, four pairs of pants, six tops, and a pair of shoes—at least, that’s what we could fit. There’s a pair of built-in hold-down straps to help you keep them down, and—combined with the mesh cover—they should be enough for everything to stay in place. We still recommend using packing cubes, though, especially if you’re packing shoes alongside your clothing, too.

Overall, the 38-liter capacity is more than enough for a week-long trip. Honestly, if you pack smarter and allocate more of the bucket space for clothing, keeping the rest of your toiletries, shoes, and other accessories under the lid-side compartment, you can squeeze out more use. However, just remember how that can negatively impact the bag’s top pocket, as we mentioned earlier.