Osprey Transporter Wheeled, The SUV of Duffel Bags.

Wheeled suitcases are nothing new, they come in various forms of course. Soft, hard and some honestly look like stainless steel bank vaults. But I’ve never come across a duffel bag on wheels, that was until Osprey sent us the SUV of duffel bags, the Transporter Wheeled 90.

I was to take this 90-litre sized bag overseas for a recent one-day trip to Madrid, Spain. But it was just a tad too big for carry-on luggage, so instead I put it through another test. A four-day trip to the in-laws in Bathurst, a brutal task given I swayed my wife to combine both our wardrobes into the one bag.

The first thing I noticed about this bag was the oversized off-road style wheels. This really is a bag that can go beyond the airport terminal. Have you ever tried to drag a Samsonite over anything but polished concrete floors? Pulling the bag out of the boot and dragging it up my wife’s parents’ loose stone driveway was a breeze. A good thing given I also had to carry the 10 other bags dedicated to our 16-month old son.

The bag is also ultra-rugged and clearly designed for those who regularly travel to exotic locations, not that Bathurst isn’t exotic. The technical term for the material used is 800D TPU-coated nylon. It will withstand the angriest airport baggage handler, has decent water resistance and superb zippers that overlap for extra protection.

Inside are internal mesh pockets and dual internal straps to keep luggage secure. Simply packing it is easy via a huge U-zip opening. It also features multiple soft padded grab handles and lash points, so you can anchor it to cargo racks.

The Transporter Wheeled Duffel comes in three different sizes. There are 40L, 90L and 120L versions on offer. You should get away with the 40L for carry-on luggage on Australian and international flights.

The Osprey Transporter Wheeled is on sale now for the following prices.