The Perfect Bag for Those Planes, Trains, and Automobile Adventures

Ozone Duplex

Earlier this month, I set off on a three week adventure to Italy that involved a continual rotation of planes, trains, automobiles, and buses to get to and from as well as around the country. I needed to pack light and ensure that I remained agile enough to walk around cities, train stations, and airports with all my stuff. Osprey’s new Ozone Duplex quickly became my best adventure travel buddy.

The Ozone Duplex travel pack is two bags in one — a daypack and a larger cargo bag that together offer up 60 liters of storage space. The daypack securely connects to the cargo bag via a series of ratchets and buckles and serves as the travel pack’s frame-supported harness system with adjustable shoulder straps and padded hipbelt.

The daypack is where I kept my most valuable items and things I would need during a flight or train ride such as my iPad in the padded sleeve, passport, headphones, wallet, water bottle, snacks, etc. The daypack is accessed via a fully-zippered back panel so you can get at its contents even when hooked to the cargo bag. A hidden zippered pocket behind the harness secures your passport, wallet and other critical items, while a large zippered organizer pocket on the front of the pack holds your pens, notebook, business cards, tickets, etc. Two large, stretch-mesh side pockets offer space for umbrellas, water bottles, or a jacket, and even a bottle of wine.

The larger cargo pack holds items you won’t need until you arrive at your destination such as clothes, shoes, and toiletries. The bag opens via a large U-zip for easy access to all your stuff at once. The main compartment features a mesh zippered pocket on one side and dual internal compression straps to hold down your clothes on the other. Padded grab handles make it easy to throw the bag on luggage racks or in the overhead bin, and the cargo bag also comes with a detachable shoulder-carry strap if you need to transport it longer distances. An external pocket on the top of the cargo bag is perfect for storing shoes or even liquids for easy access when going through security.

Ozone Duplex

On my initial flight from SFO to JFK I was one of the last to board the plane so even though the Ozone Duplex easily fits in an overhead bin, I was asked to check my luggage. No problem — I simply unhooked the cargo bag to check at the gate and took the daypack with my valuable items on board.

I was worried about hooking the two pieces together with a fully loaded daypack but even when crammed with a bike helmet inside the daypack, I had no problems. One note — you need to unhook the load lifters from the shoulder straps to fully access the daypack. Don’t forget to attach them again when hauling a complete load, otherwise the pack hangs down and is awkward to carry.

Inside the travel pack, I fit everything I needed for three weeks on the road, including cycling clothes and gear, casual clothes, and more formal attire for a conference I planned to attend at the end of the trip. There was plenty of room.

The Ozone Duplex does come in gender specific versions and fit. However, I recommend you choose which bag to get based on your torso length not gender. The women’s version is designed to fit 14- to 19-inch torsos. Given my longer 21-inch torso, I found it a little short and tight but not uncomfortably so.

The Osprey Ozone Duplex travel pack retails for $220 and is available now.

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