If you’ve ever shopped around for a hiking rucksack before, no doubt you’ve heard the brand name Osprey. So when a waterproof backpack from one of the biggest names in the business showed up recently, we naturally got very excited.
Products like the Talon, Archeon, Kestrel and Atmos have been hugely popular names in the Osprey hiking range for years – many of which have picked up awards in Trail magazine tests. So it’s safe to say Osprey know a thing or two about making great packs for just about every type of outdoor adventure.
What we haven’t had much experience of reviewing up to this point, though, is their waterproof packs. That all changed when the Osprey Transporter WP 30 landed at LFTO Towers recently, so we couldn’t wait to get it outside and put it through its paces.
It also just so happened that its arrival coincided with the arrival of Storm Babet in October, which meant we had some seriously wet and wild conditions to test it out in. Here’s how we got on…
Highly Recommended
Pros
- Great waterproof performance
- Durable construction
- Good features
- Made from fully recycled materials
Cons
- Nothin' to see here
Waterproofing
The stats will tell you this pack is made from bluesign approved 400D recycled nylon, which is TPU double coated to make it extra strong and durable. That same nylon is used on the main outer walls and the base of the Transporter WP 30 in one big piece of fabric, meaning there are no weak points for water to attack.
The waterproof rating of IPX6 is also about as high as you can go without something being designed to be fully submerged. So when you factor in the clippable roll-top closure, what you’re effectively getting here is a big waterproof sack with durable outer walls that you can fully seal up to protect its contents.
But how does it shape up when it gets some serious weather thrown at it? To test that out we left it outside for 9 hours in one of the worst rain downpours we can ever remember when Storm Babet battered through Britain.
We put 6 other waterproof packs through the exact same test in the exact same conditions, and can confidently say the Osprey Transporter WP 30 was the standout top performer.
The 400D nylon fabric didn’t hold any water or suffer from any type of wetting out from the rain. The droplets simply beaded on the outside of the pack, then rolled straight off. The contents were also bone dry at the end of the day and exterior of the pack dried very quickly once we got it back indoors. Exactly the type of performance we’d hope to see from a waterproof backpack.
Comfort
As you’d expect from a rucksack brand with a reputation as stellar as Osprey, comfort isn’t an issue with the Transporter WP 30. It comes fitted with Osprey’s renowned AirScape back panel, which is well padded with foam and covered with a webbed mesh that allows air to flow between the rear of the pack and your back.
It doesn’t lift the pack clean away from your back in the way something like the Lowe Alpine or the Berghaus Freeflow panels do, but the inclusion of the AirScape in a waterproof pack means Osprey are giving you something many brands wouldn’t in a rucksack of this type.
The shoulder straps are padded and adjustable, with a chest strap you can tighten across your body and move up and down if needed. The hipbelt is basic with no padding, but that seems fairly standard with most waterproof packs. All in all, the comfort levels of the are very impressive.
Features
As mentioned above the feature set on the Transporter WP 30 is good. The clipped roll-top closure does its job well and is very simple to use, the AirScape back panel is a nice addition, and we like the padded shoulder straps.
There are some nice additions in terms of pockets and storage too. On the front of the pack, you get a large stretchy fabric sleeve that’s perfect for stashing things like wet waterproofs or gloves and hats. There’s also a small zipped pocket under that stretchy fabric on the outside.
The inside of the pack has one big, roomy main compartment with a sleeve at the back which would fit a 13” laptop, or whatever else that size you’d like to stow in there depending on your use for the pack. There’s also an internal zipped mesh pocket with a key clip, which is the kind of feature you don’t get on all waterproof backpacks.
Capacity
This is one of those backpacks that somehow feels larger than its 30-litre capacity. Probably because the opening is so big and the fact that the inside is pretty much just one large sack-like compartment.
That makes it ideal for taking on everything from hikes and bike rides to work commutes and watersports like kayaking or paddle boarding. We’re planning a canoe camping trip in the spring that we already know the Transporter WP 30 will be perfect for.
But if the 30-litre size sounds too big for you, there are also 18L and 25L versions in the Transporter WP range. The 25-litre version seems very similar to this one, but if you drop down as far as 18 litres there are some small differences to the feature set.
If you want to go even bigger, check out the Osprey Transporter Waterproof Duffels, with 40, 70 and 100-litre options to pick from.
Durability
We can’t vouch for long-term durability because we’ve only been using this pack for a relatively short space of time. But in terms of the materials it’s made from and the overall construction, we’d say this is a fairly tough and ruggedised rucksack.
You won’t get the same levels of indestructibility that something like the Ortlieb Atrack pack could offer you, but in some ways that’s overkill anyway. What you’re getting from Osprey here is a very well built bag that’s suitable for lots of activities, and should last you many years.
Verdict
The Osprey Transporter WP 30 is the standout waterproof backpack we’ve tested this year. It does the most important job of keeping its contents dry and protected from the elements brilliantly, but the good news doesn’t end there. It’s tough, comfortable and comes with enough impressive features to justify its high price tag. This is a fantastic bit of kit.
How we test
The Transporter WP was tested on hikes in the hills of North Wales in typically gloomy and drizzly October weather, and then on local trails when heavy rain and strong winds battered Britain during the autumn storms. This allowed us to test in the conditions it was designed for, and on a wide variety of terrain.
Your tester Oli Reed is the editor of Live for the Outdoors and Trail magazine. Oli's a lifelong hiker who's climbed hills and mountains everywhere from the Lakes and the Dales to the Dolomites and Yosemite. He loves a night in a tent somewhere wild, is rarely seen wearing long trousers, and can usually be spotted walking, cycling or paddling along a trail or river with his two young boys in tow. Which also makes him our go-to tester for family outdoor kit.
CLICK HERE for more information about how we test gear at LFTO.