Osprey Porter 46 Backpack Review - The Best Backpacks In 2025

Last Updated on 3rd December 2024

This post about the Osprey Porter 46 backpack review mentions gifted and collaborative items sent to me for review purposes. It also includes affiliate links. All opinions are entirely my own, please see my disclaimer for more.

Osprey Porter 46 Backpack Review - The Best Backpacks In 2022

Are you wanting to buy a new backpack but not sure which one is right for you? Check out my extensive review of the Osprey Porter 46 UK!

I’ve been a huge fan of the Osprey brand ever since the beginning of 2019 when Matt and I purchased our beloved Fairview 70L backpacks for our first-ever long-term trip around the world.

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to try out even more of their products, including their epic packing cubes, as well as several other backpacks such as the Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack.

A few months ago, the awesome team at Osprey offered to send out two of their most highly coveted backpacks for us to try on some of our shorter trips, including the famed Osprey Porter 46 backpack.

I’ve been using this backpack for a couple of months now for short weekend trips between our family homes in York and Carlisle, as well as further afield on our two-week interrailing trip around Europe.

I’ve fallen in love with this backpack for carry-on travel and I cannot wait to share my extensive thoughts with you in this guide below in case you’re in the market for a new travel backpack that’s perfect for shorter trips or weekends away!

Check out my full review of the Osprey Porter 46 backpack!

Features of the Osprey Porter 46 travel backpack

Weight: 1.5kg
Dimensions (in cm): 55H x 36W x 23D
Fabric 500D recycled nylon packcloth
Mesh lining
So many pockets!
Structured shape for easy packing
Lockable zips for an added safety feature when travelling
Foam-padded shoulder straps
Padded laptop sleeve
Front zipped pocket
Compatible with the Osprey Daylite Series backpacks for added use and convenience
Top and side handles for easy carrying
A chunky strap/harness around the waist for comfortable wear
Harness and straps that zip away
Expandable material that fits plenty of belongings inside

The Osprey Porter 46 UK backpack is a unisex piece of luggage that is perfect for carry-on. While some airlines may argue that it’s too large for their carry-on luggage requirements, I haven’t faced any issues so far (and I’ve even travelled with Ryanair who are notoriously bad for their strict carry-on requirements!).

The backpack comes in three colours; Haybale Green, Black and Petunia Blue (this is the one that we have). However, the green and black versions of this backpack are often sold out and even the blue Porter 46 backpack that we have is often sold out on Amazon as well.

As the pack is unisex, it’s great for Matt and I as it means that we can share our backpacks and both carry them comfortably without worrying that it won’t fit either of us properly.

Unlike our Fairview 70 backpacks, the Osprey Porter 46 doesn’t come with a detachable day pack, but it is compatible with Osprey’s Daylite Series, so you can attach it to one of those which in turn allows you to carry even more stuff while travelling!

The bag itself is super lightweight, weighing just 1.5kg without anything in it and this was a great feature for me as it means that you can carry more weight on your back once you’ve packed the bag as the initial weight of the backpack won’t be too heavy.

I also love that it operates similarly to our Fairview backpacks in that it has stowaway harness straps, making it easier and neater to carry if you want to use it more like a duffel bag or indeed, if you do have to check the backpack on a flight.

Pros

Super lightweight
Beautiful petunia blue colour
Plenty of pockets
Stowaway straps and harness
Folds up pretty small without anything in it
Incredibly spacious
Perfectly compatible with packing cubes (we use these leopard print and these grey packing cubes religiously for our travels)

Cons

Initially hard to pack as the front of the backpack caves in a little bit when it’s empty (see image below)
Heavy to wear once it’s fully packed (this is always the case for me with any backpack as I’m not particularly strong!)

How much does the Osprey Porter 46 backpack cost?

The Porter 46 backpack is currently £160 on the Osprey website, but it is often discounted when the brand has a sale.

You may also find it cheaper on Amazon, but as it’s such a popular backpack, it’s often sold out!

£160 may seem a little steep for a backpack, but I truly believe that it’s worth the investment. While I’ve only had the Porter 46 travel backpack for a few months, I’ve had my beloved Fariview 70L backpack for almost four years now and it’s travelled with me to more than 20 countries across the world and it’s truly standing the test of time so I know just how good the quality of Osprey packs are.

I’ll be sure to check back in on this post to update you on how the Porter 46 holds up, but I imagine that it too will last me a very long time.

Is the Osprey Porter 46 carry-on size?

As I mentioned above, the Osprey Porter 46 backpack is compatible with most airlines’ carry-on luggage requirements. We’ve used it on several flights so far and we’ve had no issues with airlines prohibiting us from travelling with it.

However, Osprey themselves do explain that it’s their largest carry-on compatible pack in the series, which means some airlines may be a little apprehensive to let you fly with it as a carry-on.

One way to try and get around any restrictions you might face is to ensure that the pack is as flat as possible once you’ve packed it. This can be tricky to do, but we managed to pack all of our belongings for a two-week trip around Europe inside this backpack with no issues; it’s all about smart packing!

How to pack the Osprey Porter 46 Travel Backpack

This leads me nicely to this section about how to pack the Porter 46 Osprey backpack!

Ever since our first big trip around New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia, I’ve been the biggest fan of packing cubes and I refuse to pack any bag without them now. We’ve used several different packing cubes over the years, including these leopard print ones (that we still have four years later!), these newly-purchased grey packing cubes for our most recent trip and a handful of Osprey packing cubes as well.

Some people really don’t like to use packing cubes, but I personally find it so much easier to pack any backpack or suitcase if I have a trusty set of packing cubes with me. This also applies to packing the Porter 46 backpack as we exclusively used cubes to pack our belongings for our recent trip and they fit seamlessly into the pack.

I hope this review of the Osprey Porter 46 backpack has helped you to decide whether it’s the right backpack for you. Be sure to check out my other backpack review posts and packing tips guides below!

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