Your Minimalist Guide
Mose Hayward
Endless Traveler
I’ve long searched around for the perfect bag for organizing everything I need for weeks at a time while still qualifying as a “personal item” or “underseat bag” for flying around on cheap airlines without paying for baggage.
For five months of constant travel around Latin America and Europe, I’ve used the Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack (28L) for this purpose as well as, in some cases, as a companion to rolling luggage. It checks all the major boxes and has been a joy.
Here’s a complete overview of my experience so you all can see if it’s right for you—or for which use cases there are other options that might be better.
In a Nutshell: The Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack
The Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack 28L has been a good companion for minimalist travel.
Pros
- Carry-on compliance: Fits airlines’ underseat bag requirements as an accompanying or sole “personal item” or “cabin bag”
- Maximizes the internal storage space and organizes it well with smart pocket layout including a large laptop pocket
- Weather-resistant: The inside stayed bone dry when I was unexpectedly caught in the rain
- Extremely durable and well-built with a solid warranty from a reputable company
Cons
- Expensive: If you don’t need a bag to last for decades, you can grab a cheaper generic option
- While it keeps stuff dry in rain, it’s not officially waterproof like the heavier-duty Transporter version
The Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack 28L is available at Amazon in your country at the link below, or from Osprey USA.
Why Seek to Maximize an Underseat Bag?
For years I’ve opted for full-size wheeled carry-on backpacks or, on occasion, even a larger (checked) wheeled backpack. But for certain destinations flights can’t really be avoided and the cheapest/most efficient ones are now often underseat-bag-only, unless you pay a supplement that can cost as much as the flight itself.
This makes seeking out an underseat bag or personal item that maximizes the bit of allowed space a worthwhile endeavor.
And it’s worthwhile in any case to travel as light and minimally as possible to improve your experiences. Use a good minimalist packing list to determine just the essentials you need, with the knowledge that people generally don’t use half of what they pack and those just-in-case items can almost always be picked up if needed when on the road. Then, chances are, you can fit everything you need in a quality underseat cabin bag like this one.
My Experience Flying and Rolling with the Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack
I travelled around mainly Mexico and Europe with the Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack and for a lot of that time it was my only luggage. It worked so well I could mostly forget about it and just focus on my adventures.
Here are the key features and what you should be aware of about how they actually work out in travel.
Organization and Pockets
Both sides of the Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack have sturdy water bottle pockets; an otherwise great bag like the Cabin Zero Classic we reviewed tends to be much less useful without them. I tend to use these two pockets for my favorite collapsible water bottle on one side and any cheap small umbrella on the other, when needed. The water bottle pockets are made of a stretchy, solid material (not the cheap polyester mesh that quickly gets shredded on so many backpacks’ external pockets) and the junctures with the bag appear to be very well reinforced.
The laptop pocket is a crown jewel of this bag’s design. It runs the entire length of the back panel of the bag but doesn’t quite reach the bottom; this “hanging” false bottom protects your laptop if you should plop the bag down too quickly or drop it. The padding is sturdy and since the laptop is against your back (and not on the other end of the bag) it is better-protected from bumps and from pickpockets.
Osprey advertises the Ozone Laptop Backpack as being able to carry up to a 16-inch laptop, but it should be able to carry any larger 17-inch laptop too in my estimation. (These inch sizes on laptop refer to the diagonal measure of the screen length, and not to any particular laptop’s actual length, width, and folded thickness, which are what are important for fitting in a laptop sleeve.)
So I measured the Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack laptop sleeve for you, and you’re welcome, dears. The “main” laptop sleeve measures 41 cm tall and 32 cm wide on the inside with my tape measure, though note that the top points are a bit rounded. The pocket is pretty flat but should be able to accomodate any thickness of laptop that I can imagine; I have carried two laptops, a portable screen, and an iPad in its case in this pocket all stacked together without a problem.
The secondary pocket behind that thin divider is just as wide but doesn’t go quite as deep; it’s mainly useful for carrying a thin tablet or an e-Reader, though it fits my Chromebook just fine too.
The main compartment does not zip completely open but rather opens at the top and down a bit of the sides, where it is stopped from opening further by the dual water bottle pockets.
Because of this, you’ll likely want to use one of the sets of packing cubes like those we recommend. This way you can empty everything out quickly and easily without making a mess, and repack. It also enables the Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack to double as a daypack once you’ve emptied out your other stuff, without turning packing it again into an ordeal.
As with many Osprey packs, there is a top-access pocket with a soft material that is designed to not scratch sunglasses. I don’t know who Osprey is kidding by advertising these pockets as having scratch-free material “for sunglasses”; I’d never just plop sunglasses in such a pocket without a hard case to protect them. But I do indeed store my sunglasses there (the Nooz Sunglasses shown above are the most packable I’ve ever found as they fold down extremely flat). This is also a great place to store other small items that you need quick access to while in transit.
The one thing lacking that I see on some other bags is a “hidden” easily accessible internal pocket in the main compartment for things like a passport. However you may want to keep this on your person in any case.
Does the Osprey Ozone Laptop Bag Fit as an Underseat Cabin Bag/Personal Item?
The Osprey Ozone Laptop Bag works great as an underseat cabin bag, even on the most restrictive airlines. It’s a good way to maximize what you can carry under such restrictions, worry-free.
The Osprey Ozone Laptop Bag holds 28L of stuff in total and its advertised dimensions from Osprey are 28 x 34 x 49 cm. / 11.02 x 13.39 x 19.29 in. Bags are flexible and so hard to measure, but I get more or less the same with my measuring tape, although the first measure from the back panel to the front panel seems a bit less than 28 cm / 11.02 in.
That said, and most importantly, the structure is only semi-rigid and if an airline actually does ask you to put it in a sizer for an underseat cabin bag, as long as you haven’t really overpacked it should squeeze in. I’ve tested it at airports with multiple sizers just to check and it was fine. However, I’ve never actually been asked to put it in a sizer at a boarding gate, presumably because it looks small and unassuming.
We made a table detailing underseat cabin bag limits with all major airlines that charge extra for full-size carry-ons. You can check there for the restrictions for various airlines but note that even with the most restrictive like Ryanair and United Airlines, I have not had an issue in carrying the Osprey Ozone Laptop Bag through boarding gates, even though it could measure larger than what is allowed if stuffed to the gills.
Durability, Water Protection, and Guarantee
The Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack is extremely durably built, as with everything we’ve reviewed from Osprey. It closes for example with YKK racquet coil zippers, which keep out water and appear nearly impossible to damage.
The materials are free of PFAs; the fabric is either 100D or 210D Bluesign-approved recycled high tenacity NanoFly nylon. This appears to be very sturdy; it’s hard to imagine either the material or the seams and zippers giving out in any normal use. The material is also very lightweight; the bag when empty weighs .745 kg / 1.643 lbs.
Osprey offers a lifetime warranty and has a good reputation for following through.
The Osprey Ozone series is not generally waterproof but I’ve used this Ozone Laptop Backpack and other Ozone series bags when I was caught in the rain and my stuff remained completely dry (I did not).
However if you want something completely waterproof for long periods hiking or biking in heavy downpours or canoeing, go instead for the Osprey Transporter series or other waterproof bags with IP ratings. Comparable good waterproof backpacks include the Osprey Transporter Waterproof 30L or Osprey Arcane Waterproof Roll-Top (better for larger laptops).
Other Features of the Osprey Ozone Laptop Backpack
There is a Travel Sentry Luggage ID, which is on the top of the bag and points to a website via a QR code where you can log your bag information. I think this is not any more useful than having a tag with your name and contact details, and in fact less useful, because it relies on someone who finds the bag being able to use a QR code or having the patience to type out a code on a website, as well as on you having the same contact info that you originally registered. You can cut the tag off if you want. I did sign up for the Travel Sentry service with a unique email to test this system and didn’t receive any spam as a result. It works fine, but is not as easy as just putting your contact information in a label on your bag. And I think you would want to make it as easy as possible for someone to contact you about a lost bag.
The fully adjustable front straps and sternum strap make the bag exceptionally comfortable for carrying any reasonable amount of weight for a long period. They are breathable (as is the back panel), so suitable for hot climates, although they’re not going to do any miracles for you there. Take a moment to adjust the sternum strap when you first get the bag and then it will stay in place forever.
An incredibly useful feature for when you’re also traveling with rolling luggage is the luggage handle sleeve built into the back panel. This will work better on handles with two posts, as when using handles with only one post, the bag placed on top is liable to roll a bit. This pass-through sleeve is incredibly useful when you need it, and invisible and forgettable when you don’t.
Is the Osprey Transporter Boarding Bag 20L Right for You?
There is a “secret pocket” under the top of the luggage sleeve.
Fabulous!