Photo: Osprey

Eco-Friendly Luggage Is Here, and the Osprey Transporter Carry-On Proves It

Sustainability Outdoor
by Tim Wenger Feb 11, 2022

Sustainable travel just keeps getting easier and easier, and nothing makes this writer more excited — particularly when these developments include conserving land and then getting to recreate on said land.

But one aspect of green travel often overlooked is something we use while enjoying the great outdoors – our travel packs. Developments toward more eco-friendly travel packs have progressed steadily in recent years, with brands like Patagonia, Adidas, and Peak Travel making recycled and carbon-neutral travel luggage, toiletry bags, and travel gear. But a sustainably-made, carry-on size pack that does as well in transit as it does in the field has long been an elusive target.

a factory working looking at a wall of recycled plastics

Many brands are starting to use recycled and post-consumer waste in clothing and gear. Photo: Chanchai phetdikhai/Shutterstock

Fortunately, Osprey, maker of durable backcountry packs developed in the harsh desert environs of southwest Colorado, just filled that void. Enter the Osprey Transporter 4-Wheel Hybrid Carry-On, Osprey’s newest travel pack. It’s well-designed, sustainable, loaded with features, and has a great guarantee.

We hope you love the Osprey 4-Wheel Hybrid Carry-On! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.

Osprey’s updates to the Transporter are impressive. The brand basically combined the best aspects of each item in its travel-ready Transporter line — the duffel, the carry-on bag, and the pack — and added a multi-position trolley handle so you can lug it through the airport with ease. It’s easy to pull with spinner wheels durable enough to lug heavy outdoor or work gear; even when it’s full, it slides quite smoothly. And the padded laptop sleeve and large front-panel pocket make it easy to grab a laptop or book in a hurry before you put it in the overhead bin, which should free up space in your under-the-seat bag. It’s great for work travel (or bleisure, if you’re doing it right).

But this is the Climate Win, and it’s the sustainability that really shines. The carry-on is made with 80 percent recycled materials; discarded road barriers, to be exact. (Yes, those plastic icons of construction zones and make-it-or-die hairpin turns.) Osprey uses a water-resistant thick polyester — also recycled — for the front panel, which means that less than 20 percent of the Osprey Transporter 4-Wheel Hybrid Carry-On is new material. It also comes with Osprey’s celebrated lifetime warranty and years of outdoor knowledge, making this new release a solid addition to your sustainable travel gear setup.

The Transporter 4-Wheel Hybrid Carry-On comes with an external toiletry pack, an internal mesh pocket with a mesh divider, and both top and side handles so you can carry it a variety of different ways. The pack is for sale through Osprey directly for $290.

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More climate wins

The controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia took another blow last week when the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a key permit, noting that the pipeline poses an excessive threat to endangered species, per the Virginia Mercury. This marks the third major setback for the pipeline in just the past two weeks, following the same court’s earlier removal of permit approvals from the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

UK scientists have more than doubled the amount of nuclear fusion power they’re able to generate, CNN reported. Nuclear fusion could be a source of endless clean energy in the future, as its much cleaner than fission and produces less waste. It’s also less dangerous in the event of an accident.

Wind farm in Puerto Rico

Photo: Maria T Hoffman/Shutterstock

The US Department of Energy last week announced a landmark deal with the government of Puerto Rico to provide $12 billion in federal funding to re-develop the island’s energy grid with a focus on renewable energy. This includes lower-income areas and public housing developments operated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funding could help Puerto Rico become one of the first US states or territories to operate entirely on renewable energy before the federal government’s 2050 net-zero goal.

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