Osprey SnowKit Duffel Bag Review

by Brian Mullin on November 7, 2017

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Earlier this year Osprey launched their GearKit Series of duffels which include the TrailKit, SnowKit, and BigKit and they offer superior organizational and functional characteristics as grab-and-go smart sports bags for any outdoor activity and adventure. Comprised of the airline carry-on friendly 40-liter TrailKit and the 45-liter SnowKit packs, which are ideal for day-use and traveling where tons of gear isn’t needed. The TrailKit was designed for biking while the SnowKit was focused for skiing, and can carry essential snow gear (boots, helmet, beacon), though the SnowKit is more than adequate for schlepping biking equipment. The big brother of GearKit suite is the large 65-liter BigKit, which will carry almost everything including the kitchen sink!

We tested the SnowKit duffle, which comes in Anthracite Black, Lightning Grey, and Ice Blue color schemes and retails for $130.

Purchase Osprey SnowKit

For more information refer to ospreypacks.com

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Features 

Stuffed into the inside of the foam back panel is a set of shoulder straps for carrying the bag like a backpack. The Spacermesh harness pulls out of the interior space, and the end of the straps snap into corresponding buckles at the bottom of the pack. The padded straps include a moveable sternum strap for additional adjustment with an integrated whistle for an emergency purpose. The bag has three nice soft carrying handles which are ideal for picking up the pack and hauling it around.

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The outside pocket has two internally integrated and stowable straps that connect to side panel lashing points for attaching additional gear and apparel items. Further, there are several other lashing points scattered around the pack to attach things. There are two D-ring attachments for adding an optional shoulder strap (sold separately) if desired.

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Storage

The pack has two prominent zippered storage sections, the large main compartment and the shoe/boot compartment which expands into the main sections’ space as needed. The primary opens up clam-shell style with a U-zip design from its topside providing easy access to your gear, and it has a zippered mesh pocket on one side and another on the top cover, which is functional for jerseys/shirts and jackets. The main utilizes a weather-protected zip path system with overlapping rain flaps to prevent minor water entry. Along one outer side are two long zippered pockets, one of them has an elastic sleeve making it ideal for water bottles, while the other is perfect for additional smaller essentials, including pumps, tools, food, etc.

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You access the zippered boot and shoe compartment from the bottom end of the pack, and it also opens in a clam-shell style. You can push a set of ski boots into there or apparel and biking shoes, though the more you add, the less room in the main since it expands into its interior space. For ventilation purposes, the shoe/boot compartment has a small mesh port to facilitate air entry and to help dry things out.

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At the other end of the pack is a small zippered foam padded pocket shaped to accommodate and protect goggles and sunglasses, though I mainly used it for my wallet, phone, and GPS bike computer. Right next to that pocket is a separate slot that contains an integrated helmet cover.

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The tuckaway helmet carry cover or net holds the helmet on the top of the pack, making it perfect when using the SnowKit as a backpack or when there isn’t enough room in the main for a helmet. The net pulls out of its Velcro’ed slot, rolls up over the helmet and connects to two lashing points with easy to use quick connect clips.

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When worn as a backpack the SnowKit was reasonably comfortable as a duffle, making it perfect for walking through an airport and carrying around on short adventures. The padded foam backpanel and conformable body of the bag provided plenty of cushioning. It was easy to pull out the stowaway contoured harness and yoke system and connect the quick release buckles onto the opposing ends at the bottom of the duffle.

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The bottom of the pack utilizes a durable 1680D Ballistic Nylon fabric for longevity and wear and abrasion resistance. Most of the time the bag will get tossed onto the bottom, so it’s the ideal location for a more robust and stiffer material.

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The main body of the duffel uses a 210/420/630D Nylon Dobby Blend for robustness and durability, but it still provides enough give so that the bags functions and features work correctly, plus it offers an overall feel that’s a bit more resilient.

As with all Osprey equipment, the stitching, design, materials, and their craft is impeccable, and it comes with their Lifetime Warranty. “Osprey will repair any damage or defect for any reason free of charge – whether it was purchased in 1974 or yesterday. If we are unable to perform a functional repair on your pack, we will happily replace it. ”

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Bottomline

The Osprey SnowKit is a superb duffel and gear bag, with an incredible amount of useful compartments, pockets, and sleeves for the utmost in organizational purposes. Besides catering to my compulsive neat freak nature, this bag makes sure you never leave home without all your equipment. When you pack the bag, if you place everything in their allotted locations, you’ll hopefully won’t get out into the field and realize you forget a critical piece of gear, which can always put a damper your riding adventure, and especially regarding comfort and safety.

I ended up getting the SnowKit over the TrailKit because I wanted the extra space to always carry my helmet in the interior of the main compartment, though if needed I could ways attach it to the top. Before a ride, I’d place my shoes in its compartment, toss my helmet, gloves, armor, apparel (socks/jersey/shorts/chamois), jackets, sunglasses, munchies into the main, and my wallet, GPS computer and phone into the end goggle pocket. At the end of the ride, shoes would go back into their location along with anything remotely damp, such as socks, jersey, skull cap, gloves, etc., the helmet, armor, and anything else went back into the main, while the wallet, computer, and phone into the end pocket.

Toss it around and use it as a duffel or pop out the harness system and use it as a backpack. With the SnowKit you can keep all your bike gear organized in one convenient duffle bag, so you have a place for everything and everything in its place. The SnowKit is fully featured and highly functional, and the well-made duffle uses heavy materials, zippers, and stitching for durability and toughness.

Purchase Osprey SnowKit

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