Osprey Elroy

Osprey Packs
Osprey Resource Series Bags
Osprey Elroy

Features:

• Courier flap top
• Easy Top Access Padded Laptop Sleeve
• Organizer Pocket
• Removable Cell Phone Pocket
• Side Mesh Pockets
• Accommodates most laptops up to 17inches
• Dimensions: 15 x 17 x 9 inches
• 1500 cubic inches capacity
• 100% recycled PET fabric
• Minimum 70% total recycled materials by content

March 28, 2010
by Anderson Bowman

The Osprey Elroy bag appeared on my doorstep this week and I was more than enthusiastic about its arrival. I have long wondered why pack makers did not delve further into the world of computer bags, messenger bags, or soft sided briefcases. Osprey has taken my desire for a useful office bag one step further with its new Resource Series of courier bags and backpacks.  These bags are intended for the long hauls to the office and classrooms and are constructed using mostly recycled materials.

After I pulled the Elroy out of the box and looked it over really well, I was more than amazed at what all it had to offer.
The courier style flap is held closed by two quick release buckles and a large oval of hook and loop fastener. So even if it is not strapped shut with the buckles, the hook and loop closure should hold the bag closed. I am hoping this is the case since I often have to grab my bag and run and more than once I have had USB cables and other items fly out of my current bag in the parking lot.

The exterior of the bag is dominated by that large carrying strap that after some initial adjustment is not only long enough, but easily adjusted. The buckle that controls the length of this strap is easy to flip up, slide the strap through, and then re-close with one hand.

No more threading straps through a complicated slider, just flip, adjust; flip and I will be done.  There is also a large cell phone pocket located on the main shoulder/carrying strap. I am not sure how much often I will carry my phone here, but I do bet that my IPod will fit nicely in that same pocket.  The last part of the shoulder strap that I like is the large, pad that is attached to help keep the bag on my shoulder.  I am really hoping that this pad also makes carrying the bag over my shoulder while fully loaded a more pleasant experience than having a bare piece of strap biting into my shoulder.

The interior of the Elroy is divided into three main compartments. All three of these compartments are covered and secured by the courier flap, but two of them also close with an additional zipper. The largest compartment contains the padded laptop area and a zippered mesh pocket as well. This compartment is sealed by closing the messenger flap, but is otherwise open.  Along the front side of the bag, there are two zippered pockets that seem like they are set up for organizing smaller items I might carry. The first pocket contains to large mesh pockets plus what appears to be a lot of extra storage space.  The last pocket contains several dividers that look perfect for small items and pens.  It took me a while but I noticed a zipper that runs around the circumference of these two exterior storage compartments. After some fiddling I realized that if the second of the main storage pockets (first external pocket) gets full, I can unzip this zipper to allow the exterior pockets to expand and accommodate extra items.  So not only is the Elroy big and roomy, it can expand when and if I need it to hold more stuff.

There is a zippered pocket located on the courier flap/lid of the bag and while small, it seems like it will offer easy access to items while the bag is closed.  I also noticed that on the back of the Elroy there is a large zipper that allows me access to the main internal compartment when the courier flap is closed and sealed. There is also a document stash pocket that is open and located on the back of the bag.  Every time I look the Elroy over I seem to find a new place to put stuff or another way to get to things that I have secured inside the bag without tearing the entire bag open.

Lastly, I have to mention the two large mesh pockets on either side of the Elroy. I am not sure just how much they can hold, but they look huge.  I could keep going on and on about how large, how many pockets, or how many features this bag has, but I think the best bet for me at this point is to unload my old soft-sided briefcase and see if I can get it all into the Elroy.

More Elroy

May 3, 2010
by Anderson Bowman

I want to start off my saying that this bag is BIG. Damn big! For me, the Osprey Elroy almost reaches the point of being too big.  This bag has been used every weekday and some weekend days since it arrived on my doorstep.

This picture shows the items that I carry in the Elroy on a daily basis. I may add or remove a few files or other materials depending on the day or meeting, but overall, that is what goes into the bag every day.

The good news is that while my laptop is big, the Elroy is bigger and best of all, it makes carrying my laptop comfortable, which I never thought was going to be the case.  The key to the Elroy being comfortable is the shoulder pad. It is hour glass shaped, has just the right amount of padding, and has a wonderful non-slip pad on the underside. It helps hold the shoulder strap in place (yeah, a strap that does not slip off of my shoulder and endanger my laptop) and makes it comfortable to carry what ever is loaded in the Elroy.

I am a bit torn about the cell phone pocket. My phone does not get reception inside the building I work, so I leave it in the car so that the battery does not go dead trying to find a network connection all day. That usually means the pocket is dead weight, but I have discovered that I can stash my Ipod in there and not leave it in my desk when I leave work.  On the upside, I do carry my phone in the pocket when I go to meetings away from my work site. It makes it convenient to locate and grab, especially when I am in the car and the Elroy in on the front passenger seat beside me.

The interior break up of the Elroy is also something that I have grown to really like. Being able to stick the laptop in the back of the main pocket and my files in the front portion of the same pocket makes access to both pretty easy.  It also means that I can keep my pens, external HD, USB Drives, and other things in the smaller pockets where they will not damage or destroy files or loose papers that I may be carrying.  My only problem with this set up is remembering which other pocket I stashed everything in.

I have learned a very important lesson while using the Elroy on a daily basis. I must keep the zippers zipped or else. Several times I have had items in the pocket located on the outside of the bag’s lid and when I flip the bag open (while the zipper to the pocket is open) I lose things on the floor. Nothing like being in a crowded meeting, flip my bag open, and have my bottle of Advil fall out and roll around on the floor. Trust me here, the room is never as quiet as when I do something like that. The same goes for the zipper that allows access to the Elroy’s main compartment when the lid is closed. I have had something fall out of the Elroy on more than one occasion when I set it down while this zipper was open. While not a flaw in any way, I have learned to keep the Elroy’s zippers closed unless I need to get something out.

One thing that has been really convenient about the Elroy is the HUGE patch of hook and loop fastener that lets me slap the bag closed and hit the road.  Most of the time I use the straps and latches, but there have been many occasions when I needed to catch up to someone and I was able to just slap the bag closed and chase them down.

At this point in my use of the bag I am very happy. The Elroy may be BIG, but I have never filled it to over flowing, which is a good sign. Most of my other bags soon face the specter of being upgraded and discarded because they cannot hold enough stuff. I do not think this is an issue that I will ever face with the Elroy. It is not only BIG, but easy to carry and maintain as well.

I have already had one container of flavored coffee creamer burst inside the main compartment while carrying it into my office. All I had to do was remove everything in the compartment, wipe them down, and then wipe the inside of the Elroy clean with a damp cloth. No left over stickiness or lingering smell either. The bag cleaned up nice and easily and I learned never to carry those small containers in the same compartment as a sharp object such as a pen.

The last comment I have before I load this beast of a laptop back into the Elroy is the Osprey name. I have had more comments on the bag because someone noticed that it was made my Osprey.  The immediate connection has always been Osprey equaling good quality and this is from people I consider to be borderline outdoors people at best.

End of the Road with the Elroy

June 2, 2010
by Anderson Bowman

I find it hard to believe that it has been three months since I started carrying the Osprey Elroy to work on a daily basis.  It has been dragged in and out of several cars and everywhere that my boss has sent me during this time.  My loads have varied from just my giant laptop to my laptop, external drives, cameras, files, binders, and any other materials that were necessary for my daily duties at work. The good news is that no matter how much I put in it, the Elroy was a pleasure to carry and probably best of all, I never felt like I filled it up. There was always extra room to spare.

My initial excitement about getting a daily use bag from a company like Osprey never waned during the entire three months.  This bag is durable. It  has held together despite big loads, being dragged in and out of cars , and several VERY hot afternoons in the car.  The Elroy is solidly constructed and I have not been able to get any part of it to fail despite using it every day that I have gone to work.

The one thing that has become very apparent over the last three months is that this bag is designed to work in the office or on the road.  It is not only durable, but well organized and easy to clean. I have had a variety of spills on the inside and outside of the bag that were cleaned easily with a wet cloth and nothing else.  I also discovered the joy of having two mesh side pockets for drinks. This is a standard feature on most packs that I own, but I have never had this on a dedicated office/travel bag and now I wonder why someone else has not done this before.

The mesh side pockets on the Elroy easily hold a full thermos of coffee all the way up to a 32 ounce sports drink bottle.  The true genius of these mesh pockets is that they keep the items that tend to leak or spill the most on the exterior of the bag.  No more worrying that my coffee that leaked has ruined the laptop or pulling out a report to find that it is covered in red sports drink.  All this stays on the outside of the Elroy and if it spills, then it wipes clean quickly with no damage to the contents of the bag, which is definitely a plus in my mind.

Another thing that I have really come to like is the access that the Elroy offers. If the main compartments are open (flap open) then it is really easy to dig around and find stuff in the Elroy. The light gray interior color is a very good contrast and makes it easier to find things quickly, especially black external hard drives or black usb cables that usually fade into the interior of my other bag that has a black interior.  Even better than the easy access when it is open is the fact that I can close the Elroy, strap everything down and still be able to get at things in the interior via a big zipper without completely opening the bag.  This is a very nice feature when a coworker asks for something in the parking lot and rather than put the Elroy down and open it up, I could always zip it open while it’s on my shoulder and find what they needed quickly.  This also made it easier to toss the bag in the car afterwards without worrying about the contents spilling out.  I have begun calling this the Elroy’s “opening the bag without opening the whole can of worms” feature.

I for one am excited about Osprey’s entry into the daily work force with their new line of messenger bags.  The Elroy has proven over the last three months that is not only durable, but also well planned and functional as well.  The folks over at Osprey have won my heart when it comes to the Elroy.  It carries every office load I have thrown at it and allowed me to carry it comfortably without damaging my shoulder or back in the process.  It is one thing to make a bag huge enough to carry all my work stuff, but it is a sign of success to make a bag big enough to carry all of my stuff comfortably.

Even though this is the end of my road reporting on the Osprey Elroy, you might want to check back every now and then, just in case.  I am sure I will find something else amazing to say about this bag after I do some traveling with it in the near future. If it works in the office, I cannot wait to see how well it works as a carry on, so stay tuned, just in case.

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