Osprey StraightJacket Compression Sack Review

The Osprey StraightJacket Compression Sack is a versatile piece of gear that can be used for various things while traveling. Whether you’re looking for a packing cube or a camping companion, this should be on your list. You might be thinking, why do I need this thing? Let’s dive in!

External Components

The primary material here is bluesign®-approved, 100% recycled, 40D, high-tenacity nylon. That’s a lot of words; however, this material couldn’t be thinner. Well, it could, but you get the point. There are two sides to this compression sack. One half has incredibly thin materials similar to the Osprey Ultralight Packing Cube Set, and the other has a thicker, more durable fabric you’d likely see on an Osprey daypack. They both work well, but it’s hard to understand why either was chosen and the whole pack doesn’t utilize the same materials. Either way, we dig how lightweight this thing is.

The logo is fairly large; however, that doesn’t bother us much. We’re used to that from other Osprey gear we’ve tested, and the logo isn’t as commercial as others. Plus, birds are fun!

The size that we have on hand is the 8-liter model. There are 12-, 20-, and 32-liter models out there, too. For travel purposes, we don’t see a use for sizes above 12 liters. That said, the materials are so lightweight, and they pack down so small when not in use that we don’t write them off entirely!

The first version of the StraightJacket had a zipper closure, but it was eliminated in the second iteration. When we heard about the update, we weren’t certain we’d like it as much. However, we’ve found that we don’t miss it at all, and without the zipper, it’s easier to load and is lighter.

The buckles on the compression straps are from YKK. The brand is known more for its zippers than hard plastic hardware, but we’ve had no issues. If you go with a larger size, it may have three compression straps; the smaller models have two.

The buckles are attached to two compression straps; these are what make the magic happen. Once you’ve loaded your gear up, you can cinch these down to save space in your travel backpack, hiking daypack, or rolling luggage. Despite being thin and light, like most of this sack, they do the heavy lifting and show no signs of wear and tear.

A handle on the top is an underrated feature because it helps you snag it out of your bag, carry it to get changed, or move it from one bag to another. It doesn’t have padding or aeration, but it’s incredibly lightweight and stays out of the way when you aren’t using it.

Inside The Compression Sack

There’s just one compartment here, but you probably already knew that. Without the zipper, we’ve found that it is easier to load gear inside.

There’s no organization inside, just space. This isn’t the best place to stow things prone to wrinkling because the compression system will wreak havoc on your perfectly folded clothing. Rolled clothing survives somewhat unscathed, but rolling a button-down shirt with a collar isn’t easy.

You can get creative with loading the sack to save space, though. If you only have a corner of your backpack open, try only packing half of the cube. Or, cinch it down more. This is a simple tool, but it has a lot of potential when used correctly.

Now that we’ve gone over how to load it, we should discuss what you can put inside and why it’s valid for travel.

As a packing cube, you can stow clothing inside. With the 8-liter model, you can fit everything you need for a long weekend or a week-long trip if you pack light or are going somewhere warm.

Additionally, because the sack is so small, you can bring it along empty and use it as a dirty clothing container. Load things up to be washed when you get home or use the handle to carry them down to the hostel or hotel’s laundry room for cleaning.

For an outdoor trip, you can utilize this to stow your sleeping bag, a rain fly, or other camping gear. You can fit many things inside (so long as they aren’t pointy), so it is a good piece of gear to bring along.

Again, this isn’t a bad bag to keep in your glovebox or trunk because of its versatility. You never know when you’ll need to contain some clothing, so that’s a handy place to store it when not in use.

These are more challenging to load than a traditional packing cube or pouch; however, their large size makes them more versatile. In a year of testing, we’ve stored camera lenses inside our clothing without worry because there was enough clothing on each side to protect the lens. We’ve used it to bring beach towels on an airplane when we didn’t think they’d fit. The compression worked so well that they fit inside our travel backpack.

The short of it is that while these aren’t perfect for anything they can do almost everything!