Farpoint 36
Desiderato Merriwether
The Farpoint Trek 55 is a new design that is just one big 55-liter pack. It has a more advanced suspension system similar to a trekking bag, but you still zip it open from the sides like a suitcase. It is essentially a hybrid between travel bag and trekking bag designs.
Trampoline-style back. This is a common feature for trekking bags but rare for travel backpacks. Not only does this keep the contents of the bag from pushing against your body, but it also maintains ventilation. It will do a great job of preventing a sweaty back even in hot climates.
Above this are two flaps, which can hug around your travel items (most likely, a stack of clothes) and can be strapped tight. This lessens the need for packing cubes, though one or two will still come in handy. Osprey sells some nice packing cubes if you need them.
I think the Farpoint Trek 55 is actually perfect for long-term travelers who want a better harness and better rain protection, while also having the option of using their pack on treks and other adventures.
When I think back to my travels in South America, I can see how this bag would have been perfect for it. Since I needed to pack clothes for both the tropical areas and the colder highlands and mountains of the Andes, I struggled to fit everything into just a carry-on size bag. The Farpoint Trek would have given me just a bit of extra space. Along the way, I could have also easily taken it on the Inca Trail trek in Peru or the Lost City trek in Colombia.
The other common question I get is if the 40L carry-on size is big enough for certain trips. I think traveling minimally is great, but there are some trips where you might need a bit of extra space. If you are on the fence about how much space you need, then the Farpoint Trek 55 is a really nice step up from carry-on.
P.S. As usually with Osprey backpacks, the colors look a bit different in reality than the official product photos. I reviewed the Petrol Blue edition, which in real-life looks more light blue than dark cyan.
I just need one advice, for most of the airlines the
carry-on standard is 55x40x23. Osprey Trek 55 will break
the 55 limit by around 7 cm. Have anyone, more seasoned traveler
than me :), had any experience if this qualifies as carry-on?
I like very much is design but I am a bit concerned about
airlines rules here ?
Great review. I travelled Asia with an Osprey Porter 46. Fantastic backpack, horrible straps. The Fairpoint Trek 55 would have been a lot better, although most of the time the large backpack was sitting in the corner of the room/hostel, while the daypack was on my back.
Hi Mike, I own a Fairview Trek 70. You can attach the day lite travel pack to the shoulder straps of the farivew/Farpoint Trek when wearing the bags in a kangaroo style. This means that the day lite travel pack is on your front so tickets/phone, etc can easily be accessed and valuables are better protected from petty theft when travelling. It works in the same way as the older-style fairview/farpoint packs. See these images for an example with the older-style Farpoint: -farpoint-70-turtle-close.jpg?width=700&dpr=1&auto=webp
-farpoint-70-turtle.jpg?width=700&dpr=1&auto=webp
Hope this helps ?
Anyone looking for a backpack should strongly consider the Osprey Farpoint series as they are strong, durable and comfortable. I trekked for over 200 km in 8 days with this pack loaded to the max on my back and I was very impressed.
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The clip rings on the outside of the bag are very handy and the outer compression straps are great for strapping things to the exterior of the bag. There are also a couple of straps to hold a sleeping matt at the bottom of the bag, and they are big enough to hold a two-man tent!
Osprey went an extra step on this bag. Noticing that a lot of backpackers carry their daypack on the front of their body, they added clips so that you can attach the day bag to the shoulder straps of the big bag.
The Osprey Farpoint 55L backpack has a few points that seemed to be overlooked by Osprey, but aside from the daypack not having zipper locks, they are pretty minor. This bag performed beautifully throughout our entire 5 month trip through Mongolia, Central Asia and Iran.
Thanks for the review. I am a hiker/backwoods backpacker and have been researching travel backpacks for a few weeks in prep for a trip to Guatemala this spring. Thanks to reviews like yours I have picked up this pack yesterday for my trip. I own a kestrel 28 and an atmos 65 so I am familiar with the osprey brand. Since I bus from Tacoma to Seattle for work, I walked to the Seattle REI to pick it up on their 20% sale. After the purchase I had to pack my day bag for work inside the farpoint to walk to the bus stop about 3/4 of a mile away. It felt natural to wear. I am really looking forward to using this on my trip. One thing I have noticed from your review. You have the clips to click in the daypack at the hip belt. Mine did not come with those.. I will research to see if that was a manufacturing mistake.
Thats great that the Osprey feels natural to wear. Its really a great bag and can hold a lot of weight. Its not a manufacturing issue with your pack, Nick actually took the clips from the inside of the pack (i believe) and jimmy-rigged the waist clips for more comfort! After all of that though, he never clips it on like that, but it does give the day pack more support being clipped at the waist.
I am looking into an osprey Farpoint 70 for my next backpacking trip. Without the daypack the bag is 55L which I think is a decent size for me (I WOULD NOT BE USING THE DAYPACK). Would I be able to take it as a carry on? It won't be full either. I am torn between the 70 and 40 but I'm scared the 40 will be too small. My trip will be 2 months.
PLEASE DONT SUGGEST ANY OTHER BAGS, I have done my research and these two bags are what I have come to.
MY MAIN CONCERN IS SPACE
Thanks in advance! :)
I'd say the Farpoint 70 is too big for a carry on. It depends on the airlines you're flying, but it doesn't meet the Google-provided carry on dimensions (9x14x22). The Farpoint 70 is 26x14x13. Even without the daybag, it's too tall.
I'd say you'd be able to do a trip with just a Farpoint 40. That's the bag my husband and I have (one each) and it's been perfect. We haven't tried carrying them on, but they seem like they'd be ok. I've seen people bring much larger bags as carryons.
I carry on with an Osprey Porter 46 L. That may be a nice compromise for you. I may check it on an intra European flight though as it may be too big for that. I haven't had any trouble on domestic flights. It's official dimensions are 22 X 14 X 9.
I used the osprey Porter 46 all over Europe and Asian including a budget airline from Venice to France. The dimension may make look that it won't fit but you forget that this is soft suitcase meaning that you can sqeeze to make it fit. What you do before boarding is loading up on your body all your item until you pass the luggage check point. Then load it in your bag then use the compression cords. Also like that it has sternum strap as well as belt strap making it handy to wear all day. This came especially useful in Japan when everyone was scrambling for buses when the train tracks was flooded. All I need to do was wear it and go versus lugging heavy luggage up stairs.
So yes even after 5 years later I am still using the same bag and even got it for my brother who after coming back from Japan was extremely glad he had this luggage.
And yes 46l is the largest I dare go because although it soft there really is no way to shorten the length. My wife and I found that we had plenty of room. We tested our load including clothes by taking a weekend trip on train and stay in hostel. This help us fine tune our gear. Also don't forget that if you forgot anything you can buy it there.
Another option is the Pacsafe Venturesafe 45L, I've used this for 2-3 weeks in Europe and find it's perfect for packing light and moving quickly. Whatever you decide on consider a Eaglecreek pack-it folder, this has made travel so much easier for keeping clothes wrinkle free and organized, add a couple of packing cubes and I set for any trip.
I have been using the farpoint 40 for a couple of years ( over 4 months worth of europe travel) it still looks like new.
with sometimes only 7kg limit with carry-on its very light.( very important to keep in mind) so you can carry more items.
i find it holds my laptop nicely in its own internal padded area. knowing it complies with the guidelines gives me piece of mind.
love my farpoint 40 for how comfortable it is and how effective the frame is at distributing the weight. i've tried out several other 'sleeker' looking bags but keep coming back to it. i don't love the laptop/organizer pocket being in the front because the weight is away from your body, and you definitely can't get anything larger than a 13" laptop in there. the load lifters do help to keep the weight close to you though. the bag also suffers from osprey's most annoying flaws: unstretchy water bottle pockets and compression straps that go right over them, but that's the case on all their bags.
also worth noting that the compression straps extend from a fabric lip that covers the zippers when clipped shut, which means you don't need the obvious lock on your bag if you're not leaving it anywhere unattended, but just trying to deter the opportunistic. it's a pain when you want to get in there quickly.
as others have mentioned, the 55 is too big to carry on. i used only the 40 ( in the s/m size, so 38L) for a 1 month summer trip and had probably 1/3rd of the bag still free. i think you will be ok with just the 40 and careful packing (though of course everyone has their own needs), but if you need more space I would say get a little backpack with a good grab handle or a shoulder bag you can use as your day bag. i brought a packable 12L purse with and that worked great as my daypack and also for keeping all my essentials on the front of my body while on travel days.
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