Osprey Farpoint 55 Travel Pack Review

Over a decade and through two body styles, the Osprey Farpoint 55 Travel Pack has been one of the most popular travel bags for backpackers and people who need to bring a little extra gear. We’re curious how it stacks up to other packs we’ve tested and if any of the features from the Farpoint 40 have made their way into this pack. Let’s dive in!

External Components

The primary pack material on the Farpoint 55 is 450D recycled twist dobby polyester. This fabric is bluesign® approved, meaning it is sustainably sourced, which we’re here for. Many of Osprey’s materials are recycled, which is better for the environment.

The exterior has a durable water-repellent coating that is PFAS-free, another good shout for Earth-friendly sustainability.

Four colorways are available at the time of writing, and they’re so fun that we have to name them. You’ve got Gopher Green, Tunnel Vision Grey, Muted Space Blue, and Black. That last one isn’t very creative, but sometimes, black is just black!

The Osprey logo is pretty prominent, not too dissimilar to the brand’s other products. Overall, the experience of carrying this pack isn’t very minimalistic, but Osprey gear isn’t known for that. We’re used to seeing saturated bags that are comfortable and can handle the trail or the concrete jungle, and that’s what we’ve got here. More on that later, though.

The zippers are from YKK—one of the best brands in the business. The main compartment has locking heads to add extra security for your gear. The pulls are easy to grab onto and slide around, which we dig. There aren’t many zippers here, but they work well.

Two straps on the front of the pack help cinch extra gear down. This is also one of two places to attach the Farpoint Daypack, which comes with the travel system. You feed the straps through loops on the front of the daypack, and they hold it in place. While this is the sleekest way to carry it in our experience, we’ll talk about another shortly.

There are five small loops on the front face of the pack where you can attach things like a strap or a carabiner. They don’t get in your way if you aren’t using them, which is handy.

Handles on the top of the pack and on the side make it easy to slide the bag in and out of the overhead compartment on a plane or to maneuver with them on public transit. They’re well padded and have mesh for airflow, so they’re quite comfortable, considering the size of the pack.

Despite what we said earlier about this pack not looking very minimalistic, there isn’t a ton going on around the exterior. This makes using the pack simple because there isn’t too much to bog you down, but some users may miss external travel water bottle pockets and other features. That said, many of those are addressed by the Farpoint Daypack, which we’ll briefly discuss later.

Fit Notes

Before diving into the harness system, we should mention that it is entirely stowable. You can unravel a flap at the bottom of the pack with a zipper closure to encase the shoulder straps and hip belt, which is handy if you check the bag as it ensures that nothing happens to the straps in transit. It also helps you store the pack when you aren’t using it.

The shoulder straps have load lifters to help you with the pack’s weight, which is essential considering how much you can shove inside. The straps are well padded, dense, and not super heavy. The sternum strap is on a rail, so you can make micro-adjustments, which we dig. The straps feel more like a hiking pack than a travel pack, which we’re here for. They’re comfortable, adjustable, and lightweight (comparatively speaking).

The shoulder strap system is on a rail, so you can adjust it to fit your torso height. This ensures you can find the perfect backpack fit, no matter your size. If you’re on the smaller side, you might want to look into the Fairview 55, which is a bit smaller. The system is easy to adjust, which is handy, but it isn’t fun if you find the perfect height and accidentally move it in transit or when stowing the harness system away to check the bag. There’s an adjustment system, but it still happens occasionally.

The hip belt is constructed similarly to the shoulder straps. It’s well-padded with dense foam that won’t weigh you down and has mesh for breathability. They’re pretty large, so you feel like you’re getting a hug while you have the straps engaged, which is comfortable and helps shift the weight from your shoulders to your hips. The left side has a mesh pocket, which you can use to stow a phone or a snack, and the right has a small attachment loop.

You can attach the daypack onto the front side, too. Two clips on the shoulder straps integrate with clips on the daypack, making it quick and easy to carry on your front side if you have too much gear stowed in the pack to fit it on the pack’s front face, as we mentioned earlier. In our experience, this looks a bit silly. However, it’s an excellent way to comfortably get your gear from point A to point B.

The back panel has grooves for airflow and comfort. The padding is dense, and there’s a layer of mesh to promote airflow, which works well. With such a large pack, you’re going to sweat, but the features on the back panel and shoulder strap do an excellent job of minimizing your personal perspiration.

This pack is enormous; there’s no way around it. How is its gear storage, though? Let’s find out.

Inside The Pack

Before diving into the Farpoint 55, let’s briefly discuss our experience with the Farpoint Daypack. This isn’t a review of that pack, so we won’t go as in-depth as usual, but we’ll cover the basics.

At 15 liters, this pack is an excellent size to use as a personal item on the plane or every day so that you don’t constantly have to use your 55-liter pack. After all, that thing is huge. Who wants to lug it around Amsterdam? The 15-liter bag is much more manageable. Plus, you can attach it to either side of the bigger pack when necessary.

There’s an amply-sized main compartment, two water bottle pockets, and a quick-access compartment. The interior has a laptop slider, which we find handy for trips to the coffee shop. It’s a fairly basic bag, but we don’t think that’s bad. It offers features that the 55-liter pack doesn’t, which you’re about to see.

The Osprey Farpoint 55 has just one compartment—the large main one.

On the back side, there are compression straps, which are helpful to stow a ton of gear inside for your trip as they hold clothing and other squishable items tightly, helping your cause.

There’s a zippered pocket on the lid that’s a good place to stow socks and underwear, or other items of clothing. It’s crafted from mesh, so you can see what’s inside. It’s also where you could store your dirty clothing, but the smell might leak through the mesh if they’re stinky.

There’s another mesh zippered pocket on the side wall of the main compartment. This one is better suited for smaller gear, as it isn’t very wide. You can stow tech here if you aren’t bringing a tech pouch, but there isn’t much protection here, so be careful what you put inside.

Apart from the two pockets and compression straps, there are no other organization or gear storage areas on the 55-liter pack. Some travelers might have issues with that, but our overall experience was generally positive. Let us explain.

The Farpoint packs more like a suitcase than a backpack. There isn’t much organization because that would take up space, making the pack less versatile. By leaving the segmentation up to you, you can use this bag for a wide variety of things. However, unlike a suitcase, the Farpoint has carry options that make it easy to lug around all day without getting too uncomfortable, which isn’t true for many suitcases. Plus, with the integration of the daypack, you have a built-in option for day trips where you don’t want a big bag. If you are a traveler who likes versatility, this might be the travel backpack for you.

Considering the lack of organization, you’ll want to use packing cubes and other pouches like a dopp kit to organize your gear. This does take up space you could use to stow gear, but they make finding your gear much more manageable.

We’re not thrilled that there isn’t an integrated laptop compartment. You’re out of luck if you don’t want to bring their daypack. You can get an external case and put it in the main compartment, but that runs the risk of your laptop breaking, which is far from ideal. This will work for some travelers but will deter some.

It isn’t often that we can say that we like a pack because there isn’t much going on. Simplicity is key for some trips, and the Osprey Farpoint 55 is proof of that!