Osprey Farpoint/Fairview Travel Daypack Review

As the name alludes, the Osprey Farpoint/Fairview Travel Daypack can work in tandem with the Farpoint and Fairview Travel Backpacks. We’ll learn how to use this pack in tandem with its bigger siblings; however, we’ll also go over it as a standalone pack. Let’s dive into it!

External Components

The primary pack material we’re working with is bluesign® approved 450D recycled twist dobby polyester. That’s a mouthful, but we’ve seen this fabric before and are happy with its performance. It’s durable, water-resistant, looks sleek, and sustainably sourced. Plus, it utilizes a PFAS-free DWR coating, which is better for the environment and will keep your gear dry. What’s not to like about that?

At the time of writing, there are a handful of colorways available. If you’ve seen Osprey gear, you know what you’re in for. Many colorways make the pack look like an outdoor bag, but there are sleeker options, too. There’s Winter Night Blue, Night Jungle Blue, Muted Space Blue, Gopher Green, Zircon, Red, Black, and Tunnel Vision Grey.

The Osprey logo is slightly large, but this is on brand, similar to the colorways. It isn’t too in your face but is noticeable and worth noting.

The pack utilizes YKK zippers, which we’re here for. YKK is the best in the business, at least at the time of writing, and this iteration works like a dream. The main compartment track has locking zipper heads, which is handy for those who like to add a little extra security. You’ll need to find a lock that works for it, as there isn’t one included.

The sternum strap has an ITW buckle, which works well and is easy to use. It has a whistle, which is handy for hiking or if you want to annoy your travel mates after a night out. It doesn’t get in the way, so we think it’s a solid feature for this daypack and one we’ve liked on other Osprey hiking and travel backpacks.

The front face has two loops that you can horizontally feed a strap through. The Osprey Farpoint 40 and 55 and the Osprey Fairview 40 and 55 have attachments to secure the pack this way. The 55 comes with the daypack, but the 40 doesn’t. It’s a secure way to attach this bag to its larger siblings, although it does add a lot of weight to the outside of the pack, which can be uncomfortable.

There are two water bottle pockets, which we dig. In addition to working with huge bottles (think a Nalgene 48-ounce), you can use them to stow other gear, too. You can carry a big water on one side and a tripod on the other without batting an eye. If you have the main compartment completely stuffed, it can be harder to get oversized items inside these pockets. That said, it’s still doable most of the time.

Fit Notes

The back panel is well-padded and has lots of mesh to promote airflow. It’s quite breathable, even when walking around with it on your back on a long day. It’s pretty malleable, which means that if you overstuff the main compartment, it can start to push out, causing the back panel to curve outward. We don’t find this very comfortable, so it’s ideal not to overcrowd the inside of the backpack, although it works in a pinch.

The shoulder straps have a slight curve, which will conform to most bodies. They’re padded and have mesh for breathability, like the back panel. They’re comfortable but not too robust, which feels suitable for a daypack of this size.

There are two straps on the top where you can attach the pack to the front of the Farpoint or Farview Travel Backpacks. When utilizing this feature, you’ll have a pack on your back and one on your front. It’s ideal because it can be challenging to attach the daypack onto the backside of the travel backpack if you have the latter completely full, and this makes it so that you don’t have to carry one of them.

The sternum strap is on a rail, so you can make micro-adjustments to find the perfect fit. If you don’t want to use it, you can take it off, but in our experience, it’s handy for long days of trekking through the city or hiking trails.

Inside The Pack

There’s a secondary compartment on the top of the pack. It’s a reasonably large pocket, which is handy for storing everyday essentials like a phone, wallet, sunglasses, and other small or medium-sized things. There isn’t any organization inside, which may deter some users. However, considering the size, this feels like an appropriate dump pocket. So long as you don’t overstuff it, you can find all your items easily inside and access them quickly when needed.

The main compartment zipper has a fabric welt over it, which is an added layer of defense to keep water out. We dig this inclusion, as it looks sleek, too.

There isn’t much organization inside the main compartment, but the space feels easy to utilize.

On the back side, there’s a laptop compartment. It’s well-padded and can hold up to a 16” device. You can also use this space as a water bladder, which is handy for those who like day hikes and want to stay hydrated. There’s a loop to hold your hose up and two ports to the outside of the back so that you can drink water as you please. This is helpful when visiting cities that are in warm climates, too.

There’s a zippered pocket on top of the laptop compartment, which is handy for keeping smaller items out of the hoopla of the rest of the space. There’s a key clip and no organization, which seems a solid choice. There isn’t much room here, so additional pockets would eat into what little space is available. It’s a solid spot to stow your passport or other important documents. Or, toss in a tracker like an Apple AirTag to ensure you always know where your pack is.

That’s it; that’s all of the organization. The rest is open space for you to utilize. The area is tall and skinny, so wide items don’t work as well here. You can place them vertically inside the pack, but that might not be the best use of space. For example, a large camera cube won’t fit into the bottom of the pack, and while you might be able to slide it in vertically, it will take up most of the bag, leaving only a narrow hallway to stow your gear. More malleable storage options work better here, like thin packing cubes.

This is a solid daypack whether or not you want to utilize it with its bigger siblings. It’s excellent when you do and holds its own when you don’t. As mentioned before, this pack comes with the 55L versions of those packs. It doesn’t come with the 40L models but integrates just as well. If you go that route, it’s worth noting that you’ll have two laptop compartments, one in each pack. However, you can utilize the one in the daypack as a water bladder holder, making this a solid option for one bag travelers or digital nomads who like to get out on the trail now and then.

Regardless of your use case, we think you’ll find good reasons to use this pack.