Osprey Farpoint 55 Review

Some of you might have read about my wife and I’s journey through Greece and saw her mention that she was thankful that we had our backpacks.  I wanted to take a moment here to give my review of my Osprey Packs Farpoint 55.  

To start with, these bags are amazing.  I had never even heard of Osprey until I started to research travel bags.  These bags have amazing reviews all over the internet, and nothing that I say here will add to how amazing the bag is.  With that out of the way, I can’t imagine taking that trip without one of these bags.  I like it so much that I want to share the love.

So… what makes this bag so great?  In as few a words as I can manage:  Everything.

All Packed Up

The bag is actually two bags in one.  The first main bag where most of your clothes will go is large enough to fit clothes of over a week.  We were lucky enough to I would recommend getting some packing cubes to help with everything.  I didn’t have any packing cubes, but a friend did allow me to borrow his packing system that helps you to fold and keep things covered.  It helped, but I think I would have preferred having packing cubes to help.  

The bottom of the bag is rigid, so I never felt like the bottle of wine we were gifted was going to break from being bounced around.  The bag also has straps on the inside to help tie things down or keep them tight.  I’m not sure what I was expecting when I ordered my bag, but when I got it, I was surprised at how much the bag was just like any other suitcase with this part.  

It took me exactly one time packing my bag to learn some lessons though, which I want to share here.  This part of the bag was so much like a suitcase that I didn’t think much about how to pack my bag.  I put my clothes in first since that was the most important part I thought.  Then I put my shoes in where I could fit them, and then everything else.  Everything fit fine.  It wasn’t until I put the bag on my back that I realized that the weight was off.  I felt like I would topple over.  Every time I packed my bag after that, I put my shoes at the bottom of the bag.  Keep your heavy stuff at the bottom of the bag and you’ll be fine.  If the heavier stuff is at the middle or top, you could struggle to keep your balance. 

Straps Out

One of the other things I love about the bag is that it doesn’t always have to be a backpack.  The side of the bag with the shoulder straps has a flap that can be rolled out and zipped up to hide all the straps.  You can then carry it like a normal duffle bag.

Straps hidden away

The straps themselves are comfortable for the most part, baring a poorly packed bag.  The bag offers enough support and customization that all you have to do is get it set just right.  There are two shoulder straps with a clasp between them to pull the straps towards the middle.  This keeps the weight of the bag off your outer shoulders which could cause you some fatigue or pain.  There are also hip straps that help balance and center the weight as well.  All the straps have easy clasps and are thickly padded.  The back is made of mesh to help ventilation, but I’m not sure that there was enough ventilation to survive the hot Athen’s air in summer.

On the front of the bag are loops and handles in different spots so that you are rarely in a difficult way to carry it.

But my favorite feature was the detachable day bag on the front.  The Osprey Farpoint is actually 2 bags in one.  There is a smaller bag that can hold a laptop, tablet, and whatever else you want in your bag.  I was able to fit a book, over-ear headphones, a European power converter, cables, my GoPro Session with handle, two battery chargers, and souvenirs on the way home.  The only thing I might change about the bag is to add a pen holder.  I’d imagine that most of the people that get these bags do a fair amount of travel, and I’d imagine that there is plenty of immigration paperwork that they might have to do.  As the bag is now, there isn’t a pen or pencil spot.  You’d have to go digging through the contents of your bag to find one.

While the day bag isn’t meant to hold everything, it can hold plenty for your day.  Once you get to your room, you can detach and take the smaller bag with you out on your adventures.  It zips onto the front main bag and has clips to hold the zipper in place.  If you are traveling with both bags, you can use the clasps of the bigger bag and thread them through the loops of the smaller one to give you some peace of mind that no one will just come along behind you and unzip your bag and take it.

If you need to have access to the smaller bag, and you have your bigger bag with you, there are clips on each so you can wear it in a way that I have dubbed turtle style. 

Turtle Style

The smaller bag will hang in front of you on your stomach, while the bigger bag is on your back.  This style was a little bit tougher to achieve since you’re having to fiddle with straps that are already on your shoulders.  I’d suggest attaching one side and putting the bags on before you attempt to do both.

These bags have lifetime warranties as well.  If something happens to your bag, they will fix it or replace it.  I have a feeling that nothing is going to happen to his bag for a while (I hope I didn’t just jinx myself), but it’s nice to have the peace of mind that this will get fixed. 

The bag can be pretty pricey, but so far I think it has paid for itself.  I watched more than a few times as people tried to drag their rolling suitcase through the streets of Greece or Athens and struggled.  My wife and I were able to pretty smoothly just coast on through the streets since our bags were on our backs.

If you are about to take a trip where you will be on the move frequently,  you should seriously consider getting one of these bags.

If you are interested in ordering one, please consider using the links on this page to help fund our blog and travel needs

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