Review: Osprey Farpoint 40 Rucksack

- product provided for the purpose of review by outdoorkit.co.uk -

Hi everyone, today's review is of the Osprey Farpoint 40 Rucksack, designed as a carry-on bag for weekends away. Here's what Osprey has to say:

"The Farpoint 40 is our lightest back-packable travel pack that fits within EU carry-on dimensions. Featuring a zip-away spacer mesh ventilated backpanel allowing the Farpoint to be carried like a backpack but packed like a suitcase. Cushioned carry handles on the top and the sides allow you to easily grab the pack off airport baggage carousels, we’ve included a removable shoulder strap. Your gear is all readily to hand, with the inclusion of a large zippered opening that allows access to the main compartment, featuring lockable zips for increased security. The inner compression straps allow you to fully maximise the capacity whilst securing your clothes thus limiting creases. Look a little closer and you’ll also find a top stash pocket for electronics and sunglasses, dual mesh front pockets for water bottles and a padded internal laptop sleeve. Our unique StraightJacket™ compression system pulls your load in – holding it tight, but it can also be used to significantly reduce the total volume of the pack. Making the Farpoint 40 the ideal travel companion for your next business meeting or weekend get-away."

After playing around with the Farpoint, I was glad to see Osprey have continued to maintain their high standards of manufacture and quality. Well thought out features have been partnered with great design, fabrics and price.

Let's start with the internal features of the main pack: internal compression straps help make the most of the space, a large mesh pocket helps keep things organised within the compartment and there's a solid back to keep things tidy. 

The structure of the bag really helps you absolutely cram it with stuff. I headed off to Morrocco for two and half weeks where I knew there would be a mix of temperatures and humidity so plenty of clothing was a must, I managed 6 pairs of socks, 10 pairs of underwear, 5 t-shirts, 4 pairs of trousers, 1 jumper, 1 fleece, 1 waterproof jacket and 1 pair of waterproof trousers, along with a microfleece towel. Bearing in mind the bag is designed for weekends away and short breaks there is a huge amount of room in the main compartment. The compression straps work well, they were a little on the thin side but they handled the big load with ease and really do make everything fit in, they're secured to the rigid back panel securely and there were no signs or indications of stress after use. 

The internal mesh pocket is good thinking on the design team's part, the way the pack is engineered you can strap things down within the main compartment and still fit more in the mesh - great if you forget to put something in but still want it stowed away. 

Moving away from the internals of the main compartment there's a smaller, pouch with a laptop/tablet sleeve, another zipped mesh compartment and room for a book or two. On my travels this became my go to pouch for storing things on the go without showing everyone my smelly pairs of socks. There's plenty of room for chargers, tablets, phones, guidebooks, etc. 

Tough zips feature everywhere on this pack

There's also a small pocket at the very top of rucksack designed for sunglasses, phones or wallets. It's a handy size but a little vulnerable and obvious for anything that's too valuable. 

Moving on to the outside of the rucksack: zipaway harness and hipbelt, shoulder strap, 2 carry handles and 2 water bottle holders. 

Osprey have continued the well thought out design with the back of the pack, the zipaway harness and hipbelt system is easily revealed or hidden if you're on the move or settling in at a hostel. A smart feature for cabin luggage where space is in short supply, it helps make the Farpoint a tidy bag for travel. There's also the shoulder strap option, which is easy to remove if you just want to use the bag as a rucksack, I ended up only using the shoulder strap on my travels as the bag hangs very nicely with it. 

Zipaway harness and hipbelt.

The two carry handles feel strong, they seem to be attached below the external fabric and "locked in" with another pieces of fabric on the inside of the pack. 

All these features feel like they're there to help you, not as gimmicks that have been thrown on to get sales, there's multiple handles and straps for when you're on the move, there's compression straps to get the most out of the space provided, there's a touch of modern with the inclusion of a laptop sleeve and overall there's a sense of quality.

In use I found this bag to be brilliant and I couldn't have asked for more, it just works. It keeps on working, taking the bumps and scrapes that travel brings, it can definitely fit kit in for a weekend away or a longer adventure if you're heading off somewhere for a week or two. 

I'd definitely recommend this rucksack to a friend!

Thanks for reading my review of the Osprey Farpoint 40, if you'd like anymore information please click this link to see the rucksack on outdoorkit.co.uk.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank outdoorkit.co.uk for their continued support of my blog, if you'd like to ask them any questions about the Farpoint 40 then please try their Facebook or Twitter.