LoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyAs we get out of the house, the gear-obsessed WIRED Reviews team is writing about our favorite bags and EDCs. Today, reviewer Louryn Strampe raves about her Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack. You can also read other Bag Check stories where WIRED writers share their carryall of choice.
While planning our 20-day trip to Asia in 2018, my boyfriend at the time was adamant that neither of us would check any luggage. As a proud overpacker, this intention both shocked and horrified me. I love options and hate paring things down. I wanted to bring 30 pairs of shoes and 348 pairs of underwear; I certainly did not want to painstakingly build a capsule wardrobe and strategically compile packing cubes. Ultimately, though, I agreed to the single-bag trip, and the Osprey Farpoint 40 quickly converted me to legitimately loving the light-travel life.
If you want the perfect backpack, or the most durable suitcase, or the best tote for toting your toteables, my colleagues have plenty of recommendations worth browsing. But if you seek a bag that makes carrying-on (to the plane, train, or automobile) and carrying-off (from hotel to hostel to hotel again) a blissfully pain-free experience, the Farpoint is my favorite.
Photograph: Louryn StrampeCourtesy of OspreyCourtesy of OspreyChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlistOsprey
During that nearly three-week trip in 2018, my boyfriend and I were constantly on the move, visiting Shanghai, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Busan, Seoul, and Hong Kong. We took multiple flights and trains, and we stayed in both spacious rooms and cramped quarters. In the years since, I've taken my Osprey Farpoint to the East and West Coasts of the United States. It's lived with me in three homes, joined me on dozens of road trips, and stayed with me in hundreds of hotels. I've used it for trips as long as three weeks and as quick as a single night. I've thrown it down flights of stairs, sat atop it on subways, used it to shield my head from the rain, crammed it into overstuffed vehicle trunks, and packed it to the brim nearly every time I've taken it anywhere. It's still working just as well as it did on that first trip.
Needless to say, this bag is cavernous. Its 40-liter capacity lets you load it up to the brink of being too hefty to carry, but I've never had a problem bringing it onto a plane, partially thanks to the compression straps that help you squish down the silhouette. (Per Osprey's website, the Farpoint meets domestic carry-on size requirements.) And it offers so many pockets, they're difficult to track.
The outer shell has two mesh spaces that are perfect for shoes or water bottles, plus a smaller compartment where I like to stash my keys and passport. The pack itself features two main chambers, the first of which is a laptop compartment, complete with a zippered sleeve ideal for an e-reader or a tablet. The largest body pocket features two built-in compression straps to help you achieve that “sit on the top of the suitcase to close it” effect once you're ready to zip up. On the opposite side, there's another zippered mesh pocket that spans the entirety of the shell, which I use to stash my socks, underwear, toiletries, and other items that I need handy but don't want mixed in with my clothes.
Somehow, the Farpoint makes it not only possible but also comfortable to carry everything I might need. Yes, when you wear a stuffed-to-the-brim Farpoint, you'll resemble a turtle peeking out from under a shell. But you won't need to move slowly, thanks to its stabilizing design. The shoulder and hip straps are padded, and there are clip straps for your hips and chest. The chest strap also has a built-in whistle, which won't necessarily boost your comfort, but it might come in handy if you're hiking. (I mostly use the whistle for funsies or to bother my campmates at festivals.)
Despite its comfort-forward features, depending on your size, you might still find the frame to be large and unstructured. I'm 5'1", and sometimes I feel like I might fall over when I wear the Farpoint as a backpack. Luckily, the backpack straps, harness, and hip belt can be stuffed away within a hidden zip-up panel, allowing it to double as a duffel. Just make sure to test out the packed bag both ways before leaving home.
Photograph: Louryn StrampeThe zippers on this bag are magical. After multiple occasions of having severely overpacked, I genuinely do not understand how the zippers manage to shut and stay that way for hours or days on end. They glide closed so easily, and they're lockable, to boot. It's also supremely breathable. I've carried it with me on some of the hottest and stickiest adventures of my life, and somehow my back stayed ventilated, even while I was dripping with sweat, trying to read a map in a new language, or navigate to a campsite in a summer thunderstorm.
Osprey has made some tweaks to the Farpoint since I got mine in 2018. Newer Farpoint bags have slightly different dimensions, are lighter-weight and less padded, and have a shorter hip belt and a top-facing laptop sleeve. Overall, I'd consider the differences to be nominal and unlikely to affect how you use it.
There's also a women's version of this pack, the Fairview, which is similar, but with a smaller frame. I do like it, but it's not designed for women with larger chests, and it simply isn't as comfortable for me to wear as the Farpoint. The Farpoint and Fairview are both compatible with the Osprey Farpoint Daypack, which could be helpful for extra-long trips if you aren't limiting yourself to just one bag. I don't love all of the color choices for either bag, but for something this great, I'd wear it in the least-pleasing shade I could conjure.
What I've learned in my six years of toting this backpack across the world is that it's enduring, while still showing signs of a life well lived. It still sports my “Approved Cabin Baggage” sticker from my flight to Hong Kong. Its outer pocket is stained from the hundreds of times I plopped it onto the ground while I pitched a tent. The chest strap is frayed at the seam from me clinging to it while disoriented and overstimulated in a new place. I imagine someday I'll hand it down or maybe donate it, and I have no doubt that it'll serve its next user just as well as it has served me. But that day isn't coming anytime soon, because I'm taking it on vacation tomorrow, and I haven't started packing yet.
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