As I prepared for my last trip and started to think forward to my next trips, I realized that the bags that I have, while adequate, weren’t going to cut it. One bag is purely a duffel style. It’s great and has a large capacity, but uncomfortable to carry for a long period of time. The other is more of a backpack, but it doesn’t sit well on your back. I’ve used it for years, but it’s not quite ‘right’ for a long trip. So off to the internet I went, looking for something better.
This is a great bag, but more of a duffel style than a backpack. A friend of mine got this so I got to look at it in some detail. As a 46 liter, you wouldn’t think that it’s huge, but the design gives it a lot more capacity than you would expect. Use a few packing cubes to help keep things organized. One of my issues with this design is that, because it’s more of a duffel bag, it tends to stick out from your back when you’re wearing it with the shoulder straps. So unless you’re paying attention, you could bump into people with it when you’re turning around.
I really like this bag, but it’s too big for what I’d need. If I was going to spend 6 months trekking around the world, this would be my choice. I really like the small zip-off day pack design, though. It’s a great way to separate your stuff when you’re traveling and it would be very convenient to use while you’re out and about.
Osprey Farpoint 40
This is the bag that I ultimately went with. It’s a 40 liter, so it’s small enough to fit comfortably in the overhead compartment. The main compartment fully unzips (not a top-loader), so you can easily get to what you want even if it’s at the bottom of the bag. It’s got a padded compartment for your laptop, which is nice. I’d prefer it if that was detachable, since I don’t take my laptop with me most places and the padding takes up space unnecessarily. There’s a small compartment on the outside where you can store small items. If that was a little larger, it could fit the 1 qt bag that you keep your “liquids and gels” in for the TSA. There are two outside pouches for water bottles that seem a little unnecessary. One, sure. Two? I don’t know too many people who drink that much water. Also, the hip straps don’t tuck away very easily, so they can get in the way a bit. But the shoulder straps are comfortable and you can throw this on your back and not even notice that you’re carrying it.
I know it sounds like I’m complaining a lot, but this is seriously the best bag that I found, out of the dozens that I researched and the few that I purchased (and returned). Over the years, I’ve had several different travel bags and so far this is my favorite. Osprey makes great products, so you know you’re getting quality. And of the bags that I looked at, the Farpoint 40 is the one that I liked the most. I just got back from a week in England and Italy, and this bag carried everything that I needed and had plenty of space to spare.
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