Osprey  Farpoint 55 Travel Pack

Bought the Osprey Farpoint 55 in September 2014 for an 8 day, 6 city trip to Europe with my adult son. Wanted something large enough to hold my gear and small enough to carry on airplanes. True success. Flew United 777 from IAD to FRA, bus to Hahn where we caught a Ryan Air 737 to Girona, trains to Madrid, LAN 787 back to FRA and a United 777 home! The zipper to hide the straps is terrific. The daypack is REALLY GREAT for daytrips and is quite flexible - I now use it for my daily bus commute in Northern Virginia. Only complaint is placement and size of waterbottle holders. A small water bottle fits, but not when attached due to straps. Am ENTHUSIASTIC about thr Farpoint 55.

We purchased four of these for us to travel two weeks around Germany, Austria and France in and we could not have been happier! The bags had plenty of room, had no problem carrying them on Lufthansa and United flights, and the suspension systems made for comfortable carrying of full loads.

Got two of these for our trip to the virgin islands, for a number of reasons: -Small enough to fit in the overhead of a plane -Panel loading -Suspension system to wear as a backpack; harness hids in a zip panel, so theres not straps dangling all over when you don't want them. -Has handles on top and side for different carrying options -Daypack zips on the front which is really nice for transit thru airports, ports, etc. The suspension is for limited use - say, carrying thru an aiport, to the train station, etc. It is not sufficient for using for more than a few continuous hours. That typed, it is an awesome hybrid pack, perfect for people who refuse rolling luggage and find a a top loading hiking pack to be too much to take onto planes. We've since ended up using these packs for just about every trip we take where our 20L packs are just a bit too small.

I've had this pack for over a year now. Used it for plenty of domestic and one international travel so far. Its gone on planes, trains, automobiles and bikes…sometimes all the above on the same day. With some forethought, I can get everything needed for long-term travel/vacationing in this travel pack. For weekend and weeklong work trips, it swallows everything needed with extra space to cram un-necessaries and even more comfort items. The internal pockets, outer pockets and attached daypack make for ready access to anything I need now that I have a routine down of where I like things stored. Main zippers have rings for luggage locks so you can keep honest thieves out when you need to stow the pack in suspect hotels or under foot while catnapping on trains. Backpack straps, waist belt and suspension system are not what I'd want for trekking into the Wind Rivers, but they are more than sufficient and comfortable for speed schlepping across a big airport to catch a connecting flight or walking the city from subway or bus to your hotel. I've worn the pack all day sightseeing before catching a plane that evening and as long as I can shed the pack for a cafe stop once in a while, it worked fine. On trips where I over pack and over purchase, I've been able to move some of the packs contents to the zippered shoulder strap/belt area freeing room in the bag for more fragile gifts and mementos—it renders the backpack feature useless unless I want dirty clothes falling out everywhere, but it hand carries well enough for a reasonable return trip. My fav way to travel lately is with a Brompton folding bike—at least on US domestic flights. I take my brompton and this pack through security and carryon the plane. Gate check the bike as a mobility device (folded up its smaller than a wheel chair or stroller!) and carryon the pack. Retrieve the bike as you exit the plane, unfold it when out of the airport, load the pack on the rack (brompton's straps hold it perfectly) and you're biking away from the airport to your destination, to mass transit or wherever—Perfect. No checked bag fees and no waiting for luggage that our finest TSA officers have rifled through. I've had or have all the major brands and types of travel luggage and this is the pack I reach for most often.

I have traveled with this bag for over a year now and it has served me incredibly well. So far, it has enjoyed a 3-week trip through Thailand, a number of week-long trips to and from Seattle, and a month-long stay in Costa Rica that required several unexpected mid-visit moves. The large pack is structured enough, but too much, and I find it to be well-padded and supportive in backpack mode. I have always been able to claim it as my carry-on, without much of a second glance, honestly, except on the tiniest of planes, for which bags are "checked" (and returned) on the tarmac. However, I have never used the bag with the daypack attached - since I always take that as my second carry-on item. I actually find that I use the daypack as my everyday pack even when I'm not traveling, because when my 14" laptop is in its neoprene sleeve, this daypack fits it like a glove. And, with my computer, I can fit my 10" tablet, my purse, a book, and a snack in the main compartment; asundry little items (flash drive, hair ties, etc.) in the inside mesh pocket; quick-grab items like lip balm and tissues in the outside zippered pocket; plus my water and some reusable bags in the outside mesh pockets. I like usable pockets, and for the most part, this daypack is designed so that the pockets are usable. However, sometimes, when I remove my water bottle, the inside contents shift and have to be pushed out of the way to put the bottle back into the pocket - which is kind of annoying if you are trying to replace the bottle while wearing the bag. But, this is a small quibble, because what you get in return is a bag that lacks the bulk of many comparable backpacks and fits very easily under airplane seats. The one thing I wish the large pack had is just one outside pocket. There are certain things that I really don't need in my small bag, but want to be able to get at without having to unclasp and unzip my large bag. All in all, though, it's hard to find much wrong with this pack. Between the internal and external compression straps, it is easy to pack full and cinch down. The external handles are well-padded and I use them more than I would have thought. Finally, I cannot stress enough how awesome the pack-to-pack attachment system is - while wearing the large pack on your back, you can attach the daypack to it so that it hangs in front of you; this actually provides a really nice counterweight and, as someone who travels alone a lot, I find that I use this feature frequently so that my hands can be free but I've still got my bags on my person. The daypack is positioned so that it is really easy to rest it on a counter in front of you and access all the compartments (to get at things like plane tickets and your passport).

I wanted a good travel backpack and looked at a lot. At the end of the day this was really the best option. I took this on a recent trip to Florida, and Machu Picchu Peru, and flew Colorado Springs > Houston > Fort Lauderdale, and then Miami > Lima > Cusco > Lima > Miami, and again Fort Lauderdale > Houston > Colorado Springs. I was a bit worried about carry on status, but It fit as a carry on on every single flight without so much of second glance. This is because when the daypack in unzipped as your personal item, the main pack, although I guess technically longer than regulations, becomes so very thin The straps to tighten down the pack to be very narrow. The smallest of the flights was Colo Springs > Houston, 2 by 2 seat, set up where everyone was gate checking roller bags. I thought mine for sure would have to be gate checked, so I threw a tag around it, but at the end of the tunnel the baggage handler picked up the bag, handed it back and said it could probably fit. And it did sideways because it was so narrow. Every other flight it easily fit in the regular long way. I flew United and LAN. On to the bag itself. First of all the set up is really nice. I like how it unzips completely and can be side loaded. There are also straps to hold down the contents and they seem to be placed very well. The removable day pack concept is really nice. I like how easily it zips on and off. I found it comfortable at times to wear the day pack on the front of to even the load at times. Additionally the main compartment of the pack can be locked via the zipper holes, which I used when the big bag behind for the trip to Machu Picchu. The bag has a nice feature of having a flap which can zipper up the main compartment of the bag, to keep the straps tucked away. This was nice when using as a carry on and when handing to my hotel to store. The only negative, is I feel like when fully packed, this bag is not the most comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. I wouldn't want to walk hours upon hours with this pack. It would also be nice if this bag came with a rain cover.

I took my size small/medium pack for a week-long car trip from NJ to SC. It is a wonderful pack in terms of quality, comfort and versatility. I am 5'1" with a 15.5" torso length. This pack fits me very well and is very comfortable with about 20 lb of luggage. I used packing cubes to organize my contents to simplify packing/unpacking/re packing. (eBags and Eagle Creek make excellent packing cubes.) My favorite features of this travel packs are: 1) Zip-off daypack for day trips. We hiked about 3 miles with the pack carrying several bottles of water and some snacks. The daypack fit snugly to my back and it was very comfortable. Bedsides the forehead pocket (great for a collapsible bottle) and the two mesh bottle holders on the outside, there is a divided section inside the main compartment for maps and guidebooks and a well-padded exterior pocket between the straps for a tablet. 2) Slim pack profile for easy carry with backpack straps. 3) Zip panel to hide the backpack straps for checking-in the pack for flights. 4) Clips on both bags allow you to wear the daypack in the front while carrying the main pack in the back. This configuration allows for easy access to your valuables while reducing the size of your main pack (now without the piggyback daypack). 5) the main/daypack set-up is comfortable enough to use as a hiking pack for a few days. The only three not so great things are: 1) Mesh water bottle pockets on the daypack are relatively small so you can only fit slim bike bottles and not the fatter 32 oz Nalgene bottles. 2) The newer version no longer has the front pocket for plane tickets and other often used items. The forehead pocket is too deep for such use. 3) the height of the main pack is just a few inches taller than carry-on size. However, if you don't overstuff your pack, strap it down and detach the daypack, you'll likely be able to carry it on.

I bought this product to use as my carry on for a recent trip to Egypt. It was excellent for this purpose and I'll certainly use it again for international travel. Specific pros: - Detachabel pack useful for flexability. - Appreciated being able to hid backpack straps when not needed. - Compression straps are handy for keeping contents tight. Specific con: - With heavier weight the frame and backpack straps are inadequate and become paintful over 3+ hours

I used this pack for a 5 month backpacking trip after doing a ton of research, and although I know I couldn't have found a pack that would fit all of my needs, I wasn't entirely thrilled with this one. I was determined to bring only this pack on my trip through Australia, New Zealand, and SE Asia - this was mostly a challenge because of the extremely different climates, but the pack didn't help. My biggest issue is that if you pack it to near capacity, you can't zip the day pack onto it, so you have to decide which one you want to carry by hand and which you want on your back. You also can't take it as a carryon if it's fully packed. Another feature that annoyed me was the placement of the mesh pockets on the front instead of sides of the day pack - you can't even fit a water bottle in there if the pack is more than 60% full. I did like the feature of tucking the main pack straps in and being able to zip it up like a duffle, but because of this, the slack on the adjustable straps is ridiculously long and cumbersome when you are wearing the pack. When I got to SE Asia and ditched my cold weather clothes, I was able to zip the daypack back on, but then it was very awkward to travel with as you can't fit in bus or train aisles or move around as easily as you can with a taller instead of thicker pack. The panel loading is a great feature and it is comfortable to wear from plane to tuk tuk - don't expect to haul it through a jungle. All in all it was a decent pack for my first extended backpacking trip. I learned things about gear that I couldn't have possibly known before leaving - I will probably only use it in the future for shorter trips.

On most trips, I like having my stuff attached to my body rather than having to deal with a roller-bag. I have a larger internal-frame pack, but it's tempting to overpack, and doesn't (legally) fit in aircraft overhead bins. Checking it caused worries about straps and buckles getting ripped or smashed, so I'd have to bring a pack duffel to stuff it in before I handed it over to the airline agent. It worked, but was annoying. This bag solved all of those issues. I found it ample for several days' worth of autumn-weather clothing on a recent trip. The full main bag slipped easily into the overhead bins of 737s, and the daypack fit right under the seat. However, if I needed or wanted to check this bag--with or without the daypack attached--I wouldn't worry about it. The suspension straps zip completely behind a protective flap (also handy to avoid strap-tangling in the overhead bin), and the multi-faceted daypack attachment is very secure--the straps of the main pack protect the zippers of the daypack (enough to deter pick-pockety fingers, I think), with parts of the daypack protecting the buckles of the main pack. Yet, you don't have to completely remove the daypack to access the main pack. I'm probably not explaining that all very well, but it's cleverly designed. I do have a few minor caveats: the compression straps inside the main bag are thin and slippery, so in order to keep things neat in there, you'll probably want packing cubes/sleeves. Also, although you can cinch the daypack-securing straps on the front, there isn't much true exterior compression on this pack. Finally, you're not going to get as perfectly dialed-in a fit for the suspension system as you'd expect from a more traditional Osprey pack, but you'll get pretty close if you pick the right size for your torso length (although the website currently only shows "medium/large," I bought the "small/medium" at my local REI and it's worked great on me as a 5'5" woman). I suppose I also can't guarantee that the "medium/large" size is as carry-on friendly as mine is. Long story short: I would buy it again without hesitation, I'm looking forward to using it on future trips, and one of my friends bought one for herself after seeing it in use.