Osprey Farpoint 40 Review: A Carry-On Travel Pack That Works

The Osprey Farpoint 40 is a 40-liter soft-sided travel backpack built around a simple idea: one bag should work like a suitcase when you pack it and like a backpack when you move. The main compartment opens flat in a clamshell style, so you can see the whole load instead of digging through a top-loading sack. A padded harness, hipbelt and sternum strap let you carry the bag on your back for train stations, stairs and long walks to a hostel. The harness can be stowed behind a panel when you want a cleaner shape for checking the bag or carrying it by the handle.

It is aimed at carry-on travelers who want a single bag for roughly a week or two of city travel. That includes hostel hoppers, rail travelers, digital nomads and people who mix work and vacation. It is not a trail pack: the suspension is built for travel loads, not multi-day hiking. It is also not an ultralight minimalist pack. The structure that makes it comfortable and easy to pack is exactly what adds weight and bulk.

The Farpoint 40 gets the fundamentals right. It opens wide, carries a full load on the hips and has enough structure to keep the bag from turning into a duffel. The trade-offs are just as clear: it is bulkier than a minimal travel pack, the harness is more than some travelers need, and the bag does not come with a daypack. Most people will also want packing cubes to make the single main compartment work.

Carry comfort and packing access are the two strongest reasons to choose this pack. The hipbelt is designed to take weight off your shoulders when the bag is full, and the clamshell opening makes a 40-liter load easier to live out of than a top-loading backpack. Carry-on compliance is good for many major airlines but not universal. The weight and bulk score reflects the trade-off: you get a more comfortable carry and easier packing, but you give up the low weight of a minimalist pack.

The main compartment is one large space with internal compression straps, not a grid of fixed dividers. That is good news for packing cubes: you can fill the bag like a suitcase, zip it shut and tighten the straps to stop the load from shifting. It is less good if you like built-in organization, so add small pouches for chargers, cables and toiletries. The front panel has a padded laptop sleeve and some flat pockets; the laptop is protected, but it is not a quick-draw commuter sleeve. External pockets handle a water bottle and small items, though the side pockets can be snug when the bag is full.

The Farpoint 40 carries like a backpack because it has a real harness, not just shoulder straps. Load it, fasten the hipbelt and tighten the sternum strap, and most of the weight should sit on your hips. That makes a difference on airport stairs, subway platforms and the walk from a train station to a guesthouse. The backpanel is padded and ventilated, but this is still a close-fitting travel pack; in hot weather, your back will notice it. The stowable harness is useful for checking the bag, but the Farpoint is soft-sided, so pack fragile items with care.

Buy the Farpoint 40 if you want one bag for a week or two of city travel, you are willing to use packing cubes, and you value a proper hipbelt over the absolute lowest weight. It fits hostel travelers, train hoppers, and people who mix a few work days with vacation. It is also a good choice if you want a bag that can be carried comfortably through a station but still opens like a suitcase at the hotel.

Skip it if you are planning multi-day hikes, need a detachable daypack for side trips, or regularly fly strict budget airlines with small sizers. It is also the wrong pick if you want a minimalist pack that disappears on your back or a hard-sided case for fragile gear.