Osprey Farpoint Wheels 65
“Occasionally you need to escape the town in which you live and work - its weather is too cold, its sky too cloudy and it sorely lacks sun and cyan-blue waters. Enter the Farpoint Wheeled 65, a versatile travel pack that's willing and able to accompany you to, say, Santorini - and transform to fit your needs when you get there. Booked a cliffside room for your stay? No problem. Durable wheels let you roll your belongings until the path ahead decides you should deploy the lightweight backpacking suspension. A large front-panel opening makes quick and easy work out of packing and unpacking, while internal compression makes sure everything stays in place until you reach paradise. Compatible with the Farpoint™/Fairview™ Travel Daypack or Daylite™ for streamlined outings that call for your laptop and a few other essentials. Now, the entire wheeled collection features extremely durable, recycled high tenacity nylon that's bluesign® approved for a lasting construction without as lasting of an impact on the places we explore.” - Osprey Website
Weight: 2.8kg
Dimensions: 70H x 41W x 34D CM
Features & My Thoughts
I bought the Osprey Farpoint Wheels 65 from Osprey in June 2021 for £176 and it came with some free packing cubes, the price these days is a much higher £270 from Osprey direct. During those years I’ve mostly used the bag for extended weekend breaks in suburbian lands, but recently I actually gave it a good test while roaming around London for 8 days, so I figured I’d do a write up based on this experience after 4 years of using the bag.
The first thing that always surprises me about the Farpoint Wheels 65 is that it doesn’t look like it should be able to hold a lot, but it’s staggering how much you can actually fit into it, and how much it can expand. It fully opens giving you complete access to all the nooks and crannies of the main internal compartment, and even though it has an extendable T-Bar, wheel system, and full mesh back system, it’s all so well laid out that it doesn’t impact that space. As well as the main compartment there is a zip section on the internal side of the lid, as well as a large pocket on the external of the lid, and a very convenient pocket at the top of the pack which I tend to use for easy access items (earbuds, battery pack, snacks). Also on the very front of the lid are two expandable pockets that are perfect for quick access drinks. As well as all the compartments and pockets there are multiple sturdy loops about that I tend to use an S-Biner on for attaching things like my waterproof, hat, etc.
Internally there are compression straps to help you secure your items inside and compress them a little (works wonderfully with packing cubes) as well as exterior compression straps to help compress further and offer some security to any bottles in the exterior pouches.
Most of the time when I use this pack it’s quite heavy so I use it in ‘wheel mode’ which is ideal for travel around flat places that have easy access with lifts. The T Bar extends quickly and easily, locking securely in place when extended. The wheels are fantastic and tackle most terrain without an issue, they also have a very nice gliding sound to them unlock other cases that tend to always sound like you’re going over cobbles, however I have found that if you hit a kerb at the wrong angle then the backpack does teeter and you end up having to correct yourself, I now try to hit dropped kerbs square on. Another perk compared to some of my other wheeled bags is that this bag does have front ‘pegs’ that help it freely stand without falling forward, which I’ve found with some of my other bags, it does however mean you can’t flatten the bag entirely for storage.
The huge bonus to this pack over other ones I’ve used in the past is that it does also double up as a backpack and while I was in London it was absolutely fantastic for this, it let me move around with a lot more freedom than I could when I was wheeling it around. Unzipping the back of the case, exposing the backpack system, and prepping the straps takes moments, and it’s not the case that it’s just a couple of straps you throw on, you get a full AirSpeed Suspension Mesh Frame - which is my go to on any backpack these days. The straps are fully padded, it offers a hip belt and a sternum belt with integrated whistle. It’s a very comfy system to carry around all you’ve packed on your back and offers some spread of the load over your hips.
In addition to all this it has two very big padded handles that are ideal for grabbing and quickly moving up stairs if you’re not in backpack mode, and also for lifting to put into train storage, the boot of a car, or just general manouvering.
The Farpoint Wheels 65 is also compatible with the Farpoint Travel Daypack which adds a further 15L to your storage space and means you can drop off your case and detach your day bag for roaming around with a lighter load. I personally don’t use the daypack (although have been tempted by it in the past), as it doesn’t have a mesh backing and I tend to sweat a lot on my back, however I really do like the idea of the addon and the additional versatility this offers. I tend to stuff a day bag inside the Farpoint Wheels 65, however that does mean a bit of fiddling to get it out, so I can really see the convenience of it.
After 4 years of use this bag is still in top shape with minimal ware and tear to it, the mechanics are all still fully functional, and I frankly adore the bag. It’s the ideal urban explorers bag for extended stays away. My only gripe with it is the stability of it when it’s hits a dodgy angle, but you get that with most two wheeler bags, and I’ve learnt to overcome that with a bit of common sense. Although in backpack mode it is comfy, it does not replace the superior comfort and support of the Osprey Atmos 65 AG, which is far superior, but that’s a very different type of bag! I paid a lot less for my bag than it costs at the moment, but based on the knowledge I have of it, I would gladly fork out £270, and can’t really fault the bag at all. For me it’s the perfect bag for being out and about in a city environment for a long period of time.
