Osprey Farpoint 55 vs 70: Which one is for you? (Aug 2018 Update)

Farpoint 70 in action.

As some of you know, I've been to and traveled literally everywhere from US to Europe for 2.5 years with my Farpoint 40 (read my review here).

Maybe this is why I'm recently getting asked between Farpoint 55 vs 70 a lot.

As you can also find out in my Best Osprey Travel Backpacks post, I recommend the 55 and not the 70 because I think 70 is just too large.

You can even get a 40 liter pack and be perfectly fine. If you want something larger, that's OK, but don't get anything larger than 55-60.

#A sidenote here: REI's backpack capacity chart is GOLD. Highly recommend you to check it out before you read any further.

Yes I'm always camp "go a little larger than you think" - but the things is, you're already "going a little larger" with 55 liters.

If you still can't decide, maybe also check Osprey's own PackFinder tool as well for this.

Quick Comparison

	Farpoint 55	Farpoint 70
	DIFFERENCES
Dimensions	S/M: 24H X 13W X 12D IN. M/L: 25H X 13W X 12D IN.	S/M: 24H X 13W X 13D IN. M/L: 26H X 14W X 13D IN.
Volume	S/M: 39 L main pack + 13 L daypack = 52 Liters M/L: 42 L main pack + 13 L daypack = 55 Liters	S/M: 54 L main pack + 13 L daypack = 67 Liters M/L: 57 L main pack + 13 L daypack = 70 Liters
Weight	S/M: 3.75 lbs M/L: 3.9 lbs	S/M: 3.75 lbs M/L: 3.92 lbs
	SHARED FEATURES
Overall Score	87/100
Pros	Very comfortable due to (1) ample padding throughout the entire contact surface, (2) adjustable harness and (3) shoulder straps and hip belt curvatures Zip-off day pack Both 55 and 70 liters are sufficient for any trip length Laptop AND tablet sleeves with very well padding to keep them safe Easy to use Durable
Cons	Too big to be technically carry-on friendly (read more below)
Comfort Organization Versatility	9/10 9/10 8/10
Features	Zip-off daypack, U-shaped zippered main compartment opens like a clamshell which allows easy access to entire items, Laptop & tablet sleeves Removable sleeping pad straps, Lots of tool attachment loops, Stowaway harness, 2 front and 2 inner compression straps
Size options and corresponding torso heights	S/M: 15 - 19 inches M/L: 18 - 22 inches
Compartments	Main & middle compartments and a detachable daypack
Zip off daypack	1 external zippered top stash pocket, 1 internal tablet sleeve
Pockets	3 exterior pockets: 1 external zippered scratch free top stash pocket, 2 unenclosed side mesh water bottle holders 3 interior pockets: Middle Compartment: Laptop sleeve, tablet sleeve. Main Compartment: 1 zippered mesh pocket
Laptop & tablet sleeves	Laptop sleeve: 13 x 10.5 x 1.5 inches. Meaning laptops up to 15.6" can fit. Tablet sleeve: 9.5 x 9 x 1 inches. Meaning tablets up to 10" can fit. Although sleeve height wouldn't suffice for some tablets, they still stay inside the compartment.
Carry handles and straps	Top and side carry handles, shoulder straps, hip belt
Women's counterparts	See women's counterparts Osprey Fairview 55 and Osprey Fairview 70.
User manual	Osprey Farpoint/Fairview Series Manual[1]

Pack Dimensions

It's argued that dimensions and volumes of these packs are almost the same. I personally mailed to Osprey Customer Service to remove the dimension and volume confusion of these packs once and for all. Here's their response:

osprey-farpoint-55-vs-70-dimensions-volume

As you see, these packs REALLY have 15 liters of difference, and their dimensions are NOT "almost the same". If you're still confused, see our detailed post Dimensional Inconsistencies of Osprey Backpacks and navigate to Reason #2.

I also asked them:

Carry on Compatibility

As Travel-made-simple.com documented[2], both packs are too big to be technically carry-on friendly for most airlines.

However, as you know, this is a grey area and mostly down to individual staff.

One trick here is to zip off your daypack as some airlines allow two carry-on items. Once you make sure about that with your airlines, your packs become more likely to be allowed as carry on.

In any case, with all other things being equal, you'd get away with Farpoint 55 more times than you'd with Farpoint 70 (duh). But, in the end, even Farpoint 55 isn't guaranteed to be allowed as carry on.

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You may see some people claim that when these packs aren't full you can shrink the packs into smaller sizes using front compression straps.

Although it's correct that you can shrink them depth wise, it wouldn't help you with carry on status since height is the dimension that exceeds the limit the most. Both packs still wouldn't be technically carry-on size.

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In short, it's possible to have these packs as carry-on, but it isn't guaranteed since they aren't technically carry on size for most airlines.

If checking your pack is giving you nightmares, I recommend you to forget about these packs and get an Osprey Farpoint 40, which I think is the best carry-on backpack out there.

Yes, even when you detach the daypack, Farpoint 55 and 70 are still too big to be within carry on size limits of most airlines.

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Size & Fit

There are S/M and M/L size options for both packs that corresponds different torso heights. Find Farpoint Series at the bottom of Osprey's Men's Size & Fit Chart[3] embedded below:

Click on image to enlarge.

Sizing of women's corresponding Fairview Series can be found at the bottom of Osprey's Women's Size & Fit Chart[4] embedded below:

Click on image to enlarge.

You can measure your torso height at home by using Osprey's very own Size & Fit article[5]. Or you can make a guess as Uptvector.com states[6] that on average, a 5'7" male will have 17" of torso, a 5'11" male will have 19" of torso, a 5'2" female will have 15" of torso and a 5'6" female will have 17" of torso.