Osprey Farpoint 55 vs 70: Which one is for you?

Last updated: January 19, 2025

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.

 

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

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

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:

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.

References

  1. Osprey Farpoint Series Manual. Retrieved from https://www.osprey.com/user_manuals/OM_FarpointFairview_F17_ENG.pdf
  2. Carry-on Size Chart, 170+ Airlines, Travel-made-simple.com. Retrieved from https://travel-made-simple.com/carry-on-size-chart/
  3. Osprey Men's Sizing Chart. Retrieved from https://www.osprey.com/images/sizing/sizing-mens-unisex.png
  4. Osprey Women's Sizing Chart. Retrieved from https://www.osprey.com/images/sizing/sizing-women-kids.png
  5. Osprey. Size & Fit. Retrieved from https://www.osprey.com/ca/en/fitting-learning/size-fit 
  6. Uptvector.com. Height, Weight, Waist, Torso, Leg Pad, Inseam, Chest Measuring Guide. Retrieved from http://www.uptvector.com/products/sport/measuring/measuring-guide/item/measuring-guide

About the Author Canberk K.


Hey, what's up? Canberk here. Arc'teryx addict, gym rat, and Tame Impala fan.