Osprey Farpoint 80

Anyone else automatically think of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s premier episode when they saw the name of this bag? No, just me? No idea if it’s intentional or not but it certainly does conjure up images of exploration and exciting new frontiers which, intentional or otherwise is hopefully the kind of thing you’re in to if looking at this bag.

In case you were wondering, the ‘80’ in the name is referencing the amount of litres carry capacity this thing has and that’s huge! Most people can get by with a 40-50 litre backpack for a week or so of camping/hiking/adventuring so this is really for those that are looking to go on long journeys or adventures in colder regions. That extra storage is great if you’re out in the cold and need extra clothing or thicker sleeping gear for when you settle down for the evening.

With that much carrying capacity, it’s likely to be a heavy bag when full so Osprey have focused on making the bag itself as lightweight as possible (the entire bag weighs just 2.5 Kg on its own) with durable yet lightweight materials (mainly recycled polyester) used in its construction. With practicality ever in mind, they have made the straps adjustable, breathable and with the ability to fine-tune them to suit your own body. Carrying on the practicality theme, they have also added attachment points on the bag so you can get other items from their range (like a Daypack, useful for a days trekking while you leave the Farpoint at base camp) if you wish.

My one grumble about this backpack is the fact that it’s not really waterproof and you need to purchase a separate waterproof cover for it, costing about a 1/3 of the backpack itself. Would it have really added that much weight to make it waterproof in the first place? Still, as long as it doesn’t rain, this bag should suit most adventurers admirably. RRP £180

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