Osprey Farpoint 40 (2022 Update): A First Look at the Redesigned Travel Backpack

Introduction

The Osprey Farpoint 40 has long been a favourite among one-bag travelers, and the 2022 update is not a minor refresh. Osprey rebuilt the design from the ground up, changing the fabric, the harness, the organization, and the way the main compartment opens. After years of the same silhouette, this is a genuinely different pack. Here are the major changes worth knowing about before you decide whether to buy the new version or hunt down an older one.

A New Look and a Bigger Front Panel

The fabric and overall aesthetic are completely different from previous generations, though the look of the back panel has been kept. Osprey dropped the mesh pockets on the front panel, which were never particularly useful, and merged two pockets into a single large fabric-flap sleeve across the front. It is now big enough to hold a towel or maybe a small jacket, which is a practical improvement over the old layout.

The carry assist system still lives behind that fabric flap, positioned very similarly to before.

A Rebuilt Harness System

One of the biggest structural changes is in the harness. Instead of offering separate men’s and women’s versions in multiple sizes, both the Farpoint and the Fairview now use an adjustable shoulder harness system. The top of the shoulder straps attaches to a wire frame that runs around the pack, and it is adjusted with a nylon webbing loop and an adjuster at the bottom, letting you slide the harness up or down to set the torso length.

Other refinements include a hip belt pocket on one side, wider and more heavily padded shoulder straps and hip belts, and top load adjusters that now use a buckle clip on the outside of the pack rather than the inside. The trade-offs: the little side clip that let you carry a briefcase-style bag over the shoulder strap is gone, although new fabric attachment loops on the front let you mount some of Osprey’s smaller day packs onto the back of the Farpoint instead.

A Dedicated Laptop Compartment, Moved to the Back

Previously, the laptop sleeve sat inside a front organizational pocket. That pocket is gone entirely. The updated Farpoint now has a completely separate dedicated laptop compartment on the back of the bag, padded between the main compartment and the backpack straps.

This is a strong change if you travel with a laptop: the device is better protected and carries with much better weight distribution. The downside is that removing the front pocket leaves the outside of the bag short on small-item organization. You get the front sleeve and a single top slash pocket, and not much else.

Packing Access Is Much Better

A long-standing complaint with earlier versions was that the main compartment zipper never ran all the way to the bottom, leaving an awkward gap at the base that made packing fiddly. On the updated model, the zipper travels much further down, so you can open the bag out and get nearly full access to the main compartment. The interior layout itself is almost identical to before, but this change makes the Farpoint significantly easier to pack.

One caveat to watch: the carry system presses into the inside of the pack and seems a bit bulkier in this update, which could reduce how much gear fits in the main compartment. Longer-term testing and packing comparisons against the older model are the best way to confirm how much capacity, if any, is lost.

Buying Advice

If you carry a laptop and value full clamshell-style access to your gear, the 2022 redesign addresses both of those pain points directly, and the adjustable harness makes one bag work for more body types. If you relied on the old briefcase-carry clip or wanted more external organization, the update takes a small step backwards there. Travelers with an older model that still works well may not have an urgent reason to switch, but anyone buying their first Farpoint 40 should start with this version.

Conclusion

The updated Farpoint 40 is a thoughtful redesign rather than a cosmetic one. The move of the laptop compartment to the back, the full-length main zipper, and the adjustable harness are meaningful improvements for real-world travel, weighed against slightly reduced outside organization and a potentially bulkier internal carry system. For a carry-on that opens wide and carries comfortably, the new Farpoint 40 makes a compelling case.