Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L Review

We've often complained about the weight of our travel backpacks, especially on walking-intensive trips, but options like the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L offer the convenience of wheeled luggage with the versatility of a backpack. Impressively, Osprey created this hybrid bag without compromising on rollability, and still offers a high-quality back panel that's pretty comfortable when huffing up stairs.

Storage & Protection

The Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L is a great travel companion that's spacious enough for a weekend escape or longer adventures if you pack smart and light. However, it doesn't have a laptop compartment and only offers minimal tech organization, which lowered its storage score a bit. The Farpoint Fairview also offers excellent protection, with metal reinforcements along the bottom and back of the bag to keep it from dragging on the ground. Osprey boasts excellent backpack construction and spared no expense with this bag, mostly using 210 denier nylon, which keeps the bag a bit lighter, but bumping up to a robust 420 denier nylon for the bottom of the bag where it's more likely to meet rough surfaces. The entire bag has also been treated with a DWR finish to repel some water.

For a 36-liter bag, the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled offers lots of room, partly because it doesn't have many dividers or exterior pockets that eat into the space. Its spacious main compartment is great for carrying dress shoes or formal wear, and it still has a few organizational pockets for easy access to socks or T-shirts. This isn't the right option if you need to travel with your laptop, though we often paired this with a smaller laptop backpack that held our electronics.

This is a very robust model for its bag category and should be added to your list of contenders if protection is a priority. Wheeled bags inherently require more rigidity than carry-only models, and the reinforced back of the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L is even more protective when the backpack straps are retracted. The bottom of the Farpoint also has metal suspension, so you can set the bag upright without worrying about your belongings.

Comfort & Fit

We couldn't believe how comfortable the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L was to carry, given that it's also a roller bag. Osprey included one of their well-loved back panels with the Farpoint, and the padded shoulder straps rest well against the chest and shoulders, even with a heavy load.

In addition to being well-padded, the Farpoint Fairview includes a chest clip to keep the shoulder straps better connected. This chest strap can also be slid up and down the shoulder straps to accommodate smaller travelers barely reaching 5 feet tall, or can slide up to fit someone pushing 6 feet in height.

The ridged padding pattern of the Farpoint Fairview goes across the entirety of the back panel, and it curves towards the back in the lower lumbar to better support the back when packing heavy. This ridge pattern, when paired with the mesh cover, allows decent airflow when needing to hoof it up a flight of stairs. The adjustable load lifters at the top of the backpack straps also let you adjust where the weight is felt on your back.

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The Farpoint's biggest setbacks were its lack of a hip belt and the way the wheels hit the hips. As long as you treat this option as a roller bag first and a backpack second, the wheel location shouldn't be a big issue, but it might not be the right fit if you need a backpack for long stretches off-pavement.

Ease of Use

The Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L has a smooth set of wheels that are large enough to roll over cracks and curbs, so when it comes to transit, it is super easy to use. The backpack system is very easy to deploy or stow, so you can quickly transition from the sidewalk to the stairs, and the grab handles are well-padded if needing to hand-carry the Fairview. However, when it comes to living out of the bag, it doesn't offer as much organization, and only a few pockets with exterior access.

Any piece of hybrid gear typically makes some compromises, but the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L is an easy-to-use roller bag and carries well. The retractable handle is more wobbly than a roller-only model, but we were still able to slide a computer bag onto the handle; we just had to be slightly more cautious about it swinging around on the single-stem bar. The sunglasses pocket was a welcome addition, and the interior mesh pocket made it easy to find essential clothing without fully unpacking the Farpoint.

If flying with the Farpoint, it also fits cleanly within most airlines' carry-on requirements, and was easy to toss into an overhead bin throughout testing. If needed, you can also tighten the compression straps across the front of the bag to give it a smaller profile.

Our largest issue with the Farpoint Fairview's ease of use was its lack of pockets. This bag only has 6 pockets, including 2 water bottle sleeves, the main compartment, a mesh pocket inside the main compartment, and two small exterior pockets. Without a laptop sleeve, many travelers will need to bring a second bag, and if flying, that second bag will need to fit under the seat in front of them.

Versatility

Given that the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L is both wheeled luggage and a backpack, this is an incredibly versatile model, but only for some shoppers who don't need to travel with their electronics.

As previously mentioned, the Farpoint doesn't have a laptop sleeve or organizational pockets, which made it less useful as a one-bag system. Bringing a small laptop bag worked well, but without that, we had to use a separately sold laptop sleeve or leave the computer at home.

Should You Buy the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L?

This is the ultimate travel companion that might even fill the needs of two bags if you're leaving your laptop at home, though it's fairly pricey. Roller bags are more comfy for concrete slogs, especially if you've got a heavy load, and the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L can still be backpacked up a long flight of stairs to your hotel room or terminal with more ease than traditional luggage, which opens up a world of travel opportunities. However, it's not without some caveats. This is best for shoppers who generally plan to roll the Farpoint more than carry it, and are willing to bring along a second bag for trips that need better organization.

What Other Travel Backpacks Should You Consider?

If you like the simple design of the Osprey Farpoint Fairview Wheeled 36L, the Osprey Farpoint 40 is a more affordable option that still offers the great construction materials Osprey is known for, and is one of the most comfortable travel bags we've ever carried. It doesn't have wheels, but with a waist belt, great padding, and internal suspension, you likely won't miss them. The Farpoint 40 also has a laptop sleeve.

The Osprey Daylite Carry-On 35 is a budget bag with a simple interior, but is made with quality materials that we expect to last. It does not have a hip belt and the size is a bit smaller, but it is a great option for long-weekend getaways.