By Chris Chesak
In both aesthetic design and functionality, Osprey’s Waypoint 65 is a very smart travel backpack.
Aesthetically, it has notably smooth lines without much in the way of extraneous straps, loops and outer pockets, which is great for keeping the bag from snagging in airport conveyor belts, bus luggage decks, and generally getting in and out of whatever conveyance you’re traveling in.
Along with the ample and sturdy grab handles; this makes for a great piece of luggage for travel.
But when you unzip the back panel (another thoughtful feature that prevents the bag’s straps from snagging during your travel), you find a suspension system of beefy and robust shoulder and hip belts. You can tell that the Waypoint’s role as a backpack was not an add-on. This bag was a backpack first; with a sturdy, well-cushioned, and very adjustable harness system that comes straight from Osprey’s line of dedicated backcountry packs.
Another great travel feature is the detachable daypack. This is a perfect sized pack for romping through the backcountry on day hikes or excursions, or even just ambling around the cafes and museums of a European city.
I like to pack without using the daypack, as I know that I’ll inevitably come back with a few more things than a left with, and the daypack provides additional packing room. It’s also great, when packing, for stuffing it full of less immediate items like running or workout gear.
The interior of the Waypoint is just the way I like it: just a simple, clean, and very open space. The sides are reinforced so that the bag maintains its shape when packing.
My suggestions to improve this bag are relatively minor. The water bottle pockets on both the main bag and the daypack are small and the material in the main bag’s water bottle compartments is both slick enough and tight enough that items will slide or work their way out.
And the location of the daypack’s main compartment zipper can be troublesome, with it located inside the suspension system area, with no access from the outside of the bag to the interior when it’s secured onto the main bag.
I also question the inclusion of ice axe loops on the bag’s exterior. These seem only to get in the way for the average traveler and I have to assume that few mountaineers would be using a bag such as this to scale serious alpine routes (although you certainly could).
Those minor details aside, the bag has held up to rigorous use quite well. As with the other Osprey products I’ve used, the materials and sticking hold up to the roughest use. I’ve had my Waypoint for sometime now, and I’ve only lost a single zipper pull and had some scuffing along the top of the framestay (yet scuffing where Osprey reinforced the area additional material to protect the fabric from completely tearing through).
Overall, this is a great bag for adventure travels, whether you’re in the front country, the backcountry, or navigating all the points along the way that get you to either.
Specs:Manufacturer: Osprey
Product: Waypoint 65
Product type: Travel backpack
Website: http://www.ospreypacks.com
Product webpage: Osprey Waypoint 65 webpage
MSRP (in USD): $248.95