Customer Reviews Osprey 50 L Fairview Trek

I've used Osprey's Fairview pack for urban travel with mixed feelings over the last several years; I liked the modularity and easy access, but always felt the hipbelt was uncomfortable for extended use and the two harness sizes never quite fit my torso correctly. I exclusively travel in the backcountry with packs that have frame suspensions and wide hipbelts, but find them difficult to unpack while city-hopping and sometimes ill-suited for airplane travel. So I was beyond thrilled when I found this hybrid pack -- with a real backpacker's suspension and full front-zip access -- just before a 12-week backpacking trip across Europe. My luggage for the whole trip consisted of only the Fairview Trek with a Daylite buckled to the front, carrying between 25-30lbs the entire time, and it truly didn't disappoint! The pack felt comfortable, secure, and so easy to repack as I schlepped it across 9 countries via trains, buses, and airplanes, packing and unpacking several times per week, and even while trekking across the Swiss Alps for 8 days (including >3000' elevation gain per day). The pack itself certainly isn't the lightest option on the market, and I reduced my mass elsewhere by swapping out items like the hefty rain cover, but appreciated the durability when I had to cram it into a small overhead bin or squeeze onto a crowded bus. And the mass that went towards a comfortable suspension absolutely paid dividends on my skinny hips, which often suffer from bruises and sores on long backpacking trips. I will be recommending this pack to friends who enjoy a combination of urban and backcountry travel -- or just need to travel comfortably for extended periods of time -- and I genuinely have no complaints about the design. Well done, Osprey.

I've been looking for this pack for years; this is the FIRST pack of its kind that truly does both well: travel and backpacking. When I travel I usually have at least a few days of backcountry backpacking planned. Because no travel pack has had the suspension and comfort needed for backpacking I've been relegated to bring my backpacking pack, but then I was also required to bring along the big backpack travel cover pack, which I'd need to stash somewhere when I was backpacking. In a stroke of brilliance, the rain cover for the fairview trek is ALSO the travel cover - why was this not figured out years ago? This front panel opens fully, which is helpful for regular travel, and yet it has enough features for true backpacking, too. I'm grateful that I've waited for this pack - it truly does meet my adventure travel needs. I've taken this pack backpacking at Mt Rainier and it performed flawlessly. Two thumbs up, Osprey!

I love the concept of this bag and would readily replace my well-traveled Porter 46 with it IF it could be international carry-on size. It's simply too big. Please make it in a 40l size!