Osprey Waypoint 65 Review

     I thought I would share some thoughts about the Osprey Waypoint 65 travel backpack I used on my three week vacation to Borneo.  I found it almost ideal for what I needed.  Before leaving, I read many reviews of many packs, and I needed to decide on what brand, model and size I wanted to have.  I was concerned mainly about my upcoming Borneo trip, but also wanted a pack to last me through some European vacations in the future, or anywhere else I wanted to go to, too.

It is ruggedly built, large enough for what I wanted, especially for travel in a warm location. Judging what volume I wanted is a little difficult until actually going on trips to different locations to try it out, but I found the 65liter size a good all around multipurpose size and I think it would be suitable for a cooler climate as well when I need more clothes.  To Borneo I brought my Western Mountaineering Summerlite sleeping bag, Neoair mattress, mosquito net and Pacsafe travel lock, all of which I really didn’t need in the end, but even with those things in the pack, I still had ample room left over for the clothes I needed.  The front loading pack and side pockets on the main pack allow for super easy access to your stuff.  Inside the cover, there is a mesh pocket to keep smaller items together so they don’t get lost in the pack.  The strap cover on the front is easily deployable at the airport before throwing it on the check-in conveyor.

     I even used the pack as a backcountry backpack for several days of trekking in the Maliau Basin of Borneo, some things many people with a travel pack would never do.  Mind yu, I did unload half of my gear that I didn’t need with me for the trek before strapping on my pack.  I even used my hydration pack with no issues, even though the pack itself isn’t built with a port for the hose.  Although not quite ideal for a backcountry pack, it was very comfortable and I had no issues with having it on all da.  The compression straps keep the load secure and tight to my back.

     The attached 15liter daypack is great as well.  It has a strange way of accessing the inside – you have to take the pack off in order to access the zipper.  This is a security feature so no one can pick stuff out while you are wearing it.  It is a little awkward and strange to use at first, but I got used to it quite easily.  It also has three small pockets – one on each side and one on the top to store things accessible fom the outside such as snack or other non-valuable items.  There are also several pockets inside for organization of smaller things – I used them frequently for spare batteries and documents.  This pack too I used with my hydration system, and even though it doesn’t have a port for the hose, it is still workable.  It would be good if they could add a feature for the hose.  I used this daypack for my two day trip up to the summit of Mount Kinabalu and even had it on down the via ferrata.  My only complaint other than not having a hydration pack slit in it is that it is on the small side.  I had my super small summerlite bag in it, a hoodie, a camera, some sweatpants, ultralight rain jacket and not much else and it was almost bursting at the seams.  A 20liter pack would be better in my opinion.    The day pack does dock to the main pack easily and can be removed when needed.  There is another security feature that you can carry the daypack on your front while wearing the main pack on your pack in sketchy areas, although I didn’t use that feature.

       In all, it’s a time tested design, it has been around for quite a while and I now know why.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.  I got an awesome deal through Moosejaw on sale and paid $175 for it.  Other retails in Canada sell it for around $275 to $300.