Osprey Waypoint Pack : Three Bags in One for Planes, Trains, and Tough Terrains

Friends have said that my wife and I are the only couple they know who will get more sleep when we have a baby then we do now.  True enough; we like to go, go, go, and even on vacation, we’re not the types to spend idle hours sipping local intoxicants in the cool shade of a tiki hut on the beach.  So, when we recently set off for a two-and-a-half week trip to Central and South America (including a demanding travel and adventure schedule even by our standards), we need a pack that could keep up with us.

We packed efficiently, bringing only a day pack and the remarkably well-designed Osprey Waypoint, a three-in-one travel backpack that made transporting all of our stuff a relative breeze. 

Our itinerary included whitewater rafting, volcano hikes, cloud forest excursions, four days in the Amazon jungle, and four days—and chilly nights—in the Andes so we had to bring a fairly wide range of clothing and gear.  We needed a pack that would stand up to a wide range of travel modes, including twelve airplanes, several open boats, two trains, countless motorcycle taxis, a few dusty bus rides that could qualify as off-road adventures, and hikes along the steep paths of Ollantaytambo in the Andes.

Part I:  The Backpack

At 4900 cubic inches, the Waypoint 80M Medium provided ample space in its main, front-load zipper compartment for us to pack everything we needed on the way south, plus everything we wanted on the way back north, including seven Andean blankets.  Even though I have trouble finding shirts that fit me well (I’m just shy of  5’ 6”), I was impressed by the Waypoint's sizing options. I easily adjusted the IsoForm harness to its smallest size with the load lifter straps pulled to their tightest; the ErgoPull hip belt fit almost perfectly on my frame.  I even wore the pack as I ran some laps around the San José airport to the cheers (or were they jeers?) of a group of cabbies.  Although I wouldn’t recommend this particular model to anybody shorter than I am, the Waypoint is available in smaller sizes, as well as in a women' s version with a different styles of shoulder straps and hip belt.

Plenty of lash tab attachment points, removable sleeping pad straps, and even a trekking pole loop offer plenty of ways to hang my most important belongings on my back. The external compression strap system, which works in two different easily changeable configurations depending on load size, made for some comfortable hiking.

Part II:  The Day Pack

In addition to helping balance my load, the compression straps are cleverly designed to lash the removable day pack onto the main pack.  Though it has a deceptively slim profile, the daypack provided both the room (600 cubic inches) and the comfort (a fully adjustable harness and a padded mesh back panel) for me to carry two rain jackets, a camera, two head lamps, and lunch in its main compartment. I also added two full-size Nalgene bottles in its elastic bottle pockets for our climb up the sometimes vertical sides of Putukusi Mountain to get a panoramic view of Machu Picchu.

Part III:  The Travel Pack

As much as we climbed to the clouds, we flew through them even more.  With as many flights as we took, I can’t believe that some baggage carousel along the line didn't ruin one of the Waypoint's various straps, belts, or latches. My shoulder and ship straps came through just fine, too, because the Waypoint has aback flap that neatly conceals everything that dangles from the back of the pack.  This protective flap easily unrolls from its hiding place under the lumbar support and has a thick, sturdy zipper that never catches. I was able to wear the Waypoint until the moment the ticketing agent, glancing suspiciously at my backpack, asked for our checked baggage.  Ten seconds later, I was able to pick the protected travel pack up by its padded handle and plop it on the scale, ready to depart on the next leg of our journey.

Bottom Line: A thoughtful and efficient design with plenty of little surprises like extra pockets, safety whistles on the sternum straps, and a back flap that protects the harness from baggage handlers and road dust alike make this an ideal pack when you travel by any means necessary .  --B.S. (April ’06)

Price: $229.00 to $259.00 depending on size and model.

Manufacturer's Site: www.ospreypacks.com

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