Osprey Porter 46 (Latest Edition) vs. Farpoint 40

This year Osprey updated its Porter product line with a new design, which I recently put to the test.

On the surface, the Porter 46 seems similar to Osprey’s Farpoint 40 backpack (see my review of the Farpoint 40). They’re both carry-on size, both intended mainly for traveling, and they both cost roughly the same. But they are also designed from slightly different starting points (and slightly better at different things).

The Porter 46 is essentially a duffel bag that’s had a backpack harness added onto it, while the design of the Farpoint is vaguely more similar to that of trekking backpacks, featuring a bigger and more padded harness.

The Farpoint is more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, however the Porter 46 is a lot more clever on the inside, with many more pockets and organizational features that make it much easier to store all your travel items. Thanks to its sturdiness, its great variety of useful pockets, and the new (much better) inner placing…