Wandrd Fernweh Hiking Backpack review

User Report

The Fernweh is all about versatility. The number of features can be almost overwhelming at times but, without going overboard, the bag ensures that almost every use case loosely related to hiking will be covered.

The bag's volume is well adapted to multi-days outings, especially when carrying photo equipment in addition to clothes and food. Note that the bag will strain the carry-on limits for most airplanes companies. The rigid frame is compliant, but the top and front pockets make it go overboard. By compressing the bag, it will be possible to meet those requirements, but doing so presents some risk.

The craddle, plethora of loops, and large number of external straps, plus the optional extra straps available, make the Fernweh easy to adapt to any situation.

The flip side is that all those straps sometimes get in the way. In particular, the side and back openings can be more challenging to access, although things get easier with some experience.

Thankfully, most cinch straps come with elastics to manage dangling sections and preserve a cleaner look.

Comfort is, without a doubt, one of the strongest elements of the Fernweh. To put it simply, the bag is among the most comfotrable we have ever reviewed, despite its large size and capacity. The hip straps are near-perfect and the back padding is both stiff, comfortable, and superbly ventilated.

The shoulder straps offer three available heights (in addition to the two bag sizes offered). There is a total of 6 adjustment points: load lifters, side adjusters, waist belt, shoulder straps, sternum strap, and Hypalon loops for shoulder straps. All of this ensures an unrivaled level of comfort over long periods of time. The chest harness is an innovative and enjoyable design, that we wouldn't mind seeing again in the future.

Access to the photo compartment is easily done from the side, though this is of course limited to the camera itself. Also, bear in mind that side access requires the bag to be supported by a single shoulder. With a heavy load, this could become uncomfortable. Some users will prefer to keep the hip strap buckled and swivel the bag to the front, accessing via the back panel.

The lateral pocket, fully closed, is a nice element that quickly grows on the user.

There are 4 handles (top, bottom, two sides). They are oversized, thickly padded, and facilitate handling of the bag.

There are several nice touches, for instance the pull tabs and chest harness clips that are the same shape as the company's logo.

Branding is unobtrusive.

The fabric is both easy to get dirty, and easy to clean. It feels durable and dependable, even without the optional rain cover.

The Fernweh is well matched to standard packing cubes, like here with the Peak Design medium cube.

It would have been nice to design a way to use a small camera cube with the side access. Hikers often limit the amount of gear they carry, and taking almost half of the bag's volume is a big price to pay to obtain side access when on the go. One solution can be to use part of the Essential cube for things other than photo gear.

Verdict

The Fernweh's size and numerous features means it is not for everyone. For those who do need such a bag, Wandrd managed to strike an ideal balance between the features of a hiking bags, and the needs of a photography bag. The Fernweh succeeds at both, without compromises and without any obvious flaws.