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Arcido Faroe 35 Specs
Cost: $129 ($77.40 on sale)
Capacity: 35 liters
Dimensions: 22” x 14” x 8” (55 x 35 x 20 cm)
Style: Panel Loading
Weight: 1.98 lbs (900 g)
Laptop: 15.4” (Adjustable)
Materials: 500 denierBlendexKodra, Polyurethane Lining, YKK zips
Origin: Manufactured in Vietnam
Overall Impression
I took the minimalist Arcido Faroe 35 on a trip to LA and stopped by a poppy field for a hike. This lightweight travel pack is great for under the seat carry at under. While light at under 2 lbs, this pack is also light on features. It has a secure laptop compartment, but a loose organizational style best paired with packing cubes.
Materials and Hardware
The Arcido Faroe 35 is made from a relatively thin 500 denier Kodra nylon. While this turns some people off, it shouldn’t. Kodra is a competing brand to the wider known Cordura. It doesn’t get the name recognition, but there’s no reason to believe it is an inferior fabric choice. In fact, you’re getting a bag with a high-quality nylon construction at a fraction of the cost.
Sticking with their theme of good quality and low weight, Arcido chooses smaller #5 YKK zippers in the Faroe. This is quite a bit smaller than most packs, which use at least #8’s and sometimes #10s for their main external compartment. However, I don’t think there’s a problem with this. They chose a smaller zipper to save weight, without sacrificing quality.
The downside to these small zippers is that none of them are locking. However if you use a small microlock clip, you can easily lock the zipper pulls together.
Dimensions
This pack is nearly a full-sized carry on pack. Meaning you get a relatively large pack but without the weight and bulk of most packs this size. The upside is you can fit a ton of gear in the Faroe, the downside is if overpacked, it will probably be too big to fit under the seat on the plane.
External Components
The exterior components on the Arcido Faroe 35 are slim, but then again this is a minimalist pack. It has two stretchy water bottle side pockets, and two top slash pockets. However you are missing out on some of the features of heavier, more feature-rich packs. The Faroe doesn’t have compression straps or a large front organizational compartment.
Organizational Pockets
The zipper on the top access slash pocket looks small, but the pocket is actually quite large. The pocket will take up volume in the main compartment, but you can fit a TON of gear in here. I packed this thing to the brim and almost all my small electronics, notebooks, and other misc. gear fit into this one pocket.
In addition to the front slash pocket, there is another slimmer one located on the back of the pack. This one has a much wider zipper and a similar capacity. However it isn’t nearly as deep. The functionality of this pocket is limited though because of the location. It’s great for slim items like notebooks and charge cords. But you should avoid large bulky items, because they will create a lump and press into your back.
Laptop Comartment
The rear pocket on the Arcido Faroe 35 folds down into what they call the Tech Compartment. The back has a large flat compartment, which isn’t good for much except as a document organizer. The other smaller mesh pouch is perfect for electronics, with a few extra pen dividers thrown in for fun.
The other side has an ingenious laptop sleeve. Arcido does a great job here, providing a well-padded laptop sleeve without adding much bulk to the pack. It has a firm panel on the front, and a soft foam back padding on the back.
The great thing is the harness system which keeps your laptop away from both the bottom, top, and sides of the bag. It’s easily adjustable using Velcro tabs, and easily accessed from the top. Once your laptop is secure in this sleeve, you can literally shake it around and it won’t come loose or fall out. Great design Arcido!
Water Bottle
The side pockets are deep and stretchy but they’re not very large. The capacity is limited to how full you have the main compartment packed. If it’s stuffed completely full, you won’t have enough room to fit a large water bottle in here. However when I slightly underpack the bag, I can fit my 1L collapsible water bottle in the pocket easily.
Carry Options
The shoulder straps are decent, but thin, while the back padding is thick, but lacks air ventilation. And unlike on much heavier packs, you won’t find a hip belt or an option to stow away the backpacks straps with the Arcido Faroe 35.
Shoulder Straps
The backpack straps are decently wide, but they’re not very thick. They don’t have a whole lot in the way of padding. The strap is a thin foam material, with a fabric backing. They’re decently comfortable, but they’re missing a sternum strap.
Back Padding Comfort
The back padding is thick, but it lacks air ventilation. You can see some ridges running sideways across the pack. This offers a moderate amount of airflow, but it lacks squishy foam breathable mesh backing. Again, you get the advantages of a rather large pack here, but with a tradeoff. You’re losing out on some of the features offered by much heavier packs.
Interior Design and Organization
The Arcido Faroe 35 opens from the top with a long oval-shaped zipper in classic Arcido style. You can fit a ton of gear in this large compartment. However be careful how you pack the bag. Because this bag has thin exterior fabric and lacks a sturdy frame-sheet other than the back padding. The pack can become somewhat floppy if it’s not completely packed-out.
The packing style is similar to a standard panel loading pack, except the front is slightly rounded. Two 12”x14” (30 x 36 cm) packing cubes fit perfectly in side the bottom of the main compartment. I used two of these medium Eagle Creek Specter Tech Compression Cubes. They only come in a set with the small version for now, but you can buy the medium non-compression cubes separately. They’re the same dimensions, just without the compression zipper.
Arcido Faroe 35L Summary
Overall I’m impressed with the capacity to weight ratio on this pack. Arcido did a great job with offering an almost full-sized carry on pack at under 2 lbs (900 g). This is a great option for travelers who want to cut weight, but aren’t bothered by a lack of exterior organization or air ventilation.
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