Tortuga

So easy to buy and get help!

I got the Tortuga Air for my weekend trip to New York. I was there 3 days and 2 nights and it fit everything! I even had room to bring some stuff home with me. I can't wait to use it again. It is the perfect weekender for anyone taking a plane ride.

Purchase was quick and easy. The quality of the product is great so far.

Site was easy to negotiate, the order easy to place, and the delivery quick. I haven't used the "Air" backpack yet, but will return to comment after my upcoming trip.

For the longest time I've wanted a travel bag that fit my needs and aesthetic, favoring function over fashion though. Hiking backpacks were too cumbersome and usually excessive in volume for my packing style and duration of travel. Commonly utilized wheeled luggage is good on capacity, but not for extended travel on-foot through winding streets on a variety of surfaces. Narrowing my search even further, I eventually found Tortuga and instantly loved what I was seeing. I had a scheduled trip for a week in Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and New York for which I needed a luggage solution. Well in advance of this trip, I had a weekend trip to New York approaching that I thought would be a great trial-run for the Tortuga Backpack (I also purchased the collapsible Day Pack). The weekend trip was perfect and, with a couple different events to attend, I packed extra for dressing options. I ended up not needing about 30% of what I packed, but found I still had room to spare for the weekend. Essential to this and any luggage is to roll the clothing items rather than fold. I can't emphasize this enough--ROLL DON'T FOLD! Up next came the ten day trip abroad. With nothing planned but pedestrian sight-seeing and informal gatherings, my packing was simplified to t-shirt/jeans with a couple layering options if the temperatures dropped. Packing a t-shirt for each day and an appropriate amount of undergarments, I also packed an extra pair of jeans, shoes, and a couple button-down shirts. Traveling through Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and back to New York and staying at AirBnbs for each stop (two of which had laundry), I found I had STILL over-packed and STILL had room to spare! I didn't have need to utilize the laundry where I was staying and, most importantly, the ease of converting the Tortuga Backpack from handled case to strapped backpack was a dream. While in airports and aboard planes, I kept the Tortuga Backpack zipped up as hand-held luggage (switching between the top and side handles as space and travel dictated). Security checkpoints and overhead storage were beyond simple to navigate. Achieving one-bag travel allows for freeing up under-seat storage on planes which was perfect for trans-Atlantic flights where every bit of leg room is fought for and appreciated. Off-board my flights and getting into the cities, I unzipped the backpack straps and stowed the zippered cover in a matter of seconds. The straps are unbelievably comfortable being durably padded in all the right spots, and the waist strap with its extra storage pockets proved invaluable whilst walking city streets, allowing for hands-free travel. Once stowed at my accommodations, the Daypack unzips from itself and reveals a backpack that has a capacity far larger than it seems. The material is lightweight and the strapping is positioned and constructed in a manner providing great weight distribution and ventilation. Traveling while layered as I was, if the day's excursion proved a tad over-heating the Daypack was able to stow my top layer without trouble while at the same time the increased weight was barely noticeable on my back. The entire trip was a remarkable experience and made all the more easy with the Tortuga Backpack and Daypack. I can't recommend these bags enough--the construction is top-notch, the aesthetic is flawless, and its remarkable to see the amount of design and forethought the creators but into every facet and bonus feature of the packs. These are luggage solutions very obviously crafted by people who understand travel constraints, ergonomics, and maximum utility--simply outstanding! Thank you Tortuga!