Tortuga

For our 3 week trip to Thailand, we each had this backpack and 1 small carry on. Its the first time we've traveled this light, and I will never go back! I used every item in my bag (a first for me, a chronic over-packer), but didn't feel the need for any more than what we had brought. The bags were able to fit in the overhead bin perfectly and were comfortable to wear for semi-extended periods of time (like trying to find your hotel in the middle of a crowded, busy night market). They even fit under the seats of buses. Thankfully, it never rained, but the bags kept everything dry on our choppy and wet ferry rides. The compression straps on the outside were great for the end of our trip when we loaded up our packs with souvenirs. But they were easy to keep out of the way (unlike my old hiking backpack). Being able to cover up the straps in the back is amazing for checking the bags if you want to. On the inside, I LOVED the mesh pockets, as well as the pocket compression straps to hold your belongings in place (a stroke of genius, really). The fact that it opens up like a suitcase for packing was #1 on my list of must-haves. The bag still looks brand new after our first trip, so I believe it will hold up quite well. We will never go back to our over packing ways, or any other bag!

The Tortuge Pack was purchased on spec. I previously tried to purchase the first version, but it was sold out. Based on reviews, I purchased the new version with high hopes (It does look excellent). Unfortunately it will be late spring before I get a chance to try it.

My Tortuga v2 just returned from its maiden voyage on a holiday trip to NYC. I really appreciated all of the forethought that went into the design, like the laptop sleeve and the very convenient side pockets. Everything worked like I thought it should and it was extremely comfortable to wear. Despite having to be checked on two legs of the flight, my bag made it back home in like-new condition. The only quibble I ran into was the quality of the zipper pulls. They bent under a modest amount of pressure, which made it more difficult to close the bag than it should have been. Given the pricing of the Tortuga, the zipper pulls may be an area where they cut corners due to budget and are easily replaced with something better. All in all, I am very satisfied with the Tortuga and will take it on my next trip to Chile.

The attention to detail put into this bag lets me know the founders are passionate about travel. The mesh pockets in the Tortuga, the side pockets for water bottles or toiletries, hip pockets for wallet flight tickets, there are pockets everywhere! My favorite feature of the Tortuga is by far the laptop sleeve with its own top zipper. The frame size is perfect for my torso and height at 5'8". Also my cousin tested out the bag herself. She said it looks great– but the straps and hip belt didn't fit comfortably for her 5'6” frame. Also while the bag is mostly water resistant, during bouts of heavy rain, clothing feels slightly damp where the zippers lay. Over all I'm still very satisfied with the Tortuga's design. So far I've used the Tortuga for weekend trips, and will be getting ready to use it for longer adventures in 2014. As this is my first time traveling without large bulky wheeled luggage, I'm really impressed by the articles and links that Fred posts on his Tortuga Blog page, as well as his ability to quickly reply back to inquiries. That's just great customer service.

This is my first backpack, ever. I don't hike national parks and I wouldn't be considered "outdoorsy." But, I do love to travel and with a super busy schedule, I can typically only get away for long weekend trips. I traveled to NYC over the weekend with my new Tortuga and it's perfect!! I'm 5'3 125 lbs, I stuffed it to the gill, and it was still very easy for me to carry- not heavy at all. Inside I used the packing cubes which really helped with space. I packed a pair of boots, 5 pairs of pants, 5 shirts, a vest, socks, makeup, a flat iron, toiletries, some scarves & hats, and some work to do on the plane. I thought the backpack was going to be huge on me but honestly it could have been a bit bigger and I could have still carried it easily.