NEW DROP: Tortuga Expandable Backpack Review

[@Nomads.Nation]

🔥 Check out my bag on Kickstarter! 👉🏼 go.nomadsnation.com/fyro-t22

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

This is the replacement for the excellent Setout Divide (26-34litre) with some changes. The pocket organisation has been simplified leaving it to tech pouches of choice. The large front pocket that would hold a thin jacket has gone to a smaller quick access pocket that can hold a tablet or Kindle. The triple section / double sleeve for laptop and tablet has been reduced to a single space. The weight reduced by 160g. Being smaller than the 40l Pro and Lite there are more airlines that permit it as carry on. The dangle straps can have the excess rolled up but the buckles are always present. When carried vertically the staps trail along the ground so I have to remember to take them off or clip over the straps at the top of the backpack. The 40l Pro has waist belt with pockets, the 40l Lite and Expandable do not. I have used a rectangular carabiner to join the two together as a waist pack holding some small items so the pack (Setout Divide that is) got under the weight limit on the scales. The expansion is in the front which means there is no increase in depth of the main compartment to take a deeper camera cube, most of which are 100-12mm deep and even the ones for mirrorless are 80mm deep.. The mesh opens from the join, so you can't easily access it without opening out flat. The double zips have to be place at the opening edge so some access is possible from the top without fully laying it out. The Setout Divide has two clipped straps to hold clothes or packing cubes in place. The Setout Divide has a shoulder strap and two rings to clip one on. Not a great carry but useful to be hands free with my day pack carry-on holding the laptop and camera gear and the Tortuga all the clothes going cargo/checked in. The previous Outbreaker backpacks were heavier and these are lighter than the Setout Range.

[@Nomads.Nation]

Appreciate the epic comment!

[@jgoo4572]

Denier actually refers to the Diameter of the thread, which affects the look of the weave, but isn’t the actual weave. A 1200 D ballistic material will have a higher texture look because of the diameter of the thread, compared to a 150 D material with the same weave will have a tighter, flatter, less textured appearance. The Tortuga looks like a Cotopaxi, but the big bonus is the water bottle pocket, which I think Cotopaxi has added on their newer models.

[@Nomads.Nation]

thanks for your feedback!

[@David-zu6gw]

The design reminds me of the Tomtoc travel backpack

[@Nomads.Nation]

interesting...

[@emarti3419]

Thought the same thing.

[@Nomads.Nation]

interesting...

[@crescentonc7568]

Feels like the osprey 26 + 6 with an improved harness system. But the improvement on harness system does not justify the price increment comparing to 26+6... And it's heavier at ~1.5kg.

[@Nomads.Nation]

Yea the 26 + 6 is an incredible offering, but since Tortuga is a significantly smaller company i assume they don’t really have the scale to compete with that sort of pricing.

[@Nomads.Nation]

But good point on the weight for sure

[@Vapour85]

Fully agree. I'm a user of the 26+6 and am really happy with its simplicity at an amazing price point. Retails for less than half the price. For that size, we're going for a minimalist packing experience, so sacrificing weight for the bells and whistles is not worth the tradeoff. Can't say the Osprey looks great though. As functional as it gets.

[@jasecola]

Just a couple weeks too late for a trip I am currently on. I would have totally bought this! I love Tortuga bags and this is exactly what I was looking for.

[@TortugaBackpacks]

Hope we'll see you next time!

[@jasecola]

@@TortugaBackpacksyou will! I have had your 35l Setout and I currently have your Travel Pack Lite. I’ve loved them both and now I have this on my list for when I get home in a month!

[@tcjust]

At the beginning of the video i thought it looked like a 35-40L backpack. After watching i still think so.

[@Nomads.Nation]

yea its a monster for the advertised size

[@Stoneucf]

Used the link, got the bag.......thanks for this great review!

[@Nomads.Nation]

Thank you for your support!! Be sure to let us know what you think of the bag after testing for a few weeks

[@TortugaBackpacks]

Thanks for grabbing a bag!

[@Stoneucf]

@@TortugaBackpacks Ordered yesterday late morning, its already here!

[@arlencarlson]

Impressed that they now have a new travel backpack. I actually like this backpack for what it offers. Tempting for sure.

[@Nomads.Nation]

Very functional travel bag. I was impressed

[@jeffone]

Seems like a competitor to Peak 30L Travel Backpack with the 27-33 L expansion. However, wildly different look.

[@Nomads.Nation]

wildly different looks for sure

[@arturbecker9936]

Thanks for the laptop cutouts! Any chance you can add a gigantic 18" laptop cutout to the collection?

[@Nomads.Nation]

my pleasure! I don't think we'll do an 18" anytime soon cuz they are very expensive to make and we've only ever been asked about an 18" laptop maybe once or twice in the history of this channel... but if you make one and send it to us we'll be happy to include it!

[@emarti3419]

If it eventually comes out in different colors, I’m in, but lack of PU coating on the laptop compartment is a small concern. Aaron, I remember on the Bellroy review, the lack of load lifters was a con. Even with the lighter weight of it, is it still? As someone else said, reminds me of the Tomtoc bag. 2 key differences: 1. Interior of the Tomtoc bag is black, so can have that dark abyss feel. 2. Inside the main compartment, there’s a “hard piece,” that remains folded when compressed & will unfold when the compression straps are not engaged, which helps stands the bag upright when fully packed out.

[@Nomads.Nation]

I always prefer load lifters on larger travel bags but it’s not a deal breaker for me

[@bebexpink]

i used the bellroy travel lite 28L and the straps were very uncomfortable for me. the sternum strap was kind of a joke and kept slipping off and i didn't have too many clothes, but my toiletries + macbook pro m1 16" plus chargers for it, travel charger, plus portable power bank made the backpack more heavy than i'd have liked. it destroyed my shoulder muscles even though i work out regularly and push myself. i'm 4'11.5" with decent muscular capability so i was pretty disappointed. i loved the design of the bag but the uncomfortable straps + sternum strap + no hip belt made me return it.

[@jtcen1215]

I wish the compression straps were removable. I feel like 27-32L doesn't need compression straps since it's not that large.

[@Nomads.Nation]

I'm not a huge compression strap guy myself

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

@@Nomads.Nation I have used the fully cinched down Setout Divide (the previous version) to carry laptop, camera gear and a jacket for coming back late evening. My daily carry being too small. Not a fan of the dangle and buckles.

[@koustuvkanungo9873]

Would it be possible to use packing peanuts to stuff the backpack and then use that to measure the true capacity of the backpack?

[@Nomads.Nation]

we hope to start testing the capacity of bags with something even better - small sphere plastic balls. They are the industry standard that factories use to measure the liters of bags 💪

[@ghoru8921]

Great Video! you might also be interested in FORCLAZ Travel Backpack 500 40L. Recently did a 2 week trip with it.

[@Nomads.Nation]

Thanks so much, and I’ll be sure to check it out!

[@DaemonViews]

I travel with a laptop and ipad. The iPad is in the typical apple cover. They go in the same compartment... I don't get why they shouldn't? The only thing I can imagine is rubbing on each other with some sand in between. The iPad is fine. It just goes against the bottom of the laptop.

[@Nomads.Nation]

Technically it’s two hard/fragile tech products rubbing and being pressed against each other… that concerns some people. But the iPad case should help for sure

[@Emmbedd]

It’s a simplified Aer basically

[@Nomads.Nation]

Because of the compression straps? I don’t really see a lot of overlap between the two outside of that…

[@Emmbedd]

@@Nomads.Nation it’s more a shape factor, the straps, the handles, the body look, I don’t want to say they copied, but they surely made their own version of the travel aer.. which is a good thing

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

@@Emmbedd It is an update to the Tortuga Setout divide. No doubt someone else had a similar idea 15 years ago.

[@Emmbedd]

@ yea for sure, I didn’t saw the first version tbh, but would be cool to know

[@DaemonViews]

It does remind me of the aer TP3 though, Aaron. I wanted to ask how you feel between these 2. It seems this one might fit more due to the design even though it is 3l less. I like the look of the aer better though.

[@vel719]

How are these weight and dimensions of a personal item???

[@Nomads.Nation]

Is it marketed to be a personal item?

[@vel719]

I mean I go by what was said around the 1 minute mark

[@Nomads.Nation]

@@vel719 ah yes, this would be a great personal item (or carry on, like I mentioned), just depends on the airline.

[@thewildonions]

This isn’t a personal item. He knows it.

[@Nomads.Nation]

@@thewildonions definitely more of a carry on, but I'm fairly confident this would absolutely pass as a personal item on non-budget US airlines such United, American Airlines, Delta, etc 💪

[@bebexpink]

In an ideal world I’d love a comparison video with the 30L but that would be a waste I know bc the latter is not.. sold anymore lol. Why tortuga !!! I’ve found some folks reselling the discontinued travel 30L and it looks nicer than this one which looks so bulky and the straps def don’t look aesthetic 😭

[@Nomads.Nation]

I'm sure if it was in demand they would keep selling it - blame the buyers haha

[@MR-M_O_A_I]

I want a backpack very good for school and daily Use about 25 litre laptop sleeve 16 inch Do you recommend this backpack Aer City pack pro

[@Nomads.Nation]

I think the City Pack Pro is better for everyday carry since it’s smaller 💪🏻

[@MR-M_O_A_I]

@Nomads.Nation thanks

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

I like a convertible brief case style for school/college and office. Having the straps fully hidden is a must for moving room to room or dropping on a desk to work. 10-20 litres, the 25-30 being too heavy when packed out.

[@indyglemaud8502]

Stow away please! That option is always welcomed ❤

[@Nomads.Nation]

Such a great feature

[@mitchhug96]

They don’t deliver outside of the US 😭

[@Nomads.Nation]

they said they might soon! reach out to their customer support to see if there's a timeline

[@achentrp]

No luggage pass-through?

[@Nomads.Nation]

guess not

[@AThirstyPhilosopher]

Danny Packs’s review said it does have a luggage passthrough.

[@Nomads.Nation]

@@AThirstyPhilosopher oops! looks like I totally missed it, thanks for the heads up! Danny beats me again 😂

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

yes but the straps stored in the same space make it hard work.

[@DaemonViews]

Has one. One bag travel reviews also showed it

[@UncleJustin5757]

Tortuga dun ship outside US , outside US review for what’s means. Aaron, design n come out with design like Tortuga expandable n lite. Price $220 below n conquer the market outside US especially Asia.

[@Nomads.Nation]

expand and conquer haha

[@Sirisakkkkkk]

They should consider to resume international shipping!!!

[@Nomads.Nation]

Hopefully 🤞🏽

[@reeks303]

New Black Ember forge 40 review pleaseeee

[@Nomads.Nation]

Not on our radar yet but hopefully soon!

[@hb052403]

Nice bag. Shame Tortuga doesn't ship outside the U.S.😢

[@Nomads.Nation]

Hopefully they’ll be changing that soon 🤞🏽

[@geraldmcmullon2465]

I had my Tortuga re-shipped from California so paid sales tax twice. The import and international postage are high.

[@sentryion3106]

Huhm same price and weight as the travel pack lite yet it fit less.

[@Nomads.Nation]

yea the price point is a bit strange in that sense

[@PotatoSpudRucking]

the compression straps need to be removable otherwise this is just a more expensive tomtoc… i hope they release the tortuga lite 30L because this aint it…

[@Nomads.Nation]

I see your point but Tomtoc also uses significantly cheaper materials and only offers a 2 year warranty (versus Tortuga who offers a lifetime warranty).

[@ReynanPerez-u4n]

First

[@Nomads.Nation]

🥇

[@efromnl989]

I just feel like it's not that innovative? I feel like all the features and even the look are already out there, featured in other brands and bags...

[@Nomads.Nation]

You aren’t wrong, but sometimes simplicity is key to a great bag. Which brands do you think are innovating more?