Tortuga Outbreaker 35 Review
We check out one of the most popular bags in "onebag" travel, in a more compact 35L vs. the original.
Tortuga Outbreaker 35 Review Introduction
Tortuga is a brand that came into backpacks focusing on bullet proof bags with water resistance that you could make your only bag for travel. They come feature packed, bringing the features you need vs. coming with marketing gimmicks - and making those features high quality. Their Outbreaker pack is their top end model, with the additional feature of the fabric itself - they use a special fabric called sailcloth. This is typically used in - you guessed it - sails. But what this means is that it's almost indestructible and also highly water resistant on the whole (actually, I think the fabric itself is waterproof).
Originally the brand released a 45L version of this pack, but I think that a lot of more experienced travelers don't need that size. I like a 35L myself, except when I have to carry some camera gear with me (or a suit), then 45 is actually my go to. This version is the slimmed down little sibling and helps lighten your load even more. Same features however.
This is my review of the Tortuga Outbreaker 35 backpack. For full transparency, I was sent this bag for review after reaching out to Tortuga directly, but I have not been paid or sponsored in any way for this article. The views and opinions are my own.
This page does use affiliate links. If you click to make a purchase, I do make a small commission which helps to keep this site running. There is no cost to you, and you're under no obligation to use my links. With that out of the way, let's dig in!
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Tortuga Outbreaker 35 Backpack Overview
Let's get the specs out of the way here. This bag is bomb proof. Made out of VX21 Sailcloth for all you fabric nerds out there - a waterproof fabric. The pack also has lockable YKK splash guard zippers for you zipper nerds. Note because of the zipper scenario, the bag is NOT submersible, but for all intents and purposes your stuff is gonna be prettayyyy, prettayyyy dry.
It's on the heavier side at 4.6 pounds, so will be a hard sell for the ounce counters.
The bag is a clamshell style opening bag with Duraflex hardware, and measures 20.3 X 12.9 X 8.2 inches so you're looking at an international level carry-on size.
Only color choice is black. I think the majority of people are OK with that.
Retail price is $299.99 US which is high for the space - but considering the build quality and the choice of the sailcloth, it's about on par with what you'd expect.
Tortuga Outbreaker 35 Backpack Features
Lots of features were packed into this bag but like I said, nothing you don't really need. It's well thought out and not gimmicky. A front slash style pocket that takes up half the front cover and another pocket below that with a little bit of its own volume that takes up the other half.
The front flap then also opens up into an admin panel with all the organizational parts you need if you don't use a tech kit to carry your things. Plenty of org options in here. This pocket also has a key loop (like to see that), one of the large pockets is actually lined with soft, fleece style liner so this makes it perfect for your kindle or small tablet. Note that anything bulky that you put in here is going to affect what you can put into the slash pocket in front of it. That's just pocket physics, nothing to do with Tortuga.
On the inside of the front flap when you get into the main packing area there are some mesh, zippered compartments. You can use these like packing cubes if you want (similar to the Aer Travel Pack 2 review I did previously). But again, whatever you put in here will affect the physics of what you can put in the front. Main compartment itself is an open space ready for you to Tetris-ize it, with two small zippered pouches on the sides for extra storage and segmentation.
Lastly, there is a nice big laptop compartment. There are two slots here, one for the laptop and one for an iPad sized device - more of that nice fleece lining back here. Further in this area, there are some more zippered compartments which might be good for your power bricks or hard drives if you travel with those.
On the outside of the bag, there are great criss-cross compression straps on the sides. The handle on top is nice and beefy and comfortable for using to carry the bag when you are getting on and off the plane (take it off your backs people, come on). And you've got a water bottle holder on each side if that's your thing.
Finally, we come to the harness system which is one of the best I've seen on a travel pack. It's hefty, to be clear. But I think it makes it more comfortable. The airflow system is robust. There's load-lifter straps which I think can be useful on a bag that has this much of its own weight and then you add camera gear or something with weight to it. The bag also has removable hip pads which are beefy enough to be functional - they also come with pockets on them for snacks, lens caps, empty wrappers, what have you. The straps are thick and padded, and the entire thing is height adjustable to help you find your proper fit.
The Good
The build quality. This thing is another bag that is so well made and because of the choice of material, is going to be super durable. That same material also contributes to the water resistance of the entire bag. YKK and Duraflex hardware round it out. Tortuga is not skimping on quality to save a buck here. It's not light, but to me it wasn't an issue. I like to travel pretty light but I'm not an ultralight guy so I don't mind. I like quality.
The back laptop compartment was really fantastic and well done. Nothing flimsy back there.
Overall in general, I like the organization options on the pack. While I don't use admin compartments because I carry a tech kit (The Bellroy tech kits if you'd like to know), all of the options let you pack your way. Because the bottom front pocket has its own volume, this is a great place for that tech kit, a headphones case, or even your toiletry kit if you have something flat and square like a NOMATIC or Gravel. I like that I can use the inside pouches if I don't feel like packing my own cubes, but I don't have to if I'd rather get wicked segmented with my own. Being a clamshell style backpack, it's very easy to pack and unpack.
Harness system is a win for me. It's adjustable so if you're taller or shorter, you can zero in a little more. It's beefy and comfortable. I like that the hipstraps are functional, come with the bag, and are totally removable if you don't want to use them.
I like that the bag is boxy - stay with me here. I know that sounds weird but box-shaped backpacks fit nicely in overhead bins when all the other suitcases are box shaped as well. You might disagree here, but in my experience, this is a plus. It also means someone isn't going to be able to try and squeeze your bag like if you had a non-rigid style bag.
Lockable zippers are always nice to see, even if I don't really take advantage of them due to how I travel.
The Bad
The biggest thing to pick on with this bag is a pretty obvious one - it's the weight. I'm not an ounce counter, I'll be clear there. I like well built bags with good function. I'll take a more comfortable harness and sacrifice the weight. That said many people won't compromise on that, and I completely get it. They need the lowest weight possible on a pack and don't want to deal with a heavier pack. So for them, pointing that out here. Outbreaker does make some other packs that are a bit lower priced, and weigh less too, I believe.
This might sound random to people that aren't crawling around the travel community as much as I am online - but some people won't like the sound of this bag. Trust me, this is a real thing people talk about. Sailcloth is a bit crinkly, so you're gonna hear it. Again, not my thing to worry about but since it's important to many of my fellow Wanderers, pointing that out here.
I'd like to see one or two more (smaller) handles on the sides of the bag for the times it's in a bin or bus storage the long-way.
Because there are so many compartments, and it's a bit layered (i.e. one compartment on top of the other), it can actually be slightly confusing to know which zipper to grab.
The Improvement Requests for the Tortuga Outbreaker 35 Backpack
Nothing is perfect, and there are always ways to improve products. Luckily when you run a site, you get to talk about them! So on this bag, there are just a few things I'd change that would help it inch closer to a perfect travel bag (will we ever find one those?).
I think adding a couple of handles on the long edge would be a benefit. This way if the bag is in the overhead bin the long way, or in a bus compartment, etc., you'd have an easier time grabbing it. Seatbelt material might be a good choice here because it's durable and won't add much bulk.
Perhaps considering color coded zippers as well to help separate which compartments you're going into. Even just one set for the main compartment would help. White? Gray? Your call Tortuga!
I'm not listing the weight as something to improve. I think it would change the soul of this bag and take away from the comfort of the harness system (which was a benefit for me). If the weight is an issue, this bag is not for you but I think they've maximized the weight and function as much as they can.
Packing the Tortuga Outbreaker 35 Backpack
As usual, this is my pretty standard list for a 3-5 day trip. But, what should be more than enough for most people. Experienced or not. This does not take into account seasonal or climate items. I'm assuming you will be wearing your climate appropriate jacket in this example.
I packed: Mystery Ranch In and Out Packable (Review); 2 travel button downs; 1 pair of Aviator Travel Jeans (Review); 1 pair of dress shoes; 2 daily t-shirts; 1 sleep t-shirt (to not dirty the dailies); 6 underwear (Merino and Airisms); 2 Airism undershirts; 2 pair merino socks; Bellroy Tech Pouch Compact; Gravel Explorer Slim toiletry kit (Review); Cotopaxi windbreaker; Apple Macbook Air; Matador NanoDry Towel (Review); Kindle Paperwhite. In this scenario I'd considered the pants, shirt, and socks that I was wearing as part of my kit. So a pretty straight forward pack-job in this case. Nothing too frivolous, nothing too bare bones either. The shirts, pants, underwear, and socks I brought all were travel focused to allow for more wears and less items if I needed.
I'm 5'6 for reference. I think this bag would also be good for some heavy loads because of the robust harness system and hip belts if you choose to use them. So, you could really load this thing up. Loadlifters help there as well. I mean I wouldn't recommend going bonkers with packing weight, but if you needed to, I think this would perform well.
Final Thoughts On My Tortgua Outbreaker 35 Backpack Review
That wraps up our review on this pack. Frankly, it was a long time coming and I'm glad I finally got a chance to review it. This was one of my top targets this year for review and I really don't think the bag disappoints.
It gets a LOT of love in the travel community and from my testing (I was able to fly with it on a trip to Acadia in June) it really passed with flying colors. The build quality, feature set and organization options, and the comfort of the harness were all very much appreciated in my usage.
For some people, the weight of this pack is going to be a turn off, and that's OK. There are lots of specialist packs out there for those in need of the super light.
I do also like that there is a bigger version of this pack at 45L. Again, if I need to bring some camera gear or a suit, those take up valuable space I don't normally use. So, maybe that might take the place of my Patagonia Black Hole MLC - we'll see.
At the end of the day I think this bag lives up to its reputation and I think I can see a power struggle between this and my Matador SEG30 in the future as my go-to bag. I can definitely recommend you put this on your list for consideration if you want one of the most well made bags with some great organization inside and out, and a comfortable harness. Price might be on the higher end, but I have a hard time seeing how you'd destroy this thing so I think it's priced fairly.
You can buy directly from Tortuga. I'd always advocate trying the brand directly first, if you can. They make a few bags at different price points, so make sure you check them out.
Head on over to our Travel Bag Reviews page for more reviews on bags like the Aer Travel Pack 2 review, or the Cotopaxi Allpa 35 review. Head to our main Travel Gear Reviews page for all our clothing, tech, and bag reviews to help you make some solid decisions for all your wandering.
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