Picking the right gear is crucial to making travel more comfortable. When you’re traveling with kids, this is even more so the case.
I typically travel with a 60 liter North Face backpack and a 35 liter Cotopaxi Volta daypack. This is usually a good amount of space for my thing as well as some of the kid’s items.
One problem we consistently run into during trips is which bag(s) to bring along when we’re out for the day. My wife Kim always has a bag, but she doesn’t always want to carry a backpack when she ‘wears’ Theo in our Ergo (baby carrier). And the issue I have is that I don’t want to bring along a 35L daypack, just for a few things.
To help solve this issue, I came across an excellent option.
The Tortuga Setout Packable Daypack is a 19 Liter super-light bag which packs into its own front pocket!
I tested the bag out at home and recently brought the bag on our trip to St Kitts and Nevis a few weeks back. 
The Tortuga Setout Packable Daypack is a nice looking, all black bag. If you’re not into logos, you’ll be happy as all this bag has is a small Tortuga logo (a turtle shell) on it which is barely noticeable.
The bag is made from ripstop nylon which is very thin but also pretty tough. The back section has Air Mesh sewn onto it and the straps are made from the same material, so you won’t get extra sweaty from the nylon.
The most important thing about the Tortuga Setout is that its packable.
If I’m going to bring along a third bag, it better not take up much space or add much weight. It does neither of these things. The bag weighs just 8.5 ounces and when packed up, it measures 7″ x 5″ x 2.5″.
Packing the bag is simple as can be. I’d say that it takes around 30 seconds or less to stuff and pack.
The inside of the bag offers basically no structure and besides the large main compartment, there’s the outside compartment. The small outside pocket is good for plugs, chargers, headphones and other small items.
The bag is comfortable to wear but is definitely made for a slimmer person. I’m more broad than the average person (I workout and like to eat) so I found the shoulder straps a bit uncomfortable when wearing the bag for long periods of time. Kim has carried it (when I ‘wear’ Theo) and has found it very comfortable. She is also able to easily tighten the straps to fit her.
The Tortuga Setout has water bottle pockets on both sides. My Klean Kanteen 1L bottle fits perfectly inside. If you turn the bag over a bit, the bottle will most likely fall right out. I suppose this is a problem with just about any bag.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I find the Tortuga Setout Packable Daypack to be a well constructed bag which solves a big problem for us. While it isn’t perfect (what is?), rather than empty a larger daypack, this bag is a great option for days that we’ll be out exploring.
The Tortuga Setout Packable Daypack sells for $39 and can be purchased here.
(Disclosure: I was sent a pack to review by Tortuga. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
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