Packing for a family of four isn’t always easy, especially when the kids aren’t doing much of the carrying.

While we have a decent amount (and variety) of luggage, I was excited to give the Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack a try when I was contacted by the company.

The Outbreaker comes in two sizes, 35L or 45L. I gave the 45L version a try since the extra space would be needed when packing for two! (Our recent strategy has been for us to each pack one of the boys stuff with our own.)

When I received the bag, I was pretty impressed by the craftsmanship and detail which went into the piece. The bag is made of a tough, waterproof sailcloth material and the zippers are lockable & weather resistant too.

Besides the tough construction, I couldn’t believe all of the pockets for organization the bag includes. There’s plenty of room for your clothes, laptop, tablet, wires and more.Here’s a look at the main compartment of the Tortuga Outbreaker.

Inside, the bag looks more like a wheelie bag, opening fully flat.

The left side has two very large mesh pockets good for smaller items like socks & underwear, I used one of them during our trip to El Salvador for tinier 4 year old kid-sized clothes! The right side has a large open space which has two zipper pouch/ pockets on the sides.

I didn’t use those pockets during the trip and I would’ve liked the option to remove them rather than have them taking up valuable space. Every little bit counts…The front of the bag zips down around half way and feature a couple of zipper compartments, space for your passport (I’d keep mine closer to me than in here), pens, magazines/ documents and a key carabiner.

I used the large mesh zippered area for some charging wires and the passport pocket was a good place to keep an extra power bank. Otherwise, I didn’t really use this part of the bag.The back of the bag resembled the bag of a daypack on steroids. It zips fully down and opens clamshell style.

The back panel is padded nicely and lined with super soft material. You can store a laptop and tablet in the two provided pockets. The opposite section consists of three zipper pockets, great for wires and power adapters.

If I wasn’t also bringing a daypack, this section would’ve came in very handy.

I’m sure you’re wondering if the Tortuga Outbreaker is comfortable.

I was beyond impressed at how comfortable the pack was. During our trip, I didn’t wear it for more than 20-30 minutes at a time, so I can’t comment on how the bag would be on a serious trek but I loved it. (There’s also a soft padded handle at the top of the bag so you can carry it if you don’t feel like wearing it.)

The bag has an adjustable suspension system so it will be good for all shapes and sizes. The foam back padding felt very comfortable, too. If you need more support, the hip belt is pretty thick. Tortuga says the “padded hip belt transfers 80% of the weight away from your shoulders.” It also has a zipper pocket on each side.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, the Tortuga Outbreaker 45L is probably the most impressive piece of luggage I’ve come across in quite some time.

The bag looks like a wheelie bag but in backpack form and with much better organization. I was also really impressed by how comfortable the Outbreaker was to wear.

The Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack sells for $299, not cheap but like many say, you get what you pay for. This is a high quality bag which can essentially do the job of two.

The Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack can be purchased here. 

(Disclosure: I was sent a pack to review by Tortuga. All thoughts and opinions are my own. If you make a purchase through my link, I do not receive any commission.)