Tortuga vs Nomatic – Who Makes The Best Travel Backpacks?

If you’re looking for a backpack for long term travel then you’ve probably land on either on a Nomatic Backpack review or a Review of one of the Tortuga Backpack reviews! But how do you pick between Nomatic and Tortuga? Well, in this article, I will put to the test in Nomatic vs Tortuga!

TLDR; If you’re in the hurry here’s the pros and cons of both Nomatic & Tortuga!

Nomatic vs Tortuga

Before I dive into the nitty ditty details of which is a better backpack maker, lets about a bit about both Nomatic and Tortuga and what their backpack line up looks like in 2023.

About Tortuga

Tortuga co-founders Fred Perro and Jeremy Cohen were travelers themselves and realized there wasn’t a good backpack for the gear they were traveling with so they built Tortuga a backpack company that makes gear for those that travel and pack a lot in their backs (think tech).

In fact that’s how Tortuga started.

On a backpacking trip to Eastern Europe in 2009, Fred and Jeremy learned how hard it is to travel with the wrong gear. The shoulder strap ripped off of Jeremy’s bag on the first day. Fred had to check his giant backpack. The bag arrived on time but was a disorganized mess.

So ever since 2010, Tortuga have been making some of the best travel backpacks!

Their current line up in 2023, include

• Tortuga Setout Divides: Mini Carry on Backpack available in 26L (Expandable to 34L)
• Tortuga Setout Backpacks: Medium to Large Carry on Backpack available in 35L & 45L
• Tortuga Outbreaker Backpacks: Premium Featured Carry on Backpacks available 35L & 45L

All Tortuga Setout backpack come in 2 sizes (Capacity is the same, only difference is around the Torso) for Men and Women.

Check Them Out

About Nomatic

Nomatic started out by making a record breaking kickstarted. With the the NOMATIC Travel bag becoming the most funded travel bag in Kickstarter history. They now makes some of the most epic backpacks on the market which are all very different from one another. They also expanded into roller luggage now.

Here’s the Nomatic Backpack line in 2023.

• Nomatic Travel Bag – This is the largest of all the Nomatic backpacks is available at 40L capacity & 30l. Nomatic recommends the 40l travel bag for 3-7 day trips, and the Nomatic 30l Travel Bag for everyday use & short term travel.
• Nomatic Backpack – This is the smallest backpack from Nomatic. It’s a 20L (expandable to 24L) and is recommended for everyday use.
• Nomatic Travel Pack – This is the mid-sized backpack in the Nomatic product line. The Travel Pack is a smaller 20L, but has a cool expansion feature that can increase its size to a good 24L!
• The Camera Pack: Peter McKinnon X NOMATIC – The ultimate camera backpack in the world. Nomatic team up with Peter McKinnon to make this (Fully funded on kickstarted but not available for sale yet)

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Nomatic vs Tortuga General

Before compare the Tortuga Outbreaker vs Nomatic Travel Bag, I think it makes sense to take a few moments to compare the companies by themselves and their shipping, return and other policy.

• Company: Tortuga has been around since 2010 so is more established as a travel backpack maker, however Nomatic started out making wallets and later expanded to backpacks and now luggage. Winner: Tortuga
• Future: Nomatic is working with influencers and people actually in the field like Peter McKinnon when it comes to making products as they did with their Camera Backpack so I only see Nomatic getting more popular and expanding. Winner: Nomatic
• Shipping: Tortuga stopped accepting international (non-US) orders on December 31, 2018. They said that they would resume but its 2023 and they’ve been no updates. While Nomatic ships internationally. Winner: Nomatic
• Refunds: Both Nomatic and Tortuga have 30 day return policies (You have to play for shipping with both of them). However, based people in forums its not easy to get your refunds with Nomatic. Winner: Tortuga

Well, I guess thats a very balanced competition, anyways now lets get into the Tortuga Outbreaker vs the Nomatic travel bag

Tortuga Outbreaker vs Nomatic Travel Bag

The Tortuga Outbreaker is a often touted as the best Nomatic travel bag alternative. It’s often preferred by people who don’t like the fact that they would have to remove the bag if they want to get to their main compartment. If you spend a lot of time in nature or hiking you’re more likely to prefer the Tortuga Outbreaker

However, you can only get the Tortuga Outbreaker if you are in the US, sooo if you’re anyways else in the world you best bet is going with Nomatic.

Check The Best Price On Nomatic.com

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