Travel Gear · Head-to-head
Tortuga Pro Backpack 40L vs Osprey Farpoint 40
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Travel Backpacks: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Tortuga wins because it pairs a full suitcase-style opening and a 16 inch laptop compartment with a suspension that is specified like a hiking pack, inside dimensions that sit under the common 22 x 14 x 9 in limit. The Osprey is built around a pack-style framed harness and costs less, but it is a plainer bag with less organisation.
Tortuga Pro Backpack 40L
Buy itA full 40 L clamshell bag with a height-adjustable harness and an included weight-bearing hip belt, in the slimmest shell of the four.
- Published at 22 x 14 x 8 in (55 x 35 x 20 cm) for 40 L, which is the shallowest depth in this group.
- The suspension is specified in full: height-adjustable shoulder straps, load lifters, a sternum strap, a frame sheet and a padded hip belt that Tortuga sizes for 23 to 68 inch hips.
- Front-loading clamshell opening plus a separate electronics compartment with suspended, fleece-lined sleeves for a 16 inch laptop and a 12.9 inch tablet.
- At 4.4 lb (2 kg) empty it is one of the heavier bags here, which matters on airlines that weigh cabin bags.
- It is one of the most expensive bags here.
- The warranty covers defects for what Tortuga calls the practical lifetime of the product, and excludes wear and tear, airline damage and secondhand purchases.
Osprey Farpoint 40
Buy itA 40 L travel pack with a wire frame and a padded hipbelt, closer to a hiking pack than the luggage-style bags here.
- Built around Osprey's LightWire frame and a padded hipbelt that ties into it, the most hiking-pack carry system in this group.
- The harness and hipbelt zip away behind a panel when the bag is checked or lifted into a bin.
- Covered by Osprey's All Mighty Guarantee, which is built around repair of damage as well as defects.
- It is a deeper bag than the Tortuga, so check its published dimensions against stricter international and low-cost carry-on limits.
- Organisation is basic: one large front-panel compartment with compression straps and a laptop sleeve, so plan on packing cubes.
- The fabric is lighter cloth than the coated sailcloth on the Tortuga and the 400D shell on the Peak Design.
Side by side
The 8 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Tortuga Pro Backpack 40L Our pick | Osprey Farpoint 40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | One-bag travellers who carry a laptop and want suitcase-style packing with a harness that can be fitted to their torso. | Travellers who will walk real distances with the bag and want pack-grade suspension without paying premium money. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
| Published capacity | 40 L | 40 L |
| External dimensions | 22 x 14 x 8 in | Check Osprey's current listing |
| Empty weight | 4.4 lb (2 kg) | Not confirmed |
| Main opening | Front-loading clamshell | Large front panel |
| Hip belt | Padded, weight-bearing, removable, included | Padded hipbelt, stows away |
| Frame and fit | Frame sheet, height-adjustable harness, load lifters | LightWire frame, pack-style harness |
| Laptop sleeve | 16 in laptop plus 12.9 in tablet | Laptop sleeve |
| Warranty | Defects, practical lifetime of product, original owner | All Mighty Guarantee, damage and defects |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Tortuga Pro Backpack 40L if
one-bag travellers who carry a laptop and want suitcase-style packing with a harness that can be fitted to their torso.
Know before buying: at 4.4 lb (2 kg) empty it is one of the heavier bags here, which matters on airlines that weigh cabin bags.
Pick the Osprey Farpoint 40 if
travellers who will walk real distances with the bag and want pack-grade suspension without paying premium money.
Know before buying: it is a deeper bag than the Tortuga, so check its published dimensions against stricter international and low-cost carry-on limits.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Tortuga Pro Backpack 40L - A full 40 L clamshell bag with a height-adjustable harness and an included weight-bearing hip belt, in the slimmest shell of the four. Choose the Osprey Farpoint 40 instead if travellers who will walk real distances with the bag and want pack-grade suspension without paying premium money.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Travel Backpacks: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).