- In this video we're going
to be taking a look at the Tortuga Setout Divide.
I'm Tom, the founder of Pack Hacker
and we love to help people
optimize their travel experience
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And remember at any time during this review
you can head over to packerhacker.com
and follow along with our written review
if you'd like to see that as well.
So let's jump right into the Tortuga Setout Divide.
The backpack that the Homebase should have been.
The Homebase was released about a year ago from Tortuga.
And we think they've really learned a lot,
and upped their game a lot when it comes
to the smaller version of the larger Setout backpack.
Let's jump right in.
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The outside of this pack is covered
with a 900D polyester across all sides of it.
We've been testing the larger Setout
for about three months of rigorous testing,
wanted to make sure that we gave that a good test.
This is basically the same material,
just a little bit smaller.
Overall the material has held up well.
We have two very minor aesthetic blemishes
that have shown up on the larger pack.
However, with that heathered coloring, it's going to
be a little bit harder for small scuffs and dirt
to show up on any part of this pack.
In comparison with the 45 liter Setout,
the larger version, this 26 to 34 liter pack,
looks a lot tighter.
They definitely just cleaned up
and tightened the design.
It feels a little bit better
in a lot of areas.
There's not a lot of extra bulk going on.
So, when we had the Tortuga Setout fully packed,
the larger version, you can see that the
sides were looking a little bit odd.
So on this one they've tightened it up
and there's just less ability for that
to happen with this pack,
providing a cleaner and slicker look
even when it's full of travel gear.
Overall, there is a ton of branding
on this thing but it's done decently well.
You have the most obvious Tortuga shell logo here.
We like that it's black on that gray.
It's subtle, it's minimal.
And then you have a ton
of different logos across this pack.
On the zipper pulls, on the straps,
on a lot of the hardware, on the interior.
There's just a ton of Tortuga logos going on.
But, it's kind of done very minimally
and in a very tasteful way
to where it's like - Okay, this is Tortuga -
but it's not like screaming at you.
I personally like those little touches
and how they got creative with kind of
placing their logo around the entirety of this pack.
Your mileage may vary,
but it's not super obvious
and it's only there if you look really close.
Of course, aesthetics are always
in the eyes of the beholder.
That's why we like put a poll on Instagram before,
to see what everybody thinks.
So if you want to get involved with that next time,
be sure to go and follow @packhacker on Instagram;
we're doing polls there all the time.
And to wrap this thing up,
we've got durable YKK zippers
and Duraflex plastic throughout this pack
that kind of ties it together.
Now we wish there were additional weather resistance
on some of these zippers.
We'll get into those details in a little bit.
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Starting with the exterior of the pack,
we've got two grab handles.
So one on top here
and one on the side here, as well.
So they're nicely padded overall.
One little thing to note is that
a lot of companies will use
thinner and high density foam on these.
We think that's enough for just quick grabs
and just you know, grabbing the bag,
bringing it around.
However, Tortuga actually uses some very padded stuff here.
Kind of a bit of an overkill in our opinion,
but definitely still comfortable to grab.
Maybe they could've shaved off
a couple ounces of the pack or something.
Really minor detail and nit pick in an
otherwise pretty incredible
set of exterior features.
Additionally, there is a separate
hanger loop on the top here
which is great because you can hold it
flush against the wall.
One of the things that we noticed
with this compared to the other Setout version
is that it's stitched together here
providing some additional reinforcement.
Also makes it a little bit easier to hang flush
against the wall, it doesn't get all twisted up.
A nice little minor detail that kind of
reinforces that Tortuga is always improving
their packs with each new release.
Also on the outside, there are two clips here
for a messenger strap attachment.
And we think that it actually works with a pack of this size,
especially when it's in the fully compressed mode,
which we'll get into in a second,
kind of the differences there.
However, these are also on the larger 45 liter Setout
and that just really feels like overkill.
The fabric just isn't tight enough
to provide a nice carry.
And at 45 liters, we think that's just too massive
for a messenger style carry.
So it works really well on the Divide (the Setout Divide),
however not quite as well on the larger Setout version.
That's just something to note.
If you like to carry a bag messenger style -
going to be better with this pack.
Opposite of that side, Tortuga has
a massive improvement to their
water bottle compartment system.
It's basically an invisible water bottle pocket
that unzips only when you want to use it.
That's really slick.
We really love that.
It expands big enough for a large S'well bottle,
which is a welcomed addition.
And now on to the compression system
and why this pack is called the Divide.
We have some pretty standard compression
buckles on each side here that's
smartly and right before the external
organization pocket, so it doesn't obstruct
that for quick access.
The compression strap encompasses
the entirety of the other zippers though,
which is really great.
Because on the Setout, the compression
strap ends a little bit before
and we had some durability issues with the zipper.
Not the case with the Divide.
One minor nit pick in detail -
we have the Tortuga logo here
on these compression buckles
and no Tortuga logo here.
So it's pretty sad these have been left without that logo.
And the reason it's called the Divide
is that we have this compression zipper
in the middle of the pack,
which basically adds that additional
eight liters to the interior.
And that's really what makes this pack awesome.
You can use it in 34 liter mode when you're traveling.
Whenever you get to your destination - your hotel,
hostel, Airbnb, wherever you're staying -
empty it out a little bit
with stuff that you don't need
to bring around with you for the day.
Zip this puppy up, put it into 26 liter mode,
and it has a slim profile that can kind
of be used as a day pack as you're walking around.
So there's really no need to bring a separate day pack.
However if you still want something even smaller,
Tortuga makes the Setout Packable Daypack as well,
which is a really small kind of rip-stop nylon bag.
Be sure to take a look at our view on that as well,
if you'd like to entertain taking
even a smaller bag with you on a trip.
The harness system is pretty much the same
as we'd see in the larger version of the Setout.
Not a lot new here.
It's still a great system.
Starting with the straps here -
there is an injected molded foam
that's thicker on the top here
and thinner on the bottom,
which helps with carry.
We've got this sternum strap here,
that is removeable if you don't want to use it.
However, it works really well as a sternum strap,
if you like to use that.
Then you've got these elastic keepers on the bottom here,
which help with that strap management.
You don't have a bunch
of extra dangling stuff going on down here.
These straps are removable via metal buckle
on the bottom of the pack. So it's easy
to just pull these off, hide away the entire strap system
and you can kind of carry it in a briefcase mode.
Another thing to note on that briefcase mode,
is that it's really nice,
and the weight is kind of anchored more so
in the center of the pack
than what we've seen with the Tortuga Setout,
the ordinary one.
So you can definitely,
especially when it's in compressed mode,
carry this around and it kind of sits straight against the
side of your body versus having kind of
a weird angle to it due to this handle
being off center.
One of the things that we noticed with the larger
Tortuga Setout, is that these clips should
be facing the outside.
We accidentally faced them on the inside.
And one thing we noticed is that
these straps just kind of came off -
like literally when we were trying
and testing and putting the backpack on.
So a little Tortuga pro tip for you -
make sure these clips are on the outside.
On the harness system,
we've got this mesh covered back panel here.
This actually does a really great job with ventilation.
Some of the best kind of design that we've seen here
for a pack in this class
for dealing with that back sweat.
I mean back sweat is, you know,
pretty much unavoidable with backpacks.
However, with this here
you do get some ventilation between the mesh
and between this padding being super dense
and keeping the bag a little bit further off of your back.
Alright, and moving on to one
of the cons of this harness system.
The hip belt provided is the same that they provide
with the larger Setout pack,
which is pretty decent for that pack.
We felt it was a little big.
However, for a pack of this size
this just feels totally like overkill.
It's a pretty decent hip belt.
You've got these three pockets here
where you can fit a bunch of items into.
However, it just looks kind of silly
and way too bulky on a pack of this size, in our opinion.
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Alright, moving on to the interior of the pack.
Let's start with this front quick access pocket here.
YKK #5 racquet coil zipper,
a super durable zipper.
This thing goes down about seven inches -
perfect for quick grabs
and anything that you just want to keep top of mind
and easily accessible in this pack.
Then the laptop compartment opens right up here
on the back, as well.
So that's going to be pretty nice
for a laptop and a tablet.
You've got a separate tablet sleeve
and then a laptop sleeve that's padded
and also has a false bottom.
What the false bottom means is that
your laptop basically stops
about right here on the pack.
So that's really nice because when you
drop this, if you do drop this,
your laptop isn't just going to slam against the ground.
There's going to be kind of that additional
buffer and space here where the laptop ends
to kind of further protect that laptop.
So love when companies do this;
definitely a really well-thought-out feature from Tortuga.
It's very fitting that inside that laptop compartment
'On Your Terms' is printed - which is kind
of Tortuga's movement around working remotely
and empowering the individual to work kind of
whenever they like anywhere in the world.
So good reminder there
as you're pulling out your laptop to work remotely.
One last thing on this laptop compartment,
we wish that there was some weather-resistant
or some AquaGuard YKK zippers used,
just for some additional moisture protection for your tech.
Again we usually recommend putting your laptop
in a separate padded laptop sleeve as well,
just for some additional protection.
The front pocket opens up in a horseshoe fashion
revealing a lay flat organization system.
We really like how Tortuga thought this out.
From the ripstop liner pockets
to the mesh pocket,
to the three slots for pens, pencils, stylus
and then a larger flat pocket to put items
and, of course, a zippered pocket
that's perfect for sunglasses,
as well as a clip for keys, tying it all together.
However, one thing to note with this compartment is
that it's hard to utilize the space below,
especially if you're utilizing the organization systems.
Alright, so moving on to the main event -
the main compartment of this pack.
We have to unbuckle these front
two compartments here to access.
This thing basically opens up exactly like a suitcase,
just like the Setout.
On the interior of this pack there's
a nice ripstop liner going on here, as well as
a pretty giant compression buckle here as well.
You can put loose clothing in there;
we'd recommend using packing cubes.
Of course, Tortuga sells some of their own
but any packing cubes will really do.
You don't have to go out of your way
to get the Tortuga ones,
if you do have some lying around.
This is going to be good to further compress that stuff down.
We recommend putting heavier stuff toward the back here,
it's closer to your back.
It's going to pull down less on the back.
Then this top compartment here,
which is basically just a giant mesh zipper
in that compartment.
It's in compressed mode right now
so when it is this is good for flatter items,
maybe like socks, underwear, little things on top.
But, again the magic of the Divide aspect of this pack,
is that when you unzip that part, you've basically got two
equally sized compartments on each side
to organize and pack your things.
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At the time of this review,
we've been testing the Tortuga Setout Divide
for about two solid weeks between Minneapolis and Detroit.
We tested the original Setout for about three months -
from Minneapolis to Detroit to LA to Palm Springs,
even to New York City.
We really wanted to put that one through the ringer.
We feel the Setout Divide will
basically follow the same path.
So some slight, very tiny, minor aesthetic
blemishes that only we really notice
just because we look so hard.
But other than that we've had some really good luck
with the larger Setout.
The Setout Divide is definitely on the same path.
To wrap this thing up with some pros and cons -
this pack is very versatile.
Going from 34 liters to 26 makes a big difference
from daypack to travel pack.
The hideable water pocket is slickly designed
and well considered.
The harness system is nicely designed
with a great opportunity
for some additional air flow on your back.
Moving on to some of the cons -
the hip belt seems a little too bulky
for this small of a pack.
You need to know which way to buckle these straps
for them to not fall off.
We wish more weather- resistant zippers were used
throughout the pack to add a little bit of piece of mind.
Overall, the Tortuga Setout Divide is everything
the Tortuga Homebase should have been and more.
We love the tighter design when compared
to the larger Setout and find
that the expandable functionality
is really well put together
making it a versatile, larger 34 liter pack
that you can also get away with as a 26 liter day pack
when you reach your destination.
Each new release from Tortuga is getting better
and better and you can't go wrong with this pack.
Thanks for taking a look at our review
on the Tortuga Setout Divide.
We know that choosing a travel backpack can be hard.
That's why I made a four part video series
on how to do just that.
So be sure to check that out
if you're trying to decide which backpack to get.
Thanks for taking a look at this video.
We'll see you on the next one.
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