Materials and Hardware
Tortuga is a product-first company. For us, performance comes first.
Our goal is to design the absolute best gear to help you travel faster and lighter.
All of our products should perform well and last as long as possible. That means we must balance the latest technology with the most proven solutions.
Materials
SHELL
SHELL is our most advanced material, a three-layer “sailcloth” originally developed for the sails of racing boats.
Sailcloth works well for sails and backpacks because it's durable, lightweight, and waterproof.
As a bonus, SHELL is also less harmful to the environment. The material is 100% recycled and uses no TPU, PVC, or other coatings; no fluorocarbons (like PFAS or PFOA); and no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Construction- Recycled polyester face fabric with C0 DWR treatment
- 45° recycled polyester cross-ply
- Recycled ripstop polyester backing fabric
We use two versions of SHELL
- SHELL200 for the Travel Backpack, Laptop Backpack, Travel Sling, and Tech Organizer
- SHELL70RS for the Daypack Pro and Packing Cubes
| SHELL200 | SHELL70RS | |
|---|---|---|
| Face Fabric | 200D recycled polyester | 70D recycled polyester ripstop |
| Weight (oz/yd²) | 5.9 oz/yd² | 5.05 oz/yd² |
| Weight (gsm) | 200.1 gsm | 171 gsm |
| Tear Strength (ATSM D2261): Warp | 26.7 lb | 17.8 lb |
| Tear Strength (ATSM D2261): Fill | 24.8 lb | 14.1 lb |
| Abrasion Resistance (ATSM 3884) | 500 cycles | 300 cycles |
| Waterproof: PSI | 200+ PSI | 200+ PSI |
| Waterproof: Bar | 13.8+ Bar | 13.8+ Bar |
630D CORDURA® Nylon
The Travel Backpack Lite 40L and the Expandable Backpack are made of 630D CORDURA® re/cor™ RN6 nylon, a lightweight yet durable body fabric.
This nylon is made of 100% post-industrial re-claimed fiber that is 100% GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified. Learn more on CORDURA's website.
70D ROBIC® Ripstop Nylon
Lightweight products like our Packable Backpack and Compression Packing Cube are made of recycled 70D ripstop nylon with an abrasion-resistant coating.
The bottom panel of the Packable Backpack is made of a more durable and abrasion resistant 70D ROBIC® ripstop nylon. This nylon is up to 50% stronger and 2.5x more tear-resistant than other nylon.
The panel is then reinforced with a UHMWPE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) ripstop grid. You might know UHMWPE by a brand name like Dyneema® or Spectra®. This fiber has an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent tear strength, and high abrasion resistance.
This construction means your Packable Backpack can be lightweight but still tough enough for the road.
Hardware
YKK Zippers
Tortuga only uses best-in-class YKK zippers for durability, water resistance, and security.
We use PU-coated zippers in the Pro Collection for the best balance between water resistance and ease of use. For security, you'll find lockable zippers on the main compartments of our bags.
A travel backpack is only as good as its weakest component, and zippers are often the weakest parts of a bag. Cheap, low-quality zippers can distort and break. A broken zipper will ruin the backpack you invested in and trusted to travel the world with you. That’s why we only use the best zippers we can find.