Tortuga Super Light 34 Review: A Sub-1kg Travel Backpack That Doesn't Skimp on Features

Introduction

Lightweight travel backpacks usually mean compromise: thin padding, awkward straps, and a laptop sleeve that feels like an afterthought. Tortuga’s Super Light 34 makes a strong case that it doesn’t have to be that way. At 2.2 lb, just under 1 kg, it packs in features you’d normally associate with much heavier travel packs: a padded laptop sleeve, useful small-gear organization, a genuinely comfortable carry system with load lifters, and support for a removable hip belt.

The bag was first announced on Kickstarter, and it follows the design of Tortuga’s earlier Light Travel Backpack, but considerably lighter. This review takes a close look at what changed, what was trimmed to save weight, and who this bag makes the most sense for.

Who This Product Is For

The Super Light 34 is aimed at travelers who want carry-on-only packing without paying a weight penalty. If you’ve ever felt that traditional travel backpacks are overbuilt for a weekend or even a two-week trip, this bag makes a lot of sense. It’s small enough at 34 liters that you really have no business checking it, and it fits easily in an overhead bin.

If you carry heavy electronics, a laptop, or a lot of gear, the optional hip belt becomes worth considering. If you travel light and prefer to feel nimble, you may not need it at all.

Main Strengths

Materials and Fabric: Ultra 200 TX

The biggest reason Tortuga could cut so much weight is the fabric. Where many travel backpacks still use heavier laminated materials, the Super Light 34 uses Ultra 200 TX, a newer version of the Ultra fabric family. It keeps the waterproof qualities Ultra is known for but adds an additional layer of ripstop backing on the inside. That extra layer increases strength, longevity, and seam strength, and lowers the chance of delamination.

A simple way to think about it: Ultra is like an upgraded version of X-Pac. Same waterproofness, but lighter, stronger, and more durable. Expect to see fabrics like this appear more often in larger travel backpacks.

Weight-Saving Hardware

Tortuga made smart choices across the board. Both the Super Light 34 and the larger Light Travel Backpack 40L use YKK zippers, but the Super Light swaps in a lighter non-locking style and replaces heavier branded zipper pulls with lightweight Hypalon pulls. None of these changes affect day-to-day usability, yet together they add up to real weight savings.

External Features

Compared to the 40-liter Light Travel Backpack, roughly 22 by 14 by 8 inches, the Super Light measures about 19.1 by 10.8 by 7.1 inches deep. The external layout is where the most visible refinement happened. Instead of the Light’s split between a top access pocket and a side access panel, Tortuga consolidated everything into one much larger top access pocket that extends well down the front, with a sleeve and a zippered pocket inside.

This update works well. It feels like an admin pocket at the top of the bag: more space, a wider zipper opening, and better organization than the same capacity split across two smaller pockets. Beyond that and the laptop compartment, the only other external storage is the water bottle pocket, which uses a new fabric that’s about as stretchy as before but feels noticeably more durable, and is about half an inch wider.

Laptop Compartment

The laptop compartment is essentially the same design as on the Light 40: a top-access sleeve on the back of the bag with thick padding and a firm foam panel that gives the bag structure and back protection. The sleeve ends about an inch above the bottom of the bag, creating a false bottom that protects your laptop if you set the bag down hard. Tortuga widened the zipper opening slightly for easier access and swapped the lining for a softer fabric.

They did remove the padding between the laptop and the main compartment. That’s a reasonable trade: how you pack the bag determines what presses against your laptop anyway, and that extra padding mostly added weight without much protection.

Carry System

Tortuga consistently does well with carry comfort, and this bag is especially impressive because it manages real padding while staying under 1 kg. Compared to the heavier Light 40, the Super Light keeps the same top load adjusters, the same sternum strap setup, and the same attachment points for optional hip belts. The shoulder straps are the same width at the top, taper slightly wider at the bottom, and are actually thicker than the straps on the larger, heavier pack.

In extended real-world carry, the comfort makes this bag feel smaller than a 34-liter pack. Tortuga saved weight by trimming the back panel padding slightly while making the shoulder straps thicker and wider, which improves rather than detracts from comfort.

One notable removal: the straps are no longer stowable. The Light 40 has a Velcro pocket and detachable buckles so you can hide the straps for checking the bag. The Super Light drops that entire extra panel of fabric and hardware. Since the bag is compact and easily fits in an overhead bin, most travelers won’t miss it.

Hip belts are sold separately as a $25 add-on. They’re thickly padded, with large webbing Velcro straps and small clips that attach to fabric loops inside the pack. They work well to shift weight from your shoulders onto your hips, and whether you need them depends on how much gear and how many electronics you carry.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The interior is simple by design: a large full clamshell opening into the main compartment, with two full-length zippered mesh pockets on the lid that have their own volume and can expand outward. You can overpack the main compartment slightly and stuff gear into the lid pockets, or load the lid up and keep the main compartment flat.

That’s the extent of the organization, though: two large mesh lid pockets, the top exterior pocket, and the water bottle pocket. There are no additional interior pockets in the main compartment, so packing cubes or pouches are genuinely helpful here. Tortuga sells a small ultralight pouch and an Ultra fabric compression cube that fits the bag perfectly. If you already own their thinner 70 denier ripstop compression cubes, they’re basically the same size and there’s no need to upgrade.

The Ultra fabric has one trade-off worth knowing about. It’s extremely durable and stiff, holding its shape so well the bag stands up on its own rather than flopping over, but it has no stretch and little pliability. You can’t overpack the bag and let it poof out the way softer Cordura packs allow. Squishing your gear down keeps you limited to the bag’s stated size, which is good for staying within carry-on limits, but a little frustrating when you’re trying to cram in more.

Buying Advice

The Super Light 34 makes sense for carry-on-focused travelers who value weight, structure, and comfort over maximum organization. If you like a fully featured interior with lots of dividers and pockets, look elsewhere. If you already use packing cubes and want a bag that carries like a much smaller pack, this is one of the strongest options in its weight class. Add the $25 hip belt if you typically carry a loaded laptop and heavier electronics.

Conclusion

The Tortuga Super Light 34 is another strong showing from a brand that already makes some of the best bags in this space. It delivers everything you actually need in a travel pack, a large main compartment, a padded laptop sleeve, a very comfortable carry system, and good small-gear organization, while cutting away anything unnecessary. At 2.2 lb, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who counts grams but refuses to give up comfort.