Cotopaxi Allpa 35 vs Tortuga Travel Backpack Pro 40

The published figures

The whole comparison is one dimension

Both packs publish 22 in of height, which is the limit at eight of the eleven US carriers we track. They differ on the other two, and not in the way the capacity figures suggest.

The Allpa is the smaller pack at 35 L and publishes 10 in of depth — an inch over the standard box. The Tortuga is the bigger pack at 40 L and publishes 8 in of depth, a full inch inside it. Cotopaxi builds a deep, narrow bag; Tortuga builds a flat, wide one.

Depth is the dimension a gate sizer is least forgiving about, because a soft pack gains depth exactly where it is already widest once it is full. A bag that publishes 10 in empty is not getting shallower with a week of clothes in it.

Where Cotopaxi wins

Comfortably, on both money and mass. A published $190 against $350 is $160 of difference, and 2.93 lb against 4.4 lb is nearly a pound and a half less to carry — which, on Hawaiian, is six percent of your entire published cabin allowance.

On carry efficiency the Allpa posts 0.08 lb per liter against the Tortuga’s 0.11. That figure ties the Allpa with the Osprey Farpoint 40 for the best on this site, and it is the reason the Allpa keeps appearing in our packs coverage despite the fit result. The Allpa against the Farpoint is the closer comparison on price.

Neither maker publishes a term

This is the honest weak spot of both bags. Cotopaxi publishes a “Guaranteed for Good” warranty — repair, replace or credit — with no stated duration. Tortuga publishes a “Worldwide Warranty”, also with no stated duration.

A promise with no term is not the same as a promise with no end date. Osprey and Peak Design publish explicitly that coverage does not expire; these two publish neither an expiry nor a guarantee that there is none. The consequence for our arithmetic is that cost per covered year cannot be computed for either bag, and both score lower for it — the method explains exactly how.

Where you buy them matters too

The Allpa is sold on Amazon, so it carries a live price and a buy link on this site. The Tortuga is sold direct from Tortuga, we have joined no Tortuga program, and we earn nothing if you buy it. It is on this page because the published figures put it there.

The verdict

Buy the Tortuga Pro 40 if

You fly carriers that publish 22 × 14 × 9 in and you want the bag that clears them with margin. A published 8 in depth is the most generous safety factor of any travel pack in our ledger, and 40 L inside a 40.4 L box is remarkable packing efficiency.

Buy the Cotopaxi Allpa 35 if

Price and weight are what you are optimizing and you fly the roomier-box carriers, or you mostly use it as a checked or road bag. It is $160 cheaper and a pound and a half lighter, and those are real advantages every day you carry it.

Consider neither if

A published warranty term matters to you. Both makers decline to state one, and several packs and duffels in this ledger publish open-ended cover instead.