Vietnam Trip Report: April 2026

What's the point of flying halfway around the world for a product development trip if you aren't going to be way too ambitious in what you can get done in a short amount of time?

Here's the plan: review 10 different products, take notes, review the updated samples, repeat, and get those products 100% done and across the line. Update zipper pulls, update packing and compression cubes, finish a new Pro product, and sort out a new five-product collection for Kickstarter this summer. Review nine color variants with logo treatments and decide which ones we'll actually make. While you're there, check on the production of the updated version and the new size of the Travel Backpack Pro. Oh, also shoot behind-the-scenes photos and videos at the factory and office. And lifestyle photos and videos with a model and crew around the city. By the way, that last one's outside, and it's 95° F (35° C) with 95% humidity. Make sure you get some shots of the night market, clogged with people and motorbikes on a busy Saturday night. Watch your toes.

Does that sound chaotic? It certainly felt chaotic. But that's my job.

I'm just back from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where James (our designer) and I went on a huge product development trip.

Let me tell you what we've got for you.

3 Months in 1 Week

Working in person at the office and factory is like stepping into a time machine. By turning samples around quickly and making decisions together, you can get three months of work done in a week. Seriously.

Factories turn samples around quickly because you're there. You work through every note together with your team, their team, the pattern maker, and the sample room. No shipping. No confusing notes. No missed changes.

At Tortuga, we love remote work. But we also know the value of being in person, especially with our suppliers.

New and Updated

1. NEW: Superlite Collection coming to Kickstarter this summer. The lightest, strongest travel backpack we've ever made. For anyone packing ultralight or flying on super strict airlines. Sign up here to lock in the best price and follow the project on Kickstarter to be the first to know when it launches.
2. NEW: Daily Carry Pro Slim, a slimmer, more EDC-friendly version of the Daily Carry Pro with a horizontal luggage handle pass-through that lets the bag stand vertically on your suitcase.
3. NEW: Additional colors for the Travel Backpack Pro and the Superlite Backpack.
4. UPDATED: Zipper pulls. A tiny percentage of customers have broken their zipper pulls, likely when their bag is overstuffed, and force is directed where the plastic and metal of the pull meet. Given the design (a plastic mold over the metal puller) and the location of the break, YKK's engineers told me this is impossible. So kudos to anyone who managed to do it! In any case, we're updating the puller design to (try to) drive this risk down to zero.
5. UPDATED: Packing and compression cubes to offer more value for the price, plus the option to buy individual cubes, not just bundles.

That's all for today. In future updates:

1. Packing for 10 days in the 34L Superlite Backpack.
2. The insane points deals I got on my flight and hotel (both ~free).
3. More details on the Superlite, the Kickstarter, and all the changes we made while in Vietnam.

Let's close with some gratuitous food and drink pictures.

Despite being busy, we ate well. Thank you, Vietnam.