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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quality construction, perfect organization, just the right size for work, June 23, 2010
This review is from: Eagle Creek Travel Gear Hitch Daypack (Apparel)
I wanted a bag I could use for work, as an occasional diaper bag, for day hikes, and for travel. In addition, I wanted a bag with good organization that didn't scream "school/student" (since I'm far beyond those days). After lusting after this bag for months in a nearby travel store, I finally found a deal on here on Amazon (it seems to rarely drop below the $95 retail price anywhere). I received it recently and instantly fell in love. The organization is tops - a roomy front zipper pocket that is great for my wallet and keys, a front compartment with large mesh zip pocket for things like sunscreen, books, diapers/wipes, and crayons, a roomy main compartment with room for my lunch and newspaper, a side pocket tall enough for my Thermos, another side pocket that fits 2 sunglasses, and a back open pocket (velcro closure) for magazines or a changing pad. It isn't too big, so I don't feel overwhelmed by it. It also isn't too small to be useful. It has a grab handle, security features (love the secret back pocket for my camera and cell - fits a passport too!), and the nylon is light without being cheap. Lined in gray, not black. I have this bag in chocolate, which is more like a deep espresso color, very pretty but also husband-friendly. I can imagine taking this bag to Disneyland, on hikes in Yosemite, and even as a small carry-on. It isn't cheap even on sale, but it is worth every penny. My other Eagle Creek bags have lasted decades and I can sense this will too. A perfect all purpose backpack with comfortable non-bulky straps too - don't cut into my underarms and lie flat on my shoulders. In summary, if you are looking for the perfect all-purpose backpack, this is it. I don't own a laptop, but intend on using the fleece-lined padded compartment for my iPad.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eagle Creek Hitch - Great travel partner, January 26, 2011
This review is from: Eagle Creek Travel Gear Hitch Daypack (Apparel)
I travel a lot. I am out of the country right now. For more than ten years, I used an earlier Eagle Creek bag for innumerable trips to India, the Middle East, Europe, and around the U.S. It simply was getting old and tired. It's earned retirement. I have a large hefty backpack for serious carrying. I typically use that other backpack for the overhead larger carry-on item, and my smaller bag to stash at my feet on a plane. The Hitch bag is amazing - it is exactly the right size in that it'll handle most laptops easily (I added a small foam insulation tube for even extra padding at the bottom of that compartment - although as built, it's fine). All the other pockets are wonderfully organized and accessible. There's an outside pocket for a water bottle. There's a pass-thru from a back top section for headphone cords. That back section (makes sense now that I've used it) has great storage for lots of smaller important things. There's some zippered pockets INSIDE other pockets. Nice. I love this bag. It is very well made, but very lightweight. Best feature is the instant convertibility from shoulder bag to backpack. Both work without compromise, and the transition from one mode to the other couldn't be simpler. When not traveling, it remains my go-to bag for the drive to and from work. I'd carry it on bike rides. It fits and feels great. I couldn't recommend a bag any higher. I researched and purchased others, and returned them. On this first international trip with Hitch, I've fallen in love with its size and practicality. Thanks Eagle Creek. Oh yes - one more thing - because it lays pretty flat, when you are carrying it you don't have that worry often associated with chunky backpacks - turning around and knocking people or items around with your extended back-size. It is very docile in its sizing, and carries really well in crowds.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Close, very close, June 25, 2010
This review is from: Eagle Creek Travel Gear Hitch Daypack (Apparel)
I prefer to use backpack style purses to free my hands and lessen shoulder fatigue. Finding one that isn't too big but has a lot of pockets and gives at least a nod to security concerns is very difficult. I usually end up taking shoulder bags and modifying them myself by adding additional pockets and backpack straps. I know there's a market for these kinds of bags because people are always stopping me and asking where I get these bags. I did this to an old Eagle Creek shoulder bag which worked very well - until I purchased an ipad. It was just too small. I tried out the Eagle Creek Travel Bug Daypack and it also was just too tight to accommodate the iPad and much else, although I was able to shoehorn the iPad in. But it was so tight, I couldn't get anything else in and out of the bag without mammoth effort.
The Hitch daypack is the best I've been able to find to date but it's just too big. It's definitely a backpack, and can't really pass for a purse. But it's so close! Just a few inches off the bottom, just a little bit off the sides and it would be as if made for an ipad.
On the other hand, it's very nice as a daypack/laptop bag. Except my 15" MacBook Pro doesn't fit. The laptop is too big for it. But the Hitch is as good as you can get if you have a smaller laptop. Good luck finding one of these bags, though - they're out of stock everywhere. I managed to find one at REI - all beat up with escapee Cheerios at the bottom. Yuk. I had to order online to get one.
The Hitch has a detachable shoulder strap, backpack straps that can be hidden away and a small grab handle at the top. The grab handle is thin and cheap feeling. On the plus side, the Hitch has a very nice shallow pocket at the back that has dedicated pockets which perfectly fit an iphone, an ipod and pens/pencils. Because it's shallow, things that you need ready access to don't end up pooling at the bottom of a deep bag. It also has a little flapped pocket in this section which doesn't give enough security. It's not very large - maybe they intended it for some credit cards? Instead of using this, I added a zippered pocket to secure my wallet. I like having the wallet section against my back instead of stuck out in front which is where most backpack/purses put them and I like having it zippered in so it can't fall out by accident. In fact, I'm not really sure where they expect you to put your wallet in this bag. If you put it in this shallow compartment, it's vulnerable to theft or falling out if you inadvertently fail to zip the compartment up fully.
The laptop compartment section is padded and very nicely done - except, as I said, it's too small for my 15" Macbook Pro. On the other hand, the iPad gets a little lost in. It's not made for an iPad. It has a little velcro tab for security. It also has a padded zippered pocket which I use for reading glasses. The front compartment has a zipper that is covered and more difficult to get into - great security. And it has a mesh zippered compartment which makes it easy to see what's in there.
At the very front of the bag there's a little crosswise almost invisible zipper that goes to yet another very deep pocket. And at the very back, there's a full-back pocket to hold the backpack straps if you want to convert the bag to a shoulder bag. It's a great pocket for papers, but again, things tend to get lost in it. All compartments with the exception of the shallow one at the back are very large and it's easy for me to lose track of things that fall to the bottom in them. I really don't need this kind of space. There are also two side pockets - one for water with elastic to hold it tight against the purse when not in use and a very large padded zippered one which might be for sunglasses(?). The zipper goes all the way around it which I find annoying. It means to get into it, you have to pretty much open almost the entire pocket. I wish they had sprung for the usual two zipper pull option. I'll probably end up reaching a tipping point and adding an additional zipper pull myself.
Bottom line: Eagle Creek is about the only company that addresses this market segment and if you want a small daypack designed for a smaller-than-a-15" Macbook Pro, it's really great. But, I wish Eagle Creek would come out with a backpack bag midway between the Hitch and the Travel Bug which could work specifically for an iPad. With a dedicated zippered pocket for a wallet at the back and a more comfortable grab handle, it would be perfect.
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