Customer Reviews

SwissGear SA9259 Backpack (Red)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Overall it's a very sturdy and nice bag. A great bargain for the price (29.99). Be warned that the bag is not the one pictured. See shared picture that somone uploaded for actual bag. Also, the description said that it would fit a 17" laptop. The tag on the bag says 15". So I can't fit may laptop in the sleeve but outside the sleeve in the same compartment. A little disappointing.

NOTE: Amazon's listed image is wrong. The ones I uploaded are correct.

When I saw this I had to have it. But @ target it was 60$ and since this was shown as red I got the one @ target. :( if only I'de known just the image was wrong.

Anyway, this pack is *huge*. And quite material heavy. But that just shows its sturdy. It has several pouches and pockets. The back pouch can accommodate a notebook pc or laptop. The main compartment has a media bag and pouch for cd player or other media devices (like mini DVD player or netbook). Many pouches have mini pouches inside (see my shared pics). I'm glad I got this though surprised at how big it is. But it was either this or the Ful Refugee, which was good but I didn't like the material. Overall I like my pack. I'm just really angry that Amazon had the right model (SA9259) but *wrong* image and discription which forced to pay twice as much in a store! Boo Amazon!

I use backpacks a lot, as I routinely ride my bike to work and need to carry: my laptop, work papers, and wallet checkbook etc. I also change clothes when I get to my office, so I carry a change of clothes as well.
Overall I like this bag a lot.
Pros:
The bag is excellent quality: it feels very sturdy, it is well balanced, and has really cleverly designed pockets and separations. I can carry all these items without the bag getting too bulky, and there are enough separations that my clothes don't get tangled up in my wallet etc. I also like how it looks, and I like the brand (I've always liked Swiss Army knives, and love my old Wenger watch.)

Cons:
There are a couple of design issues I have with this bag the made me give it 4 stars rather than 5.
The main problem is this: the handle at the top of the bag is not placed well, and if you are not careful, it can cost you your laptop. Here's why: the handle is placed too far to the front of the bag. This means that if you hang your bag on a hook or coat rack for any reason, and if the bag is full, the bag could slip off the hook, because the distance from the back of the bag and the handle it too big. The bag doesn't need to be extremely full for this to happen, simply having your laptop in a sleeve in the laptop compartment will do this. And that's exactly what you don't want to have inside your backpack if the backpack falls off a hook onto the floor. You might think "why would I want to hang my backpack on a hook if it's full?" Imagine you're in an airport and want to hang your backpack on the hook of the bathroom door. It would not make for a happy trip... You don't want your laptop in this bag if the bag falls down.
The second problem I have, less serious more of a nuisance, is that the back and front compartments of the bag are not completely separated, on the bottom of the bag items can slip from one compartment to the next. This means that sometimes you're fumbling to find an item in one compartment and it turns out it has slipped to the other compartment.

Overall this is a very nice bag, sturdy, well designed, comfortable to wear. Just be careful with hanging the bag on a hook...

I got this backpack on an Amazon lightening deal, and for that low price it's an outstanding value. Although earlier reviews admit to some fumbling in what was actually delivered, the backpack I got was exactly what was ordered: a bright red-and-black backpack with a padded laptop sleeve. I relied on it during a recent trip, and it was exactly what I had hoped for. At my great price, it was a five-star purchase; I'm not sure that it'd be quite that special at list price.

Just as it's impossible for a house to have too much closet space, I don't think it's possible for a backpack to have too many zippered pockets or places to stuff things. This one wins in the storage category; it holds far more than I expected.

The laptop itself fits in the "rear" compartment, next to your back, so it's well protected; my MacBook fit comfortably, and slipped in-and-out for the nice people at the airport checkpoint with no trouble. My older Dell, which is too big for one of my older laptop bags (formally it's 15" but it's "big boned"), could be convinced to slide in -- as long as I didn't have to yank it out often. The "mid" spot has cargo space for papers and books, plus a couple of zippered pockets the right size for my travel mouse, network cable, and cell phone charger. As another reviewer mentioned, these areas are open to one another along the floor of the pack, so small items (such as a hair tie) could travel between them. That's a minor issue, at least once you recognize it and learn to store the hair ties elsewhere.

The outside zippered pocket is big enough for a small paperback book, not to mention my plane ticket and (since it took has little "cubbyholes") lots of other little stuff such a my iPod Nano. Every possible spot that could hold something has the facility to do so, such as a mesh sort-of-pocket on the side suitable for a bottle of water.

The straps are reasonably comfortable, too. I'm petite, and some backpacks seem to be made for Mountain Man, but this is fine. It's too early to judge sturdiness but the construction appears to be good. I could easily get through a busy tech conference with this bag. And I'm sure I will!

I was wanting to buy a backpack for my son for school books and the like and wanted to buy a Swissgear pack like one I bought back in January 2009. That pack was very similar to this one but while I was making my decision Amazon suspended selling it because of some discrepancy in the pictures of the product. The price had been $30, the marketplace price during the suspension was $160 ! After a month or so Amazon resumed selling it and I purchased it at about $40.

Now the review. The fit and finish on all the Swissgear packs I have seen is excellent. The zippers are heavy duty and construction of the pack is well done. One of the features I liked of the first pack I ordered was the adjusters on the shoulder straps. They release easily and have plastic loops to pull them up tight. This is intended to be a computer backpack so the inside compartment has a padded sleeve with a strap. My first pack, which was virtually identical to this one would barely take my 15.4 HP laptop. This pack will swallow my HP easily, and will fit my son's Dell Studio 16, (A bulky computer) as well. I would recommend using a sleeve with the 16's as the corners are exposed against the inside of the zippers.

I rated this product 4 stars because of the price fluctuations. Originally $30 a couple of months ago, it is now $130. Not even the mall luggage stores try to get that for Swissgear backpacks.

I am writing this review after three years of using this back bag. I highly recommend it for any student. It is nice, usable, and all my stuff fits in. I always carry my laptop and the charger with a book or two plus two bottles of water and my lunch. They all fit in this lovely bag. It also has a good protections for the back and the shoulders. It is easy to wash, just drop it with other clothes in the washing machine and it will get back as it is new :)

Bought this a little while ago under a Lightning Deal, figured despite all the confusion regarding which model was being shown, it was still a great price for a SwissGear product.

Only had time to 'play' with it yesterday for the 1st time - but it is fact the right SA9259 pic that SwissGear / Amazon have used on the product's page.

As others have pointed out, this backpack is HUGE, and well constructed - solid tacking/stitching, heavy duty zips, and well padded air-flow back & shoulder straps. Lots of well laid-out compartments, bottle holders, cellphone holder make this pack great for a student, commuter or a weekend traveler.

The computer sleeve section fit my 15.4" laptop just fine, the edges just barely clear the zipper but not a big deal. I threw in my 10" netbook, and it fits the sleeve on the horizontal - slides all the way down to the bottom of the pack/sleeve, nice and snug, leaving some extra space up top for some additional light items. External fold down panel lets you tuck a light jacket or rain gear behind it, without needing to fumble around inside the pack

This will make a great weekender or overnight bag (my main use) - even with a netbook & charger, I still have ample room for a couple changes of clothes, a small shaving kit, small camera, snacks, Ipod and a book or two. The compression straps help squeeze everything nice and tight, reducing shift & holding the load closer to your body.

The only down sides for me are the absence of a chest strap, and it would have been nice to see some rubber footings or the like on the bottom of the pack, to reduce scrapes & getting damp. But all in all, and for the price, I'm really happy with the form & function of this great pack.

I got this bag in Amazon's "today's deals" and I must say for 30 bucks it's a steal..!! I was a bit skeptic about it, since few reviews say that the bag in the picture is not what they actually get. But I got one looking exactly like the pic. Sturdy built quality, nice pockets and all. Only complain could be that it doesn't fully house my 16" widescreen laptop, but even then it provides enough protection. And it looks real cool. Overall, a fivestar.

Even after all those previous reviews, and the note saying that the product information was now correct... it still is inaccurate! The tag that comes with it says 15", and if you look at the measurements (14"x10.5"x2") listed online, they would also indicate a 15", not 17" laptop. Get on the ball, Amazon!

Unlike Kai Boy, the pack I received was exactly like the one pictured. I've had a number of computer packs and the zippers have always failed eventually. Only time will tell with this pack, but I'm encouraged by how sturdy and well made everything is, as well as the attention to detail.

I can't imagine a better pack for the price.