Customer Reviews

SwissGear Computer Backpack (Black)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I was a kid, some luggage company had commercials where they would throw their suitcases out of an airplane and show it landing on the street below, or they would put it in a cage with a gorilla (who for some reason did not like their brand of luggage), who promptly began beating on it (dare I say "savagely"?). Well, that's how I treat my laptop bag. (oops!)

As a working author I am constantly dragging around my laptop everywhere I go. Worse than that, of course I have a neurotic obsession with carting along 80 lbs of research books as well. Of course I like to think I "travel light" (who doesn't?) and so I cram everything I think I may need in ANY emergency into my laptop bag: at least 2-3 hardcover "research" books I can't live without, a copy of each of my two newest books (in case I meet a film director), pens, myPod (yes I call it that), hi-lighters, note paper, chargers for the laptop and both cell phones, old scraps of paper with ideas scribbled on them, headphones, a few napkins (in case of spilled coffee or to scribble on if I run out of paper), book promotion plan printouts, and if there is any room left, my 17" widescreen laptop. Oh! And of course a large format (8.5x11 100-200 page) printed copy of the manuscript I am working on currently.

I have DESTROYED laptop bags, canvas shopping bags, book bags (I just don't like briefcases--ugh!), and even my beloved DreamworksSKG backpack (like I will ever see one of those again!). But this one survives to this day! I l-o-v-e my backpack and if it ever does show signs of wear and tear (it's been 3 years now and the thing still looks new) I will stand by it. I must admit that mine was not on sale. A hundred bucks for a laptop bag gave me pause when I first bought it. I actually fretted around the store for 45 minutes, comparing this bag to that one, suitcases to boxes with handles, steel cases to backpacks. I am thrilled I forked over the cash for mine (which was not on sale).

I have dropped my bag three times on accident, and by sheer sloth (after carting 35 lbs of weight on my shoulder) plopped the bag down thousands of times in coffeehouses, libraries, warehouse floors, on gravel... and the thing just keeps taking my abuse. DON'T BUY A CHEAP BAG for your laptop. The extra padding, reinforced stitches, and numerous pockets are a lifesaver. Consider this a one-time investment. Get the backpack you want, with LOTS of pockets (you will end up using them), generous amounts of padding, and reinforced handles and that rubber grip (see the picture above). Yours may look slightly different, and you may choose a brighter color, but the features I noted will save your laptop and your sanity.

I trust this brand with my most precious belongings: the ideas I have set to paper (er, so to speak). As an author I live to write, and all other things fade into a background of white noise. This makes my laptop pretty much my sole focus in life. This bag protects it, and it doesn't look too shabby either.

Thanks for reading.

the bag is pretty good overall with a bunch of zippered compartments to keep you organized.
Two main issues I ran into with -
1. The laptop compartment is not at all protected from the top. Normally i wouldn't have noticed this, but on the very first day the bag slipped off my shoulders and fell on the exposed corner of the laptop (inside the bag) and dented the corner of my laptop.
2. the cell phone sleeve is not built to take in an iphone :) you can push it in with some struggle though!

Update - Beware the bag attracts thieves! A few months in, I left this bag in my car overnight. In the morning my car was broken into and the bag gone! Make sure you don't repeat my mistake.

From the makers of the Swiss Army knife, you get a solid, utilitarian backpack. You can call it a 'computer backpack', because you can carry a laptop in it. I am writing this review on a Thinkpad T60 and, it's official. The T60 fits inside the laptop sleeve with plenty of room to spare. And it's padded too. And, if you don't feel like carrying your laptop in a backpack, it's okay to use it as a regular backpack. This particular one (my second SwissGear purchase) was for one of my kids because the first one I bought was grabbed by my first born because he was the one who opened the box and it's going to be his SchoolGear. So, let's summarize.

THE GOOD:
- Solid build, pretty close to 'indestructible'.
- Lots, of pockets, and I mean LOTS. I can see why my kids loves this. The more I investigated, the more pockets I found and my kids just counted 22 of them.
- Padded computer sleeve, of course. Seems adequate for most laptops.
- The organizer pocket lets you store pens, a cell phone, money, maps... has many internal pockets where things can be organized.
- Water bottle pocket.
- Sunshades holder.
- Swiss Army knife pocket, of course.
- The shoulder straps are quite comfortable.
- Compression straps allow you to secure items inside.
- Airflow padding on the back for more comfort.
- Cool design, in black, with little Swiss silver crosses over red everywhere.

THE NOT SO GOOD:
Can't think of anything other than, to my surprise, it turns out that it's made in China.

I feel compelled to give it five stars.

Have had the Backpack for a little over a month and love it. I use it to travel through airports and on airplanes and it fits everything I need, to include a large sized laptop and enough clothes for an overnight stay. Even though it fits a lot of items it's not too large or bulky to carry and it fits fine under the front seat of a plane.
Heavy duty - I have carried up to 25lbs of equipment in it and I didn't feel overwhelmed when it was strapped to my back. Zippers are nice and sturdy. I replaced a very heavy duty Targus backpack that I had for 8 years and I bet this one holds up just as well.
The laptop compartment makes it easy to get the laptop in/out at the airport security checkpoint. Its pockets and compartments make sense, I seem to have a place for everything and I know where to find it.
Great backpack and highly recommend it.

I bought this backpack last November 30th to house my Sony Vaio VGN-FW140E laptop when travelling. I used it actually last December 24th when I went to LA to spend the holidays with my family there. The bag helped a lot! as in a lot! i have an oakley shades that easily fits the shades handle at the strap, i have a psp, digital camera, pen, gum, food for the flight, one shirt, few documents, celfone, and of course my 17" laptop and it all fitted in the bag. i had no problem bringing it although it became quite heavy because the strap is well padded. I have all sort of things to carry and the bag has room for it! This is the best thing i bought this year and i want you to experience it too..

Let me just say, my Asus 17" G2S-B1 gaming laptop *baaaaaarely* fits...you have to sort of force both zippers to close and you can tell it definitely budges at the corners. Just thought I'd mention it because some people reported that they could fit theirs as well. I'd probably remove the "17inch" tag on this product, but a 15.1" or lower should fit fine.

Other than that, this pack is great if you have a fetish for a large number of pockets...you could probably search all of them for hours to finally find what you're looking for. Seems like a decent mid-size backpack.

This is a handy backpack. I got it for my husbands 17 inch computer because another reviewer said his fit inside it. However, my husbands does not. But other than that it is good as a regular backpack.

I purchased this product for a lower price during the Black Friday sales. The backpack is very well made. The zippers are thick and sturdy. The stitching is solid and there are more compartments and pockets than any other backpack I've owned. If you are a gadget geek and/or a gym junkie (like me) this is a great backpack. There are storage areas for two .75 liter water bottles, a separate laptop compartment, dividers in the main compartment that can separate paperwork or books, a media pocket with ear/headphone storage, and much much more.

I highly recommend this product if you pack a lot of 'stuff' and need a sturdy durable backpack. If you are looking for something simple, this may not be the best option for you.

This is a nice pack for the money. The old maxim "you get what you pay for" applies here with one caveat: it should be "you get what the company expected you to pay at first." I wouldn't pay the $120 original MSRP for this pack, but $40 is a very good deal. A couple of other reviewers have noted that this pack is very durable, and the build construction seems to suggest they are correct. The laptop storage area fits my 15.4" widescreen (1280x800) MSI GX630 laptop perfectly. The zippers seem to be of the substantial heavy-duty type, and the canvas seems to be good quality. I think one of the other reviewers counted the pockets and came up with around 30, which sounds about right. It has pockets galore. The mouse pocket is an especially nice addition, but that brings me to one of only two complaints - the stitching holding the small square of velcro that holds the mouse pocket top flap shut is coming loose. On the other hand, it's not really a big deal, as the mouse pocket is contained within another pocket. Also, as another reviewer noted, the two main compartments are connected at the bottom (i.e. smaller items can slide underneath the separating wall) but there is a flap down there which can be folded up into the laptop compartment, effectively separating them. All things considered, this is a great deal for the price. I am a pretty demanding, value-conscious consumer, and this pack easily passes my 'good value' screen, especially when compared to what else you can get at this price range.

This is a very high quality backpack for a very reasonable price.

The backpack has two large compartments, four smaller compartments for medium sized compartments, two side pockets(one with a hidden pocket for a knife or something like that) each one has a mesh pocket on the outside(for a water bottle or whatever), several smaller pockets inside the medium and larger compartments for pens, pencils, etc.

The large compartments also contain a very strong laptop sleeve(can hold up to a 17inch laptop), a media pocket for an mp3 player(and a hole to run the headphones cord through), and several sleeves for notebooks or papers.

The straps are of a very strong material and feel well secure, as well as the top handle. The straps have a pocket to hold your cell phone on one side and a spot to hold sunglasses on the other sleeve.

I recommend this backpack to anyone looking for a strong durable backpack with a lot of pockets and a lot of space to carry things around.