Customer Reviews

SwissGear Laptop Backpack (Black)

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After owning 3 messenger bags for my laptop and books, and having each one wear out in some (major) way after about a year/year-and-a-half, I decided to finally bite the bullet and get a laptop backpack. This one seemed to be at a good price ($35), and the reviews were nearly glowing with enthusiasm and praise, so I went for it.

The first thing I noticed when it came was that the picture online is a bit deceptive in that it makes it seem very small; this was not really the case on my smallish 5'8" frame. So it is a bit larger than I had expected, but because of that it holds a lot... and I mean... A LOT. After using it for a week now, I can say that the two strongest pluses are that it's built like a veritable tank (I've never seen such quality nylon before!), and it is designed in such a way that, even fully loaded, it disperses the weight well, and puts minimal pressure on your shoulders. Very good for the back.

All in all, I'm very happy so far. This bag lives up to the reviews, and I hope that it will last a long, long time for me.

**Edit: 3/30/09**
I just returned yesterday from my first trip with this backpack. Over one week, I took this bag on 6 plane trips, 2 bus rides, 1 taxi ride, 1 shuttle ride, and multiple car rides. I can say that it is definitely worth its price... and then some. It's ridiculously durable (and comfortable!), and with a 3-year warranty, I don't think you could go wrong with this bag. A definite must-have for those on the go! Highly recommended.

**Edit: 5/02/09**
Still loving this backpack, but I thought it would be good if I mentioned one downside that I hadn't expected. I had it out the other day in a heavy rain for the first time. I wasn't really out in the rain that long, but it was evident that this bag isn't very water proof. A book and some papers got fairly wet, and I'm glad that my laptop wasn't in there at the time.

For the price, this laptop cannot be beat. Sure, I wouldn't purchase this laptop backpack if it were being sold for what it was originally listed at ($170 USD), but that was BEFORE I had a chance to use it.

Today, I would purchase this backpack whether it is around the 30 dollar mark or the past 100 dollar mark. Why? If fits very snugly with a conventional laptop or ultraportable (I have not yet tested it on a 17 inch widescreen yet, however), all the while being able to put in a number of items including bulky items such as document folders and even multiple textbooks. It does this all without putting too much strain on the laptop, and is easily adjustable to be set correctly on the user's back without harming alignment due to pressure at the wrong point.

The easily accessible cell phone holder located on the backpack right strap is just gravy on top of all of the exquisite features offered by this fine product.

Buy this product. You will NOT be disappointed.

This is a quality product, it was bought for my Toshiba 15.4, it offers good protection, and has lots of storage space, that would be tons of storage space, i carry an extra key board, wireless mouse, external hard drive (Toshiba of course), all the documentation for the laptop, my PDA, camera... as i said lots of space. Quality product, offers space, protection and its comfortable to walk around with. the reason i bought this type of bag is because it is less conspicious than the generic type bag, it can be left in a car and is less likely that your car will be broken into because of the bag. good product i strongly recommend.

I was looking for a Swiss Gear backpack that could carry my new 17" Widescreen Laptop. When I read the reviews I, for some reason, thought that this was it, but when I received it the tag on it read 15.5" instead of 17" so I thouhgt there had been a mistake. I came back to the Amazon description to find out that it actually did not specifically read 17". When I red the reviews I found that many people had commented about the 17" backpack although nobody mentioned anything specifically about it. May be they changed it due to other claims, but then again, I am just assuming. Aside from this is a very nice looking backpack but not as versatile and spacious as my previous 15" Swiss Gear backpack. The quality standard is also lower than my previous one, the zippers are not as heavy duty either.

I bought this bag for my laptop prior to leaving for a four month trip to Texas. I liked the design and the brand, so at the price I paid, it was well worth it. I received it and was able to shove a whole lot of stuff in there with my laptop. I took it everywhere with me, tucked my wallet and brush in it and avoided having to haul a purse with me while I was out in the field. My laptop was safe, as was my camera, cables, batteries, and such.

Recently, my husband was sent overseas and I begrudgingly handed over my backpack to him for carry on (his laptop is larger, but it still fit, just wouldn't secure with the velcro strap). It made it all the way to South Korea without incidence.

One thing that he noticed, and I would like to point out. Light sprinkling, it can hold up to, but rain (real rain) it does not. Granted, it rains a LOT in monsoon season in S. Korea, but still for Swiss Gear, we were under the impression that it would be a little more protective from the rain. Now that we know, we can take appropriate precaution.

I know it says it'll hold a 17" laptop, but that must be without the strap. Mines' a 15.4 and it fits snug with the strap. I'd still recommend this bag, and if you plan to take it out in the rain, buy some of that water proofing spray at any outdoor's store.

The design of the bag has made it felt lighted to carry my 1.6kg laptop plus 2 text books. This would have been impossible if using my old bag. It may appears to be big incomparision to my size (just over 150cm), it is definitely comfortable and managable for me to carry more using this bag around campus.

We bought this for my wife for her 13.3" laptop. Everything about it has been great so fat, it has a lot of pockets, so it offers you a lot of room, comfortable, durable and I personally like the simply plain appearance. The hidden water bottle pocket also is a cool feature.

There are only two possible downsides:
1. If you are a woman/girl, or if you are looking for something fancy, its simple black design might not exactly be what you are looking for.
2. If you have a small laptop, and you don't have much stuff to carry around, It's a little bit too big. I guess it can fit a 17" laptop in it.

If you looking for a large, durable yet comfortable backpack, I think it is great buy!

This backpack is a quality product. It has lots of specialized pockets for all your computing gear and is large enough to hold the laptop and its peripherals. Best of all, when you travel, a lady can have her rolling bag and fit her handbag in this backpack so she has two carry-on items and isn't required to check luggage.

Ok, so I bought this backpack to use it for work. It said it has file folder dividers built in so you can organize your work. I thought great, I have at least 5 different files to carry with me across my worksite(I am a safety manager) as well as the laptop and an OSHA book. The file folders will come in real handy. Wrong. The file dividers as it says is more like file divider singular. In the pocket or compartment however you look at it, there is only one divider in the center with about 3 inches of room on either side, not at all what I was expecting. I was hoping for at least 4 separate compartments with the dividers being touted. I am not sure if it will end up doing the job but I will keep it anyway because I hate returning items.
Anyway, overall, it has good construction and the materials are top notch. It just isn't what I was hoping for.

I ordered this on sale from Amazon. I was delighted when I got this backpack, it is extremely well made and had all the room I needed for the class materials I was taking to a class halfway across the country. I bought this backpack to travel with and it did it's job and then some.

I would recommend this product to anyone who is traveling with their laptop and needs extra room for books, magazines, notebooks and binders. Lots of space without being bulky.

This backpack is made extremely well and has some great finishing touches like the water bottle pocket that zips open and closed and a number of zipper compartments.