Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazingly thin laptop backpack for those who want little else, October 28, 2009
I've had this backpack for about a month now so I feel more comfortable commenting on it. I was looking for a ridiculously svelte backpack in which I could justify carrying only my notebook and one or two school books. This backpack has exceeded my expectations in many ways.
THIN: First thing to note is how thin this thing is. It doesn't stretch out, which I love because it holds everyitng snuggly. I can comfortably and securely fit my 13" laptop, a notebook, two thin books, pens/pencils, portable hard drive, various cables including power chord, headphones, and a snack. Really all I need for my short periods on campus.
FEATURES: A great thing about this pack is the organization it offers. It has separate compartments for everything, placed in intuitive locations. This allows the backpack to conserve space and keep its attractively low profile. I've really enjoyed the quick-access folder pocket on the back, even though I thought it would be useless before I bought this thing.
The straps are not the best. They are a little wide and they also need to be readjusted daily. Ironically, I think it's the backpack's simple and easy adjustment mechanism that makes the straps slowly slip throughout the day.
I would also prefer to see something to hold a water bottle or umbrella. Brenthaven could have simply put a mesh net somewhere on the outside without sacrificing its profile to hold a small bottle. A bottle will feel clumpy in the main compartment but will fit if you need it to.
There are too completely useless pockets in the main compartment.
QUALITY: Everything about the construction seems to scream quality. The zippers are smooth, the pack itself is a reflective ballistic grade nylon, which can sometimes be self-consciously shiny but provides safetey walking at night. The padding is the biggest selling point for me. So many laptop backpacks lack bottom padding, so when you put your backpack down on the ground with any sort of force you feel like you've just destroyed your computer. In this backpack, my laptop is secure. It doesn't shift around, and it is surrounded by generous and tough-feeling padding on all sides. I'm almost confident enough in this padding to give it a short drop test, but why take the risk.
The nylon on the outside is nice, but has started to fray a little in high-friction areas such as the top strap or the bottom where the pack often contacts the ground. This fraying seems to be cosmetic since all the seams are still strong as ever, so not really a big deal.
I recently had to rain-test it in a downpour, everything inside was completely dry.
LOOKS: You can obviously see for yourself, the picture is very accurate. I will say this, I got this red one because it is around 40% cheaper for some reason than the black or silver ones. I was worried it would be a different pack altogether, but it is the exact same thing. I'm not a huge fan of the red as it is really bright and shiny, but since I'm a poor student I will take $40 to get my second choice in color.
CONCLUSION
This backpack is superb for my needs. If you want a well-padded laptop bag that isn't unnecessarily bulky, this is the pack for you. This pack is primarily way to carry your laptop, its accessories, and a few small books or maybe one larger textbook. If you need to carry a couple law books or otherwise large and bulky items, this pack won't work well. However, the construction is solid, the features are well-thought out (except for the lack of a water bottle holder), and it provides excellent protection for your expensive items.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
very well made, though was off-rust-orange, not scarlet red., September 6, 2009
This is a very well made backpack, though was rust-orange, not scarlet red,
and was HUGE, big enough to hold far far more than a few papers, and I wanted
something svelte and of the color which i'd ordered. variation in production probably.
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