****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I bought this bag because I needed something to carry all of my stuff when I substitute teach but I didn’t want a typical backpack. This bag is great. It has lots of pockets to organize everything. It is also very stylish, I got the grey one, which reminds me of a men’s business suit. It has black straps and faux gold zippers. It feels well made.The large compartment has sturdy metal bars sewn into the seam along the zipper meant to hold the compartment open. They do work but there isn’t a corresponding frame at the bottom of the bag to allow it to stand upright without toppling over; you have to put something heavy enough in the bottom to do the job. The zipper extends beyond the edges of the opening and has nice sturdy tabs covering the ends. I suppose this is to accommodate opening the bag to its widest without being impeded by the zipper. Inside it has 2 padded pockets in the back. One fits my 15” HP laptop, the other my 10” iPad with its Otterbox hard shell case. On the front side, there is a large zipper pocket near the top that is almost as deep and wide as the compartment. Below that are 4 open pockets, 2 pen pockets in the middle and a pocket on either side big enough for a couple of granola bars or 2 travel size bottles of aspirin or Tylenol each. At the bottom on either side is an elastic edged pocket, deep enough to hold a bottle of water or a travel size umbrella. There is also a small zippered slit at the top with an usb cord inside; it is meant to hold a battery pack (not included) so you can plug your phone into the usb jack on the outside of the bag. The main compartment is large enough to hold several folders or a couple of 1” notebooks, along with the above mentioned items. I usually carry several folders, a library book, and a small knitting bag. The only thing I wish it had was a couple of sturdy loops to attach a D-ring for my keys and ID badge when I’m not using them. However, the multiple extra pockets make up for it. This bag comes in 3 sizes, which refer to the size laptop that can fit in the internal laptop pocket. I bought the 15.6” version of this bag, it’s the perfect size for lugging all my stuff back and forth to school. If you want a more purse size bag big enough for an iPad or small chrome book, I’d go with the 14” bag. If you have a full size 17” laptop or want a school bag with more capacity for books, I’d go with the 17” version. As far as I can tell, every size has the same # and types of pockets, only the dimensions are different.On the outside of the main bag, there are 2 carry handles with a small black strap with a snap so the handles can be secured together, traditional backpack straps, and a thick nylon strap across the back so it can be slid over the handle of a rolling suitcase for traveling. On one side is the usb charging port. Both sides have a pleated open pocket with a wide elastic strap. Both expand enough to hold a large water bottle but the elastic and pleats keep them folded flat against the bag when not in use. I added a 3” D-ring to one of the elastic straps for easy access to my keys. When on your back, the left pocket has the usb jack above it. The right pocket has a hidden slit so that you can access a travel size box of tissues without having to take them out of the pocket.On the back, above the luggage strap is a “anti-theft” pocket with an ~4 1/2” zipper and as deep as the length of my hand, fingertip to wrist. The description says it is meant to keep your valuables safe and allow you to easily charge your phone while keeping it secure. I suppose it would be more difficult for a pickpocket to access when the backpack is on your back without you realizing. However, the bright faux gold zipper isn’t exactly discreet and there is no direct access from this pocket to the usb cord or the external usb jack, which is right next to it, without leaving the zipper partly open. I’d rather put my phone in the water bottle pocket while charging, at least gravity will keep it there even if the charging cord gets snagged on something. I also think the internal zippered pocket would be the best one for valuables since it requires the most work to access. I recommend redesigning the “anti-theft” pocket with a hidden zipper and internal access to the usb jack.On the front of the bag are 3 zipper pockets. The top one is just below the handle attachments. It has a 9 1/2” opening and goes to the bottom of the bag. The zipper is covered, making this pocket fairly discreet but not completely hidden. It has no internal pockets. The 2nd zipper pocket is ~10 1/2” wide and ~8 1/2” tall with ~1 1/2” gusset to give it extra depth. It has a large gold zipper that opens from ~2 1/2” from the bottom across the top and down the other side. This pocket would be the ideal place to add a couple of sturdy loops to clip your keys, ID badge, etc to for easy access while remaining hidden and secure. Inside are 2 open pockets in the back and a large mesh elastic pocket in the front. This pocket is ideal for items that you want easy access to but might get lost in the large compartment, like a hairbrush, lipstick, face mask, reading glasses etc. The smallest pocket is on the front of the large gusseted pocket. It has an ~9” zipper hidden by a flap, the same as the upper pocket and it is as deep as the gusseted pocket. There are no internal pockets but there is padding between the lining of this pocket and that of the gusseted pocket and the lining plus the outer shell material makes it feel well padded. It is ideal for large flat items like your phone (as long as you don’t have a habit of dropping the bag on the floor) or a small notebook.Overall, I am really happy with this bag. I love all the pockets and it has plenty of space. It’s a little big for an everyday purse but perfect for work/school. I really like the color options which make it more stylish and business like than a typical school or outdoor backpack. I could see a business professional using this bag and I don’t feel like I’d be mistaken for a student from behind. I even bought a somewhat matching lunch bag that I attach to the carry handles in the morning (with a 3” D-ring) and can fold flat to store in the large compartment when not in use.Really my only 2 recommendations to make this bag absolutely perfect is a redesign of the “anti-theft” pocket to make it more secure especially when using it to charge your phone and a couple of sturdy loops to attach D-rings as noted above. Actually, moving the usb jack to the inside of the main compartment with internal access to the “anti-theft” pocket or an additional phone size pocket near it (maybe on the side above the bottom elastic pocket) would allow you to charge your phone, laptop, or iPad while they are inside their pockets and all the zippers are closed.
