Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Summary - Buy the ebags Slim Jr. if you are tired of using the same bag as everybody else, if you want a neat and professional look, if you want a bag that helps organize things well but also forces you to minimize what you carry, and if you don’t want to spend gobs of money for high end options. I'm pleased with the bag after a couple of months daily use and a few air travel trips. Details: I got tired of my sloppy, huge Swiss Gear bag (see pic). It served me well but it became like my old baggy fitting clothes that are now replaced with a neater fit. As a frequent traveler, I was seeking something neater looking and a bit more compact. I was also looking at backpack styles from Osprey, Timbuktu Q, SOLO Bradford, and the eBags Professional Slim. Thanks for the other reviews so far and to David Zhang’s great YouTube review of the regular Slim model. I confirm all positive things said about the bag and some of the negatives. I will try to focus on some new perspectives here. I chose the Slim Jr. over the other brands mainly due to it’s storage features, especially the rigid garage at the bottom (huge) and the front organizer panel which enables you to separate small items and reveal them easily to get them. I chose the Slim Junior over the standard Slim primarily because of the 2 inches difference in height, especially knowing the Jr. will fit nicely under airplane seats. I wouldn’t mind if the Slim Jr. was even 1 inch deeper though. All zippers are YKK and so are some of the plastic anchors. Good stuff. All external zippers, including bottom garage and front pouch) can be locked for tamper evidence using a small ring, as shown for the top set in the eBags product images. The backpacker in me could see using these rings as lashing points to tie on something light such as a jacket. The compartment for the computer has vertical space left at the top with magazines/notebook in there, even with the bottom pad in place. I might get a ditty bag to keep stuff in this available space. The bottle holder is a bit small as others say but it held my Nalgene bottle quite snugly and I would trust it. I foresee using the bottle pocket for holding valuables while going through airport security. I prefer to put them in my bag rather than leave them loose in the scanner tray. Stuffing the main compartments makes the outmost front pocket quite tight, leaving space only for papers. When I removed my fleece vest, I could fit my valuables in there too. The pass-thru for luggage handle worked ok for my small Victorinox roller (although still not a quick task) but not at all for my Travel Pro. The Travel Pro handle is wide and rubberized so it just wouldn’t slide through. See the photo showing a simple work-around using a small carabiner, which has worked well on several trips now. The edges of the pass-thru are too tight and almost wrapped around the outside edges of the bag, making it harder to use. eBags could make this pass-thru pocket a little looser or come up with another simple retaining method. The sternum straps come off which is a good for making the look even neater (see pictures of this clip). Extra length on the shoulder straps is easily tucked away (see pic). Standing upright with good stability is really nice for a soft bag thanks to the rigid box at the bottom. There’s also a fair amount of stiffening padding throughout. Some were critical of this but I like it. In conclusion, I was looking for a slim and compact bag more professional looking than the old Swiss Gear and the Slim Junior fits those requirements very well. Transferring my stuff from the Swiss Gear revealed a silly amount of extra pens, thumb drives, packs of gum, etc. that accumulated over time in the dark abyss pockets (see pic). I’m glad this bag will help me keep things simpler and lighter. It’s a great bag to consider if you’re looking for a unique, slim and neat bag that organizes things very well.