Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is a really great backpack. If you don't want to read a long review, that is all you need to know. This might be a little weird to admit, but I really like "Things that hold things," Cases, boxes, bags, backpacks, etc. I am very happy to say that this might be my favorite day backpack that I have ever owned. It is impeccably well designed. It is good looking yet subtle, and you can tell that someone (or a group of people) really put effort in to thinking about how people would use the bag. I've been lusting after this bag for a while now. Ever since I purchased my eBags Mother Lode Mini 21" Suitcase. I really dig that suitcase, and this backpack sat in my wish list for months. I finally purchased it on sale on prime day, but after having it for a couple weeks I realize that I should have just purchased it when I wanted it. This thing great. This is a list of most of the things that I like about this bag: - The overall design aesthetic. It's not flashy, but looks good. It could very easily be something carried by a professional or by a student. I do travel a lot. In my line of work, I don't need to dress in a suit and tie every day, but this bag looks right with that too. I also really like that the inside of the bag is orange. I cant really explain it, but lots of the stuff that I own, bags, computer cases, electronics, etc, are completely black and like it that way. Having the inside of this bag be orange feels slightly "Rebellious". I've actually had people comment about it. - The many different storage pockets. They vary in shapes, sizes, construction, and location on either the inside or outside of the bag. I seriously feel that I can do anything with these pockets. Everything that has a pocket needs one. - The little bottom cubby/compartment. This thing... I thought it would be the gimmick of the bag when I ordered it, but man is it great. I use it to store all or most of the wires I take with me. It varies, but I've loaded up this cubby with a 45w Macbook charger, an 85w macbook charger, a phone charger, a tablet charger, and a couple other USB cables. It's awesome that I can remove the hard case and have all my cables in one container. If I need more space in the physical bag, the hard case can be removed and it's "cavity" just disappears. How cool is that? - How much room there is. My previous go to bag was almost 1800 cubic inches, huge, and most of that was just one large cavity, like a small hiking bag. I could live out of that bag for 5 days easy if I really had to. I was worried that with this bag I would struggle to adjust to the smaller bag. So far, though, this hasn't been a problem. I use this bag for two purposes. Just regular days in my city, and travel. For a regular day, I have my 11" Macbook Air plus a graphed legal pad in the back pocket. A lunch in my eBags Slim lunch box in the main compartment, plus gym clothes. In the front pocket I have a power bank, a computer mouse, pens, a USB hub, and more. In the front pocket with the vertical zipper I keep a micro toiletry kit. When I travel fully loaded, I carry my 11" Macbook air, my 15" Macbook Pro retina, my 9.7" iPad, all of the chargers for those things, plus the same legal pad, at least one change of clothes in the backpack, a portable speaker, plus all the small stuff that I carry in the city too. This bag handles all of that no problem. Impressive. - The water bottle holder is not large enough to fit my 40oz hydroflask, but that is fine because I never carry that in a bag anyway, and it is too big for all but hiking backpacks. That is okay, though, because that pocket is perfect for my sunglasses case and a small thing of hand sanitizer. - I love that the backpack straps can be tucked away and the bag can be carried like a briefcase with a handle on the side. Sometimes I don't want a backpack, and this solves that problem. - Similarly, I love how all the straps, pockets, and features can be stashed away and hidden to keep them from flapping around and getting in the way. Don't need the water bottle pouch? Zip it up and it's gone. Don't want straps? they have a spot to tuck in to. The two grab handles (one on top and one on the side) recess flat against the sides of the bag when not in use. No faffing around with annoying straps while you're running through the airport trying to catch a flight. - This bag just feels *solid.* I really try not to beat hard on my stuff, but I do use it constantly. After two years of front line service, my previous bag (a Griffith Park Deluxe) was starting to show some serious wear. I've had this bag for only about a month at this point, and it's been to three countries, eight states, and traveled 18000 miles. From how tough this bag feels I feel confident that it will last me at least as leg as the old bag, probably much longer. For now, those are the thoughts I have about the bag. Right now I don't have anything bad to say. I've only had it for a month, so I will most definitely be updating this review more. ------------------------------------------------------- First edit, 9/8/16: Yesterday I was caught in an unexpected torrential downpour. It took me a long time to get somewhere where I could really take cover, as I was walking home through a residential area with no stores or building that I could go in to get out of the rain. I was in a torrential downpour for nearly 10 minutes. When I did get home, I was soaked to the bone. It was a really serious storm, at the worst you could not see 25 feet ahead through the rain, and road drains were overflowing for hours afterwards. After changing in to dry clothes, I walked over to the bag fearing that everything inside would be dripping wet. My laptop, My iPad, my pilot logbook, lots of valuable stuff. Imagine my surprise when I opened up this bag to discover that there was no wetness in the inside of this bag that I could detect at all. Even around the zippers, the only damp part was the little bits of grey fabric trim that go underneath the zipper tracks, and they were just barely damp around the top. I totally emptied the backpack and felt around. No wetness anywhere. On the outside, the exterior fabric had already mostly dried, the only thing that was still wet after 20 minutes was the back padding on the outside, but this dried after an hour of sitting in front of a fan. I am super impressed. eBags does not mention anywhere that this bag is waterproof or water resistant anywhere on amazon or on their website. I knew that before getting this bag and before getting caught in the storm, and thought I was out of luck in regards to the electronics in my bag, but the fact that this bag handled the torrential rain so well is a testament to how much this thing rocks. No complaints so far. ------------------------------------------------------- Second Update: September 7th, 2017: I've been using this bag every day for more than one year now. I still am as much in love with it as I was when I initially wrote this review. This is the longest period of time that I have ever used one bag as my every day bag. I have been rough with this bag for a whole year, and The bag is still in brand new condition except for the bite marks one of the adjustment straps that my dog got to, which is no fault of the bag. I still highly recommend this bag.