Swiss Gear SA1923 Black TSA Friendly ScanSmart Laptop Backpack - Fits Most 15 Inch Laptops and Tablets

I got this so that I could comfortably haul all of my college textbooks, laptop, and everything else that I have to lug around campus everyday. I am so happy with this bag! Its extremely comfortable and durable, and there are pockets everywhere for everything. I really like the padded pocket for a cell phone or MP3 player, and the laptop compartment has a handy velcro strap that will keep your laptop secure, and it also has excellent padding for additional protection. I have a 15.6 notebook, and it fits in with lots of room to spare. I even keep it in another padded case just for extra protection with no problems. There are lots of loops and hooks so you can easily attach stuff to the bag as needed, and it seems like itd make a really great hiking bag as well. The handle is a very solid nylon rubber, and the shoulder straps are padded and comfortable and theres even a loop to hang your sunglasses from. I feel really confident and good about this bag, it was an excellent purchase for a college student hauling A LOT of stuff daily.

Fantastic backpack. Ive been wanting to upgrade my backpack for a few years now and have had my eye on this one for a long time. It is what you would expect from a SwissGear pack, nice and big for holding items but not feeling overly large, with good, solid and wide padded straps that really make carrying the thing feel easy. In fact, that is the biggest change in my upgrade, the fact that I can have more items in my bag (i.e. heavier) and yet it feels more comfortable and lighter to carry. Things I love about this pack: Like I mentioned above, solid SwissGear build. Little things like the rubber handle on top and the padded straps really make a big difference. A side zipper for access to the laptop area. While I actually use it for my tablet (and have tons of free space because of it), simply accessing my device from the side zipper is really fast and convenient. Gone are the days of the oh man, I have to get that out of my bag feeling. The ScanSmart seems really cool. I have not used it yet because I only travel a couple times a year at most, but it seems really convenient to zip the backpack down and fold out flat. I do question if that will be accepted in some of the finickier airports, but like I said grabbing the laptop from the side pouch is really fast so if so I dont think it will be a hang up in the security line. The main inside pouch is deceptively large. There is a flat divider in there making 3 compartments, yet I really only utilize 2. Basically I use one for my portfolio book, and the remaining space for my miscellaneous items (i.e. bag for lunch, pouch of personal care items, etc..). However, I can see this as being really well organized if I had more items, say some folders/files for work, or some school books if that is your usage. There is an inner pouch that I put some infrequent use items in. The outer pouch has some dividing pouches for pens and the such, but I put all those items in some containers (hot tip, you can use old glasses cases to hold pens or usb cables etc...) and I can fit 2 large cases in there with room to spare. Some of the items dont fit in the conventional way I would have done them, but far from badly. Its just an adjustment from using the same backpack and organizing things a certain way for years. There are a couple things I dont like about the backpack too though. They are definitely minor in comparison, but I think they are worth mentioning. The water bottle holders on the side are really small. They can hold a typical 12/16oz bottle of water (the smaller kind) no problem, but the netting should come up higher than it does. If you happen to really pack your bag full to the point where the sides dont give at all the water bottles can pop out. There are also side pouches to the bag. I love these. I actually keep a set of prescription sunglasses (in a case) inside one side pouch. However, if you use the side pouch, the water bottle pouch is less usable. It isnt impossible, but like I mentioned above if there is too much in there they conflict with each other. So my typical pack is glasses on one side and bottle on the other. Since this bag has the ScanSmart ability, the place for the main zipper (the middle of the pack, behind the top handle) is for that feature. Therefore the zipper for the main compartment of the bag is forward a little more (in front of the top handle). Not a big deal overall, but because the zipper line runs toward the front of the bag (you can see the line of it in the picture) you need to open the bag pretty far to get big items out like a portfolio or books etc... No big deal overall, but then that leaves the bag very open. The way/places I use my bag I like to open it and leave it open. But that leaves all the other contents sort of out in the open so to speak. Its a hard thing to describe, and it sounds really stupid as I type this out, but it sort of makes me feel like the contents are overly exposed. So I tend to zip the zipper up a bit now so the bag doesnt hang open. Just a weird idiosyncrasy of the bag and a change from how I handle it. Im probably mental or something, but it just feels weird to me. It really isnt a big deal. UPDATE: After using the bag for over 6 months, what really strikes me as negative about the compartment set up is where the weight is distributed. If you dont actually have a laptop in the bag, then filling the other compartments places the weight primarily at the front of the bag. It makes it tip forward all the time. Again, not a deal breaker, but it really is annoying. I just want my bag to sit upright like it should. Overall, I love this bag. I wish I had bought it sooner. The critiques I have are minor and would not stop me from buying it again. My only other critique would be the price point. Since I have been watching this bag for a few years, I have seen the price fluctuate up and down. I grabbed it for about $45 but have seen it as low as $40. I have also seen it as high as $80. That is just crazy to me. If you grab it at the $40ish range this is a good deal. If I had spent more than that I would have felt it should have come with a robot to carry it for me or something.

I have been using this backpack daily for four months now, and its been holding up well to the abuse. I generally carry the following: - A 15.6 inch HP laptop - Power cord for said laptop - Extension cord for power at coffee shops - Power spliter so I can get power at coffee shops - Books of various sizes (for the most part, small - about 5x8 on average, 1/2 - 1 thick) - First aid kit - External Hard Drive - etc. As you can see, I carry a LOT of stuff, generally running about 25lbs worth of stuff in my backpack at any given time. I was hesitant to buy this backpack initially due to reviews about breaking straps, but so far I havent had any issues with it. Now, for me, I would prefer to have a bit more room in the backpack, but thats just because, as mentioned earlier, I carry a LOT of stuff. For the pro/con list people: Pros: - Good padding on the back, pretty comfortable - Decent number of pockets. Two large (one only for laptop, one for laptop + accessories), one medium sized (should be able to fit an iPad), and at least five small pockets (one hidden inside the medium pocket. - Fits my 15.6 laptop perfectly - Two water bottle carrying slots Cons: - The side zipper pockets cant carry much if you use water bottles since they interfere with each other. - Could use a bit more padding on the bottom of the backpack

I needed to update my backpack. I can definitively say that this is hands down the best laptop backpack you can buy! Pros: 1. Tons of space and usable compartments: - 1 padded laptop compartment - 1 thin compartment that can be used for papers and folders - 1 main compartment that contains vertical dividers to keep things organized, a smaller interior mesh pocket, and an ipod/cell phone pouch that leads to a slit in the top of the backpack for a headphone cord - 1 decent sized pocket on each side (I use 1 for my laptop charger and accessories) - 2 stretchy water bottle pockets big enough for the big 1 liter bottles (good for umbrella too) - 1 small pocket on the top front - 1 pocket on the bottom front that contains a bunch of small organizer pockets found in every backpack that nobody ever uses 2. Comfort: padded, shock absorbing arm pads, padded back, and a comfortable handle on top. 3. Appearance: In my opinion, this is one of the best looking backpacks out there, but I cant argue with taste so if you have one of those ugly backpacks, thats fine with me. Cons: 1. I have concerns on how zipper will hold up 2.The opening for the laptop is on the side (not the top) which makes it a little awkward to get in and out.

This is my second SwissGear laptop bag. The first was purchased locally and lasted about 4 years before the stitching on one of the straps started coming off. I was able to limp along with it that way for a while, but needed to get another before the strap let go. Am hoping that this one gives me some more time. So far Im liking the bag. Not quite as big as my old bag (they seem to be similar size on the outside, so I assume they are comparable models) but this seems to be more an issue of how the pocket zippers run and not an overall size difference. The large compartment zipper makes a narrower opening than Im used to so its difficult to get as much into the pocket due to the opening. Seems to be good quality and should last for a few years. This bag goes everywhere with me...to work every day and on every trip I take.

Been very happy with this bag. its a good size for a laptop computer, and has a nice padded compartment against your back for carrying the computer. I find the side-opening zipper of the computer compartment convenient and easy for slipping my iBook in and out. There is enough space in the other compartments to store cord/charger, thumb drives, and assorted things like pens and notebook. I especially like the sturdy top handle for carrying the bag in hand, rather than on my back. The one complaint I have about carrying it this way, however, is the length of the straps. The adjustment straps for the shoulders are long enough that when I carry the bag using the handle, they drag on the ground. There is no place to secure them other than maybe knotting them around each other. But in that case, you cant really fling the bag over the shoulder. The bag is a little bit on the heavy side - but this is a byproduct of the sturdy build. The zippers have functioned well, and overall, the bag is comfortable on the back, or in hand. I feel that the computer is protected and secure. And it doesnt really look like anything other than a knapsack, so presumably, not a target for would-be thieves. Like the size. Big enough to carry the stuff I carry when carrying my laptop, and has enough space to bring along other necessities when traveling on a plane as a small carry-on. But not so big that it becomes cumbersome.

Ive had this backpack for around 4 years now. The material of the product is amazing very durable. I am not pretty sure if this can handle big portions of water. But for sure it can handle a light rain. For traveling is amazing, you can pack at least 4 days of clothes inside this+ your laptop and any other gadgets you can fit in all those pockets. The best backpack ive ever had. 100% recommended

Bought this for a quick work trip via plane. It preformed perfectly and I now use it daily. I have an old giant chunky Dell that fits perfectly. Along with an iPad, a small portfolio and 1” binder with room to spare in the main compartment. Loads of room in this thing. I use all the zippers daily and not a single issue. Going on two months now. My only complaint is this bag is still “off gassing” but mostly from the rubber handle. It took about two weeks for the initial stank to wear off. I am notoriously hard on pretty much everything I own and this thing is keeping pace. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend or buy again.

Replacement for similar model. Love it.

Nice quality and functional as well. Could use more padding in the laptop compartment - so you have to carefully drop it when you put it down. Also: front department kind of unstable when open and things can fall out when the zipper is not closed. Same for the other zippers: if they are not closed properly , things can fall out. Once you know the shortcomings you can adjust your behavior and it is just fine - for the money. Update December 3rd One the back straps is starting to separate..I am carrying the equivalent of 2 laptops..probably not made for the weight..downgraded to 3 starts... Update Feb 2013 Need to replace it soon...doesnt last.. June 2013 - UPDATE !! Free Replacement with Redesigned Version by SwissGear They just send a replacement. I am pretty sure that they redesigned the area around the straps and got rid of the elastic material. That should hold much more weight than before. I previously replaced it with a different brand for 100 USD..still like this one better. Thanks SwissGear ! Greast deal for the money !