Travelpro Luggage Crew 9 Business Backpack

I purchased the SwissGear Travel Gear ScanSmart Backpack 1900 along with the Zuca and the Travelpro Crew 9 Business Backpack to determine which was best suited for my business and personal travel. The SwissGear (SG) is the #1 rated laptop backpack on ebags.com, the Travelpro (TP) came recommended by a colleague and garners consistently high marks across the industry, and the Zuca line (in general) intrigued me. The Zuca did not compare to either of the other two bags in terms of its build quality, the materials used and its functionality. Combined with the fact that the Zuca is also a $100 backpack, the Zuca was the first cut.

First impression of the Travelpro is that it is a big backpack, packed with intuitive design features for the business traveler. True to Travelpro form, this backpack is made from the highest quality materials and should withstand years and years of use. It is comfortable to carry and the ventilated padding on the shoulder straps and back of the pack should add to its comfort during extended periods of wear. The TP has plenty of pockets for all your needs: phone, cables, chargers, sunglasses, MP3 player, water bottle, you name it. One of my favorite features of the TP, where the SG misses the mark, is its attached keychain holder. When I travel, I want a consistent, safe storage area for my car keys. The TP has a built-in clip that holds your keys inside the front pocket. The SG has a key ring, but no such clip, an important distinction.

The best design of this bag, of course, is the separate padded laptop storage area which includes a strap to tightly secure your laptop in place. This pocket is big enough to accommodate even the largest laptops. As you're going through airport security you simply unzip the backpack, laying down the laptop area separate from the rest of the bag (and most importantly, the cables). This allows you to leave your laptop in your bag for a much smoother and more efficient screening process. I love this feature. It is by no means exclusive to the TP; but no matter which laptop backpack you buy, it should have this design (as many now do). The main storage compartment of this bag is extremely large. It will hold a folio, full-size headphones, book, notebook, cables etc., with room to spare. There is also an internal, well-protected tablet storage pocket opposite of the laptop.

Another great feature of the TP is the strap on the outside of the bag, across the back, that attaches to the two-post telescoping handle of your carry-on bag. You simply slide the strap over the top of the handle and down so that your backpack rests snuggly on top of your bag. The SG has no such straps or form of attachment. This was a deal-breaker for me. Backpacks are comfortable to wear, but I also want the option of taking it off, attaching it to, and pulling it with my carry-on. It is also important to note that the TP sits up squarely when placed on the floor. The bag has great balance, a large flat bottom surface and will not fall over. The SG sits well, but does have the common backpack "slouch" and lacks the stability of the TP. And the TP includes an external, zipper-collapsible water bottle sleeve that will hold standard sized 16-20 oz. plastic water bottles.

The SwissGear and Travelpro are virtually identical in their form, functionality and quality of build. The TP overall is a more professional, less casual backpack and is constructed of slightly higher quality materials. The TP also costs twice as much as the SG. The three reasons I chose the Travelpro over the SwissGear are as follows: 1.) I prefer the TP's more refined styling and superior build quality; 2.) the TP includes a built-in keychain clip; 3.) the TP has a strap to attach to your carry-on luggage.

Pros

• Large backpack capable of holding all of your travel gear and electronics

• Top notch construction and materials used

• Elegant, refined look appropriate for business and personal use

• TSA approved laptop compartment allows you to keep your laptop IN your bag as you go through the airport screening process

• Includes built-in strap to attach to any two-post carry-on luggage telescoping handle

Cons

• This bag may be too large for some people's uses

• This bag may not be casual enough (i.e. college students) for some people's uses

• Has a higher price point without reaching the "designer stratosphere" of cost

• Only comes in two colors: black and grey, which may be a deterrent to some

Final thoughts: Both the SwissGear and Travelpro are excellent laptop backpacks. Both are of similar size and function. The SwissGear is a "casual first" backpack that is appropriate for business use, whereas the Travelpro is a "business first" backpack that also functions extremely well for personal use.

This is my first backpack for work. I've always used a Tumi laptop bag (it was a hand me down) for the past five years. The last couple of plane trips I noticed that the bag was getting heavy and was very uncomfortable. I knew of a few other people who had transitioned to a backpack, so I figured I would give it a try. My goal was to have a backpack that was checkpoint friendly, wasn't too big and looked somewhat professional for business travel. I did a ton of research on Amazon and a number of other sites and had narrowed down my decision to the Everki Versa Premium. They had good reviews for the most part and their site had a ton of info, including great photos and a video as well. I was a tad concerned though about a few of the reviews on it that claimed less than stellar build quality when it came to the straps. On top of that I was leaving for a trip in a few days and I really wanted to have a new backpack, but the Everki was out of stock on Amazon. My search continued and I finally came across the Travelpro Crew 9. Sadly, no one site really had any good photos or info on the Travelpro (not ever their own site) and there were also limited reviews (4) on Amazon. I had a Travelpro carry on some years ago and knew they had great design and build quality. Also, the Travelpro was also close to $90 cheaper than the Everki. So Travelpro it was! The Crew 9 arrived the other day and I took to the task of taking my current laptop bag and transferring everything into the Crew 9. The Crew 9 swallowed up everything I kept in my bag has a ton of room to spare. The front compartment has enough pockets and slots to hold business cards, passport, pens, etc.. It also has a hook to secure your keys. The second compartment from the front has a compartment to hold an iPod and also has an exit hole on top to run your earbuds/headphones through. This compartment is large enough to house my Bose headset and case. The third compartment has two organizer slots that will nicely hold some folders, books, etc.. also it has enough room to use the space for clothing and toiletries for an overnight trip. It could also comfortably handle a sweater, sweat shirt or light jacket. The fourth and most rearward compartment is for your laptop and tablet. The Velcro strap that holds the laptop in has a ton of gripping strength. The compartment is well padded and should be able to handle a decent drop without your laptop getting destroyed. Additionally its nice to have a slot for my iPad too (although i wish the slot was able to be secured to keep your tablet from moving around too much). Other great features: The straps are well padded and feel comfortable with a full load of items in the pack, there is exterior zippered section that allows for a water bottle and two smaller zippered sections that are great places to store tissues, etc... All in all, this is a great high end professional looking backpack for a reasonable price.

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When I bought this I hoped the comment about easy check through was true and it is...zip open lay it down and it goes right through x-ray, zip it back up and you're on your way. Not to mention all of the little storage compartments, this bag is well layed out for the business person.

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Our son walks or bikes to work, and this backpack is much better than the more casual one he was using before.

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This backpack feels sturdy and is very comfortable to wear.

There is a special section marked for tablets/netbooks, but no removable pouch is included to carry the device out for seperate screening.

I would actually like to go one size up if Travelpro offered it.