I took a chance and ordered this bag. I received it today and am very pleased with the build quality. The workmanship of this bag is in line with the likes of Briggs and Riley and TUMI. The added benefit of this bag is all of the storage it offers. If you are a person who is constantly dealing with too many cords and no where to store them, this bag is a great solution. It even has an iPad compartment. There is literally a place to hold everything. Check out the video of the product on everki.com to see all of the features, it really helped me decide. I travel a lot for work and am looking forward to the checkpoint friendly feature. I travel next week and will update the review if I have any issues. One thing to be aware of. The computer compartment has corner guard protection. This will not be useful if you are using a smaller laptop. This product comes in two sizes, be sure to order the smaller size if you have a 16" or smaller laptop. Unfortunately do to this, I will be returning this size, but I have already ordered the smaller one and am anxiously awaiting its arrival in a few days.
First, some background. I travel on commuter rail over three hours every day, and my bag is essentially my mobile office. So the design and ergonomics of that bag are critical. Also, I'm frequently required to attend various meetings all over NYC, and I end up hauling this on the subway, buses, taxis, and of course walking all over. I also travel by air occasionally, although I haven't since purchasing this bag about a month ago.
So in that last month I've had plenty of opportunities to put this bag to the test. And in every respect, it's passed those tests. It took me about a week to get used to the new system, but since then I have been continually impressed by Everki's thoughtful layout, quality materials, and attention to detail.
The layout system is perfect for my situation. I can easily organize (and therefore locate) everything I need to function on the road. It's really quite impressive how much can fit in here. It can't accommodate large tupperware very easily, but everything else slides in perfectly: 17" laptop with extra battery, files, mouse and other computer peripherals, tablet, wallet, and all the odds and ends you need to make life on the road pleasant.
It's amazing what a difference quality materials make too. The exterior and interior materials are really attractive (love the orange interior), and all zippers and connections are smooth and solid. I was originally looking for an all-leather case, but honestly I find this just as attractive, and it certainly seems like it will hold up over the years much better. Even the handle is more comfortable that other cases I've owned.
Overall, this is a most impressive effort. I researched every bag on the market before choosing this one, and I believe that research paid off. Five well-earned stars.
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Just back from a multi-city trip with this new bag replacing a wonderful bag from Briggs and Riley. I'll see over time, of course how the new bag holds up.
What I like:
1. I can put everything that I used to carry in the B&R into this bag and over stuff it. Not everyone will do this, but for pack rats like me that's important. I routinely carry Bose headphones, cases for pens and pencils, journals, a computer, ipad, cords, cables, plugs, peripherals, sometimes an external USB monitor.
2. I like the TSA approved way to flip the case open without having to remove the laptop. Much faster than having to take it out.
3. While the bag is lightweight, it feels like solid construction and the zippers look durable.
4. I like all of the built-in organizers. With my old bags, I had my own pouches for cables, etc. that I just loaded into the central compartment where they all eventually fell to the bottom and wedged together. The built-in organizers take care of this problem and help keep the contents distributed.
5. It fits under the seat in coach. Some of the aisle seats in some aircraft have smaller under-seat slots and for these I do have to remove a few things to get it to fit. But then again, I really load the bag up to capacity. I had to do this with my old bags as well.
6. I have a 12" laptop, not a 17" but it still feels protected in the sleeve.
7. I didn't think I would use or like the iPad compartment built into the case, but I ended up really liking it and using it during the trip.
What I had to work around
1. There is a sleeve on the back of the bag that allows you to slide it over the handles of your wheeled carry-on luggage. It works great with all of my luggage except for my Hartmann bag which has an extra wide handle. The extra wide handle helped keep bags from rotating around the handle while running through ATL or wherever. The Vera's smaller sleeve keeps it from doing that on luggage with narrower handles. If you have a single pole handle, though, you will have problems.
2. I liked the shoulder strap but prefer an old Victorinox shoulder strap for comfort and so replaced it. But the strap it comes with is just fine.
3. Would like to have had a mesh water bottle sleeve on the outside, but I still give the bag five stars without one. It seems like these have fallen out of fashion.
4. The handles have a wrap around piece to snap them together. I'm not fond of these but I just snap it around one of the handles and that's that.
That's it. I'll update after a few more trips on how durable it is.
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I purchased this as a replacement for a different brand bag, and I have to say, most laptop bags are fairly similar, with most of what you need.
What I like about this bag:
1. It is clearly quality craftmanship. It just looks and feels well made.
2. The checkpoint friendly isn't unique to this brand, but it definitely was one of my deciding factors. Plus it has a "strap" for putting over the handle of your luggage again, not unique to this brand, but part of the overall decision.
3. The pockets: there is space for everything. There are compartments galore. I have a pocket for every wire and dongle and device and add on. There is also separate space for the attache function, to hold pads and pens and papers.
4. It holds my laptop nice.
What I don't like:
1. It is heavy. Not surprising for a bag this side, but I had to find something to quibble over.
I know this doesn't seem like a glowing review, but I do give it 5 stars. We're talking about laptop bags, after all, it is hard to wax poetic. There is just "something" about this bag that makes it better than the others I have owned in the world of laptop bags, it is 5 stars.
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Osprey Quasar BackpackI've been using my Quasar as my everyday bag for almost a month now. I use this bag at work and at the gym, and weekend hikings with my wife. This bag is really comfortable compared to my columbia daypacks. I really like how low/thin profile the pack is even when loaded with considerable amount of stuff (about 15 lbs), of course with the help of 2 compression straps per side. I was planning to get the black color, but it wasn't available that time so I got the Ice blue instead. The more I use it, the more I love the color.
