I was looking for an everyday backpack to carry a standard laptop and papers to work as a substitute to the standard over-the-shoulder computer bag. Considered a number of the high end packs (Tumi, Booq), but didn't feel they justified the cost (upwards of $200) for just a way to carry a laptop on my back.
Many less expensive backpacks seem to either be the soft kind or come in multiple bright colors. That may be fun for high school, but I needed something more professional looking and feeling. This pack is solid and rigid, is just the right size, has all the necessary compartments, looks professional and has a base that makes is stable upright. The soft top handle is comfortable. It would be good to have a separate compartment designed specifically for the power supply (all laptops have them so why not?), but that's a very minor gripe. All and all, a good basic backpack for my needs at the right price ~$50.
I've tried a LOT but this is the best, the most confortable, perfect capacity, perfect for folders, and other stuff besides your laptop, even i put extra t-shirts.... the best thing when you get to a place and you have to put it in the floor it completely stays still....
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I've been using this bag for over four years now and didn't even think to look for it on Amazon because it bought it from another website because I had a gift card. I do remember writing a review, but can't seem to find it on Amazon or the other website, so here goes...
I wanted a backpack style bag because the messenger style ones hurt my shoulder after a business trip due to the weight. Many other bags aren't very simple/professional looking because they looked too much like (at least they did 4 years ago) regular backpacks. In addition, I wanted a bag that had some rigidity to it, which this has.
For the first four years, I used this to carry a 14" and a 15" laptop at the same time. In addition, it usually carried two laptop power adapters w/ cables, about 2-3 magazines, a book, a 4" GPS w/ car charger, an iPod, sunglasses with a hard case, a quarter inch stack of business cards, a 22 oz water bottle, noise-canceling headphones, two flip-style cell phones, an Ethernet cable, and my keys. It's mainly the two heavy, plastic laptops that weigh ~5 lbs each which caused my shoulder to hurt, but now you know why I needed a backpack. Also, I hope it gives you an idea of how much stuff you can pack into this bag which looks relatively small. I even had room to throw in some food bars and beef jerky in the top empty space. More recently, I got an iPad 2, so it dropped 5 lbs.
There are 3 zippers where 2 lead you to the main storage compartment. The zipper closest to your back when you're wearing it opens up the place where my 15" laptop goes. It does not take the full width of the backpack so that the laptop doesn't move as much during transport.
Right next to it, there's some empty space where my 14" laptop and the power adapters & cables went vertically and horizontally. I also took the chance by storing my water bottle vertically in that section because that was the only place it could've gone where the space was wide enough so that it wouldn't get crushed. I used a hard Nalgene bottle that I new wouldn't leak as long as I capped it off right.
A rigid divider separates my 14" laptop section with the section that the other zipper leads to. That narrow section is where my magazines went. In that same section, there is a soft pocket area where I usually stash a small book, the hard eyeglass case, and/or snacks that I didn't mind being crush.
The third zipper opens up to a completely separate compartment that is adjacent to one side of that soft pocket I mentioned. In that compartment, you have two main pockets, one on each wide side of the backpack. That section also has a netted zipper pocket that is a about the size of an adult male's hand. I know that can vary, but you're not talking about that much volume anyway. Next to that netted pocket, you'll find slots that can fit business cards and coins. Also, there are two places for sliding in pens.
As the other reviewer here said, it can stand up on it's own because the bottom is flat and rigid. I think that's where most of the protection comes in, by the way. The hardest part of the bag is at the bottom and prevents the bag from getting crushed except at the top, where the shell is thinner and rounder. The soft handle is strong enough for me to lug the heavy thing around and to put out of overhead bins.
I did run into a recurring problem, however. Because the shell of the case is so rigid, I can't always fit it under the seat in front of me on an airplane when I'm in the aisle seat. Some airlines, usually United's Economy Plus aisle seats, have a center supporting bar closer to the aisle side, which makes this bag about one inch too wide to fit. Also, you can't make it fit by tilting it 45 degrees like a messenger-style laptop bag. Also, without a separate section to put my water bottle, I usually don't ever have a filled bottle in there when the bag isn't vertical or when I don't have bottle I can trust (i.e., one more thing to carry in my hands).
The soft handle is strong enough for me to lug the heavy thing around and to put out of overhead bins. The bag stays clean very well for me. There is some fabric that looked like it got overstretched on the front of the bag (err, the side people see when you're wearing it) and this occurred after some use, but it's not easy to notice because of the darker fabric colors. I can attest to that because I have no idea when it happened. The yellow Case Logic logo ruins the overall simplistic, clean look of the bag because it's near dead-center, but it's a dull yellow and small.
So, overall, it's a good bag and I am surprised how much I was able to stuff into it. However, with some aesthetic issues (where the main one can be fixed if Case Logic puts their logo in the corner) and the lack of space for a water bottle (I know putting in an external pocket will ruin the clean look, but I reserve my 5/5 for something great and water is too basic a need for air travel for me to overlook it), I give this a very strong 4 since I can't give it a 4.5.
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I purchased this for my son because I didn't want his laptop to suffer a painful and needless demise and he is very hard on backpacks to say nothing of electronic equipment. The backpack lived up to its description and so far the laptop has remained unscathed.
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My old EDC bag was the Maxpedition Neatfreak Organizer, but my only problem with it was that I couldn't carry my HP Mini 110-3530NR Netbook (Black) in it. This is where the Kato comes in ... (you've got to love the name!) ... I purchased it when it first came out. It's large enough for me to carry my HP Mini, my Franklin Planner, and all sorts of EDC items. It has a very nice protective sleeve for either an iPad or similar tablet computer or concealed carry.
