Rating:

I returned the item immediately after I opened it, because it was so flimsy and poorly made, it was really lightweight and there was barely any padding for the laptop. The handles and straps and zipper pulls are all really, really cheapy. I would not trust the top handle at all, it’s a single-ply piece of fabric so it isn’t even comfortable to carry, and I think it would tear off very quickly.

Basically, this is like a $10 or $15 backpack, but because it says CaseLogic they sell it for $45.

Honestly, if you’re going to spend any money on a backpack, you can get way better for way less. Like I said, I returned this and got a $17 generic one from Lenovo and it’s twice as nicely made.

Rating:

The part I like most is that it’s not ugly. I really appreciate the subtle, clean, design as well as the material used. I don’t foresee this wearing much, but I still plan to buy a couple extra so I can use this model for life. Padding is very adequate. After 2 month’s daily use, I haven’t noticed a thing I’m not happy with.

AND for the price, I imagine the 1 reason not to get this is for size requirement reasons. Great product

Rating:

About the Case Logic in particular: I was positively surprised by how much other stuff this backpack holds. It looks smaller than comparable laptop backpacks, but it’s a space miracle! It easily holds a stuffed 2″ binder and some smaller items (power cord, calculator, …). Yet, it remains comfortable to carry for longer periods even when I stuffed it with heavy items like paper/books/water bottle. Two additional features make this handy: You can easily attach it to the bars of a trolley if you don’t feel like carrying it on your back and it is easier to fit under the seat in front of you on an airplane because it’s not so big and not so rigid.

Slight downside is that the compartments are not so well-organised. I wish there was a small compartment for pens. Now I have to dig for them in the flat bag which is a little chaos of iPod, calculator, time clock card and other rubbish. Also there are no side pockets for bottles.

You can argue about appearance, but I find it somehow chic (my Japanese friend likes it ) and it is not as large as comparable laptop backpacks. So if you are a woman or smaller person and don’t want to look dwarfed by a big box on your back this might be a good choice.

Rating:

On my most recent trip, I packed the bag with a 15.4″ Dell Latitude D800, a couple school books, some papers, the usual laptop stuff, and some other junk; all together the bag weighed about 20 pounds. I also travel with a Tamrac Expedition 5 backpack containing a digital SLR, several lenses, filters and more resulting with a bag weighing about 20 pounds as well. Considering these two bags weigh the same, the camera bag with its waist strap and shoulder strap connector over the chest feels much lighter on the shoulders. The additional straps distribute the weight better, but would slow down the removal process. However Case Logic’s luggage strap allows for carrying the backpack on your suitcase while strapped to the handle.

A lot of thought went into the construction and organizational properties of this laptop backpack Even though Case Logic indicates the plush laptop compartment will hold a 16″ laptop, I was able to pack a 17″ HP G70-246US comfortably without any zipper closure fuss; although the top corners could be identified. For screening purposes, nothing but the laptop should be stored in this section. The main storage area has a couple pockets to stash the cord and other accessories while allowing plenty of room for books and papers. The front compartment provides many pockets for organizing and includes a clip to hold a key ring. Plus a hidden passport storage compartment is placed between the two zippered halves.

The pre-screening security officer busily warned people to pull out their laptops, but I ignored him. I took the bag off my back, unzipped the two center zippers and laid the properly packed bag out flat on the conveyor belt. The bag passed inspection without any issues. On the other end, I grabbed the main handle and the bag went naturally back together for zipping even though I chose to do so later. Keep in mind, Case Logic warns “It is up to the discretion of the US Transportation Security Officer whether a laptop sleeve can pass without further screening.” This by far was the easiest experience passing a laptop through security I can recall.

If you’re looking for a laptop bag for traveling which can get you through security check points quickly and hassle free, strongly consider the Case Logic security friendly laptop backpack. The executive on the go would benefit the most, but even the occasional traveler could make use of this sturdy and effective laptop bag. Plus this bag is backed by a 25 year warranty.

PROS:

Sturdy and well constructed

Ample back padding

Manufactured for organization

Luggage strap

CONS:

Feels heavy on the shoulders

Rating:

Of the many laptop backpacks I’ve owned, the OGIO Metro Backpack and discontinued Samsonite Rafter are my top two favorite, so I use them as a baseline for comparison purposes. Compared to those two bags, this Case Logic is firmly planted on the “Spartan” side of the fence. It’s very low on features, but what it does, it does well. Most of what I said in my Case Logic 16-Inch Full-Size Security Friendly Laptop Case (CLCS-116) can be repeated here for much of the pro’s and con’s carry through to this backpack model – with a few changes.

Pros:

- Non-laptop half of the bag has lots of good segmented and non-segmented compartments. Good for holding gadgets like Blackberries, phones, MP3 players, power cords, pens, books, etc…

- Small semi-hidden “wallet” hole for hiding cash.

- Zipper sliders are metal, not plastic (a big plus in my book). Zipper teeth are mostly plastic with the exception of the front zipper which is metal. All zippers on my bag pulled nice and smooth.

- Holds my 15.4″ laptop like a champ – lots of padding, plenty of room.

- Put my Inspiron 1720 17″ laptop in, just to see if it’d fit. “Kind of” would be a good description – the laptop fit, but only because I removed the battery (Dell laptops have gone to a configuration where the battery hangs off the back end). The 17″ laptop is pushing at the seams of the compartment, so not a whole lot of padding left at the sides. Not bad for a backpack that advertises itself as a 16″ laptop backpack.

- Secondary “stuff” pocket is full sized, extending wide enough to hold a hefty 3-4″ phonebook-sized item.

- Relatively light for a backpack at 3lbs.

- Nice “pass-through” feature which lets you thread the pull bar of rolling luggage through allowing for piggy-backing of the pack.

Cons:

- No headphones hole – thought that was odd for Case Logic.

- Very little padding in non-laptop half of the case – careful with your gadgets!

- No side pockets, mostly because you have to open it up for the security screening.

- Not a whole lot of extension allowance – if your items don’t fit, they won’t fit. The stitch is stiff nylon so there’s not a lot of give.

- The straps are attached by way of two Z-stitches at the top and a double-stitch to an extension at the bottom – if you overload your backpacks a lot like I do, these stitches probably won’t last very long. However if you’re just hauling a laptop, a book, and a few gadgets, this should last a lifetime.

Conclusion:

Since this backpack is a “Generation 1″ of these security bags, I’m hoping that the future will bring more cost-effective and feature rich bags. The cost itself is probably prohibitive enough to bring this backpack out of the reach of most students, and honestly if the only benefit that you’re getting is that you don’t have to put the laptop in the scanning device, it’s probably not enough for most people to purchase this backpack. However if you’re the consultant type who takes semi-daily business trips, being able to fly through the security checkpoint with just your backpack and shoes removed is probably enough of an incentive to grab this bag. Plus the design is clean enough to look professional.

Rating:

As someone who lugs around a decent sized widescreen laptop, this is exactly the kind of laptop you would like to have. The rear portion of the backpack contains a padded area for you to store your laptop. Padded as to not damage the computer and to not cause you any discomfort also the lining of this pocket is soft as to not scratch any of the surfaces of your laptop.

The bag features a zipper that basically allows you to split the backpack in half and lay it down flat for scanning through the x-ray machine at airports. This of course is nice since you aren’t pulling out your laptop and tossing it in one of those dirty gray bins and getting it scratched, etc..

The front half of the bag contains three other pockets, a smaller one on the front, a slightly larger one behind that which contains smaller pockets for pens, business cards and other small items, then you have one larger pocket which has room for things like power adapters, Cd’s, etc..

A couple of other nice features:

The bag is designed to hold it’s shape and stand up right when set down. The shoulder straps are padded and curved, making them very easy and comfortable to use. And a nice little touch the adjustable straps that normally dangle after you adjust them, these straps have nifty little Velcro pieces that allow you to roll them up and keep them from getting dirty when you have the bag on the ground or getting caught on stuff as you walk around.

Suffice to say, the bag may not be the coolest looking backpack out there, but you can tell that a lot of thought was put into it design, the designers remembered the little things that annoy you about backpacks that you wished you could fix. Glad I have it!