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

Very nice bag. I returned it as it was a bit big and bulky for a 15 inch laptop bag. Will be good if you plan on putting a lot of stuff in it. But it was just too much bag for what I travel with as I dislike bulky things.

I was skeptical about this purchase with the myriad of complaints about quality in the reviews. So far this pack has held up well to both urban and camping usage. I can carry a decent amount of weight in it without strain. I loaded 35 pounds in it and took it on a 4 mile hike with my dog - no sweat! It has LOTS of compartments that are well designed for all the various electronics used today and various items I like to carry The straps are comfortable and easy to adjust. The handle is sturdy. And so far, every bit of it has held up to some abuse. My only complaint is the zipper design. They are all curved in a way that is pleasing to the eye and helpful in how much you can open each compartment. BUT because of the curves, its been impossible for me to close any of the zippers with one hand. I get annoyed when I reach for something and then want to close it back up and have to set things down so I can use both hands.

Got a great deal on this back pack! After seeing a similar model in a big name office supply store and refusing to spend over a hundred dollars for a back pack, I was happy to find this a few weeks later on Amazon while scanning the daily deals. My son is in eighth grade and we are hoping this lasts till senior year. Well, I hoping it will. He will probably be asking for a new one in another year. It is sturdy enough to survive a teenage boy who believes backpacks are meant to slung across the room and left in the busiest pathway until it is time to leave the house to catch the bus. Goodness only knows what happens to it in school. I love that it is black and does not show the dirt and grime the way his former red back pack did.

This backpack is just OK. I bought a backpack from Walmart I think(actually my wife bought it....;)with skulls on it. It was for kids going back to school. Well I like skulls, even though Im older now, and it was just a great backpack! Everything was in the correct spot! The 1 and only thing that was lacking that this backpack has, is the side drink holder pockets! Those are great! Everything else is more of a pain then anything else. The quality seems good after having it for 2 months. Still looks good and all that, which is to be expected for a $60 backpack! Its just that the pickets, and everything is just a little off, and that little off makes them not convenient and you misplace and lose stuff easily because of it. Stuff that used to take me a minute to grab in my old backpack, doesnt stay in place with this one, and I have to dig for it! I HATE THAT! The pockets also are not meant to get into on the go. And Im always on the go, so thats very inconvenient!

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 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.

This backpack is awesome! I bought this over 4 years ago to take to college and its still going strong! I havent had anything break on this, and I have loaded this up with multiple textbooks at a time. As a math major, I think this has probably gotten up to 50 pounds in it at least. Now I am working on my Masters and still using the same backpack. This is great for compartmentalizing and organizing your stuff. I can hang my keys or a Nalgene water bottle off the carabiner, I put my calculator in a side pocket, pencils/pens in the front, laptop in the back and most of my books in the front main pocket. Makes it really easy to find whatever I need. I have been very happy with this, and even if it breaks tomorrow, I think Ive gotten my moneys worth and will buy another SwissGear.

Swiss Gear Lightweight ScanSmart Laptop Backpack SA1923 When I started school, I had an old, beat-up Messenger Bag that had been with me for as long as I can remember. That lasted all of about 60 seconds when I realized Id need something, newer, bigger and better. I spent some time researching and asking around and finally decided on the Swiss Gear Lightweight ScanSmart Laptop Backpack SA1923. ATTRIBUTES: -Its HUGE! -Multiple pockets to satisfy my need for carrying everything and having it all sorted, just so. -Reinforced seam stitching. -Rubber reinforcement on top grab handle. -Many, many zippers. -Dual water bottle holders. -Large, laptop compartment with extra padding. -Zips in half for use in X-Ray machines at airports, and to separate laptop compartment without actually removing it. -Easily adjustable shoulder straps. -Small pouch for MP3 player with external cord port feeder hole. -Sunglass loop on left shoulder strap. -Metal zippers with rubber reinforcements. -Zipper holes are large enough to accommodate a lock. -Double zippers on each pouch opening. -Padded shoulder straps. -Stylish. That means its black! -Dividers in main pocket for even more organization. -Built in mesh pencil pouch for smaller objects. -Finger holes on bottom of shoulder adjustment straps. PROS: -Durable. In the four months Ive been using it, theres no seam rips, no wear marks, not even on the bottom. I use this bag daily, even on the weekends to carry on average 30+ pounds of books and various other school supplies and it still looks brand new. -Stylish. Its black, with red and gray accents. And the gray pin striping is actually reflective, making me easier to see in the dark. This is a good color combination. -Comfortable. The padded shoulder straps make this bag, even with as much as I carry in it, comfortable. -The finger holes on the bottom of the shoulder adjustment straps make this bag easy to adjust so that youre wearing it correctly, which ads to its comfort. -The padding around the laptop compartment is so ample, I have no concerns about my laptop being battered or bruised. -Even the smaller pockets hold a lot of stuff and they make it easy to access items more quickly. Pens, thumb drives, etc. -Limited Five Year Warranty CONS: -The padding on the bottom of the laptop compartment seems a little light compared with the sides. This means I dont ever drop my bag with my laptop in it. -Its front heavy and falls over. Maybe thats because I have too much stuff in it. -Due to the tapered design, if you have it crammed full, theres not a lot of room to get to the lower portion of the main pocket without fully opening it. -No belly strap. OVERALL IMPRESSION: -This bag is surprisingly durable, well reinforced and extremely useful. It has numerous useful features that make it well worth the money youll be spending. RECOMMENDATION: -If the last four months have been any indication, this bag will last me the rest of my school career. To anyone looking for a one-time purchase of a good looking, durable bag, I highly recommend the Swiss Gear Lightweight ScanSmart Laptop Backpack SA1923.

Overall I really like this bag, and would recommend for purchase, as its good value for the price. Some things to be aware of however: 1. Large gromets would let water into the two side pockets if it rained on the bag, or it got splashed. I would have liked to see better weather proofing. 2. The main stuff pocket has a rather small opening at the top. Not a big deal, but I like a full width opening at the top. 3. The pocket separators in the main stuff pocket dont attach to the bottom of the bag, which is fine for papers/folders, etc... but if I put something small in the front of this pocket, it ends up shifting back and lying under the separator pockets. I have to do more hunting than is necessary for these items when they do shift (headphones, or small notebook, etc...) 4. being left handed, I am somewhat miffed that the laptop section only opens on the right hand side, but I do like the side opening pocket and the padding.

After many types of messenger bags I decided to switch out to a backpack for a lot of my work. I did some research online, checked out the reviews and decided on this SwissGear SA 1923. Good bag. its a very well made back and so far has held up to a lot of my punishment. Its easy to sling over my shoulder and when I have to carry something large I can wear it proper and not worry about it slipping off. It has ample storage space and a lot of compartments to store the odd bits. In the main computer compartment I store my Lenovo 14 laptop. The only addition I did was put a piece of foam at the bottom of the compartment from a Targus bag to keep the bumps from hurting anything. The bag is made to TSA specs so the next set of zippers inwards will cleave the backpack in two. In normal mode it allows me to store my iPad or bluetooth keyboard in a webbed compartment. Oh, quick hint. At the top, where all these zippers meet, theres a loop where I put a carabiner. All these zippers have a hole at the end where theyll easily fit onto a small carabiner. Do this or the weight of the laptop will pull the zipper down. No problem unless youre wearing the backpack, driving down the road on your motorcycle. VERY close call. Side pockets allow me to separate out my AC adapter and small amount of tools. Theres a large central compartment for my notebook (paper) and iPad and a front pouch that gathers all of my other bits and pieces. Oh yeah, theres a top front pocket, by the handle, thats perfect to hold quick to get at items. Great for drink mixes or granola bars. The material seems tough, it stores a lot of my junk and is pretty easy to carry around. Exactly why I purchased it. Easy to carry by the handle as well as one or both shoulder straps. Plenty of pockets and carabiner attachment points. And, is TSA compliant. But why not 5 stars? I only had two problems with this bag, both relatively minor. First, it will fall FLAT ON ITS FACE! The way the bag is made causes the bag to flop over onto its face no matter how its loaded. Not really a problem but I like to put my bag down so I can get at the pockets and the first time I did this it took a header off a chair and crashed onto a concrete floor. Kind of a pain to always have to hide away the pockets when you put it down. Second complaint is the lack of storage for small items. I have a lot of cables, adapters, and other small do-dads. There really isnt a good small item dividers. Like I said, small complaint but important to me. Ive gotten around it by purchasing other small zippered storage bags that I can stuff into the larger compartments. All in all a good bag. Glad I purchased it and would recommend to others but with those two caveats.