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

Best backpack. I bought this backpack in 2015. Its 2021. I use it for travel on an almost weekly basis. It doesnt have a scratch on it. Your back will not sweat wearing it either thanks to the mesh back. Cant recommend it strongly enough. Only thing I wish it had is a sternum strap.

I use this daily for work and it still works like the first day I got it. I have no issues and it got good space for the size!

I have been using this backpack daily for four months now, and its been holding up well to the abuse. I generally carry the following: - A 15.6 inch HP laptop - Power cord for said laptop - Extension cord for power at coffee shops - Power spliter so I can get power at coffee shops - Books of various sizes (for the most part, small - about 5x8 on average, 1/2 - 1 thick) - First aid kit - External Hard Drive - etc. As you can see, I carry a LOT of stuff, generally running about 25lbs worth of stuff in my backpack at any given time. I was hesitant to buy this backpack initially due to reviews about breaking straps, but so far I havent had any issues with it. Now, for me, I would prefer to have a bit more room in the backpack, but thats just because, as mentioned earlier, I carry a LOT of stuff. For the pro/con list people: Pros: - Good padding on the back, pretty comfortable - Decent number of pockets. Two large (one only for laptop, one for laptop + accessories), one medium sized (should be able to fit an iPad), and at least five small pockets (one hidden inside the medium pocket. - Fits my 15.6 laptop perfectly - Two water bottle carrying slots Cons: - The side zipper pockets cant carry much if you use water bottles since they interfere with each other. - Could use a bit more padding on the bottom of the backpack

I tried the following bags before settling on this one: SwissGear 1900 – tablet sleeve not useful for my purposes Under Armour Storm Hustle II – nice lightweight bag but not sufficient number of useful pockets (internal zippered or velcroed) KAKA waterproof – roomy and well constructed but no internal zippered pockets SwissGear 1908 – not bad but the SwissGear 1923 had more pockets / stitching seems weak Amazon Basics Adventure – fair construction / good weight / not enough useful zippered internal pockets – I liked that laptop compartment had anterior and posterior padding SwissGear 1923 – has one internal zippered pocket in the bag’s flap. Zippered side pockets and front carabineer are also useful. The backpack handle would have been better if it were more rubbery and flexible instead of hard plastic. This bag weighs a bit more than some of the other comparable bags.

So as the title says, I would like to specifically address the topic of the size of this backpack. Ive read MULTIPLE reviews that say it will fit a Dell XPS 17 (which is about 17.4). Within 10 mins after I post this review, I should have two pictures up for you, showing you the fit of the XPS 17 and another of the tag that says Fits up to a 15 laptop. So, if you are willing to struggle a bit, it actually will fit the Dell XPS 17 laptop, but this is EXTREMELY tight. Its just trying to squeeze that one last corner. If you have a laptop that is just 1/2 an inch or more smaller, I feel positive it would fit. Sadly, without a struggle and the risk of breaking the zipper or scratching the laptop corner, I just cant safely say youd want this backpack for a 17 laptop. Now to confirm the other reviews, it is a great backpack. It feels sturdy, strong, and has plenty of space. It fits my large 32 oz waterbottle in either side as well. Two small pockets on the front, one with place for ipod and the other with spaces for pens/pencils. Two pockets on either side, underneath the waterbottle holders. These pockets are about 3/4 the height of the whole backpack, so nice to fit many things. Then three main pockets, one for the laptop, one thin one, probably only paper/folders would fit here. And then the last one is fairly big, enough so to hold a large textbook, binders, etc. So a great backpack for anyone with a laptop under 17.

I’ve been using this backpack for six years, and in that time have used it nearly every day for work or travel. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It has been durable, useful, and done almost everything I ask of it. On travel days it carries two iPad Pros, one in an Otter Box case, a Kindle Fire, two backup Lion batteries, a bundle of charging cables and plugs, AirPods, passport, USCG documentation, two bundles of keys, TWIC card in a case, water bottle, full-size umbrella, bag of snacks, bag of nips, bag of meds, bottle of Ibuprofen, gum, mints, etc. It swallows all this and more, and while it’s heavy, because of the contents, it’s manageable and fits under the airplane seat. The bag has survived 6 years of brutal treatment in airports and aboard the commercial vessels I drive. It’s been my constant companion, and I only have one complaint. It doesn’t stand up on its own when fully loaded. When I place it upright on the floor or other surfaces it slowly leans forward, and eventually topples. So, I have to lean it against things or place it in such a way that it doesn’t fall. I’m writing this after six years of happy use because I finally broke one of the many zippers. I blame myself for overloading the main storage area and forcing the zipper. So, I’m retiring this great bag and, after much research replacing it with the SwissGear 5358, which is slightly larger and has a few slightly different design features. I’ll let you know if it measures up.

Ive used many computer bags in my 20+ years as an engineer that travels to customers, business partners, standards bodies, testing labs, etc. This is the first bag that I would consider to be truly well thought-out. I have owned the bag for about 3 months and I am still discovering the usefulness of little features of this bag as I come across the need for them. The ONLY thing that I would change on this bag would be to add a tight but strong horizontal strip of fabric on the strap-side of the bag so that I can slip the handle of my roller luggage through and keep the backpack anchored to the extended handle of my roller luggage. I have a connector and detachable strap of the roller luggage. I can link the strap through the handle of this backpack but then the backpack straps drag in the snow/slush/puddles in airport parking lots. I see this as a minor drawback and nowhere near enough of a reason to choose a different backpack. Perhaps SwissGear might add this feature to the next version?

I ordered two of these backpacks. One was for me (as a law student) and another was for my mother to take to work. The backpack has so many outer pockets and inner compartments to store various sizes and types of materials. The backpack is very laptop friendly with its padded laptop pocket, but also retains plenty of space for textbooks, notebooks, and various other necessary materials (depending on what purpose you use the backpack for). Alternatively, the backpack is TSA-friendly, and is easy to travel with. I was skeptical ordering this backpack because I wanted something that could accommodate my many textbooks, notebooks, and laptop (and miscellaneous school supplies), and this backpack did the trick. I am super excited to use this backpack and would encourage anyone looking for a durable, functional backpack to consider this one.

I have held of putting in this review for almost a year so I was sure what I was talking about. I have used this as a every day bag and for hiking, mountain bike riding, off road motoro bike riding, camping and work trips away with laptops etc. I purchased this bag based on several key features, 1. side mesh pockets for keys (Im lucky I live in a town with little crime so not worried about security), 2. large side zip pockets for water bottles or laptop chargers etc, 3. front lower pocket with organiser for pens, eye drops, wallet, meds and the like. Not quit as good as previous bags with the actual pockets, but still pretty good, have found it is more a free for all type pocket 4. top front pocket is good for sun glasses (wrapped in own soft protection bag) 5. Main compartment good for most things. down side is it has two sleeves for keeping books organised, but I find it gets in the way when storing pretty much anything in the compartment, Im tempted to cut them out 6. Two laptop / document storage compartments against the back of the pack, good for 15 HP laptop and also useful for any books etc General comments 1. The top handle flops down meaning it seriously gets in the way when putting anything in the main compartment, I fixed this by zip tieing it to one of the straps at the top of the shoulder straps in a upright position, works well. 2. The shoulder straps sit well on my shoulder and do not clash with my arms when walking 3. It is not the lightest bag but this means it stands up pretty much by itself when it put in on the floor as opposed to falling over like a lighter bag (personal hate of mine) 4. I have used it for some long off road motor bike rides with out problem, nothing even looks like it will fail 5. its not the biggest bag, but that stops me from carring to much, I can get enought in it for a over night work trip away with a bit of carful packing 6. I like the styling, not your average bag 7. Zips are great and take a lot of abuse Summary It took me a long time to find this bag as shopping on line is not the same as in store, I live in town with no bag stores. My research was worth it as I would buy this bag again if it still made and if there was nothing else newer that was better. However I suspect that will be five or more years away as it is very well made.

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.