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

Ive held off on writing a review for this for about five months now as I wanted to give this bag a chance to get some wear and tear. Now after two trips over seas, daily use, and a couple of rainstorms Ill finally toss this up. This bag has held up remarkably well for the abuse Ive put it through. I do some travel for work and I had to find a bag large enough for my ASUS laptop and this was one of the only ones I could find. I was a little hesitant to purchase the bag as it was pricey and some of the reviews were not that favorable of it. The biggest concern I had was the reported zipper issues, that almost kept me from getting the bag itself. Now after five months Im extremely pleased with this bag and its durability. Ive had zero issues with the zippers so far and its taken a beating in the London Tubes, the plane rides over the pond and back, and while wondering around London during my downtime. Ive been hit by a few random downpours and the bag has kept my belongings safe and dry inside. The abundance of pockets gives me room to store all my computer related peripherals so I dont have to worry about them loose inside the main pocket. The scansmart feature is wonderful for going through security at my local airport. Before it was incredibly nerve wracking time as you had to unload all your electronics from the bag and put them in separate bins. Now I can simply unzip the bag, lay it flat, and send it through. That being said, over seas you still have to pull your electronics out. This bag is only recognized by the TSA not world wide security. My first trip over I watched a couple with the smart scan bags arguing with British security about it, so keep that in mind when ordering this bag if you do. Ive enjoyed this bag so much I showed one of my coworkers who does a lot of traveling for the company as well and he ended up purchasing another SwissGear ScanSmart style bag.

This is my first experience of using a back pack so I carefully selected one for my needs. My job as a golf ranger requires me to carry a variety of necessary items for work and nourishment. This pack has lots of convenient pockets inside and out and is well suited for work and travel. The zippers are to my liking and I actually returned a more expensive pack because of the zipper action. I like smooth and substantial with generous pulls for ease of operation. I live in Arizona and black is not a good choice of color for being in the sun and I can see a slight fading starting but the sun is harsh and nothing can last in it for long unless it has thorns. This is a cool looking pack and I recommended it unless you dont like cool.

For a while I had a messenger bag to cart around my laptop, but as I traveled around the country, I found my back and shoulders getting increasingly sore. Asymmetrical loading, as it turns out, is bad for your body on long trips through an airport. With that in mind, I knew I needed to find a more traditional carrier, like a backpack, but it needed to be well padded if it was going to haul around my Mac Book Pro. When it comes to fixing that checklist, the SwissGear SA1923 ScanSmart Backpack has exceeded by expectations in almost every way. Pros: + Really good capacity. With a laptop pocket more than big enough for 15 inches (it fits up to 17), a main compartment, two sides, and two small fronts pouches, theres plenty of space. Plus, you can also squeeze a tablet in the little pocket in the Scan Smart section. All that means you can keep a laptop, some electronics, and a couple days of clothes in there. + If you travel, the Scan Smart system is incredible. You can just unzip, lay it flat, and run it through the metal detector. No TSA trouble at all, and no extra bins + The padding is really thick and cushy. I dont worry about putting it down, or it riding through turbulence. + The price is really good for the main features of the bag. + Its comfortable and adjustable. The fiber in the back will let your back breathe. + It looks good too. Clearly less kid like than grabbing an ordinary backpack out of the local retailer. Cons - The only thing that I can really say is that it doesnt take two years of almost nonstop air travel well. The mesh is worn out and tearing. Most bags arent designed for that kind of abuse though. So its more of a nitpick, as its still fully functional. - The water bottle holders on the sides have a tendency to not hold onto liquids that well. A few times strangers have handed me things that fell out on my trip through the airport. Overall though, I love this bag. Its been very comfortable, protected my stuff, and fits almost anywhere on a plane. Id recommend it to anyone.

Ive had this backpack for 7+ years now. The best Ive ever had. No issues and everyone seems to want one, including my wife. I had a zipper issue that it went off the track, but easily fixed. I was so nervous Id not be able to fix it and checked out that they have a 3-5 year warranty, 10 if you buy right from their website (not amazon). If this was unrepairable, Id be getting another swissgear backpack - no doubt. Great product and lasted the test of time from travel, work, etc.

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

This backpack case is simply fantastic for its primary goal of getting you through airport (or other) security checkpoints quickly, and its great for regular day-to-day use, as well. My backpack usually carries a Macbook, iPad, an old iPhone converted into basically an iTouch, and all of the accessories and power cables and headphones that would accompany those three. I also carry a few notepads, pens, and other assorted productivity and notetaking supplies. On trips it may sometimes also carry snacks, a hoodie or one of my daughters blankets, stuffed animals, etc ... all while still carrying and protecting my electronics. Going through airport security with this has been a breeze. I simply unzip the large main pocket and lay it flat. Im through the line and quickly on to my gate while others are repacking their laptop cases and getting flaps flipped back over and tethered or zipped down or whatever. Its really quick and handy. I do recommend that you prep for the security check by not having snacks, hoodies, blankets, stuffed animals, or whatever else in that large pocket. Think about the fact that youll be laying that wide open for the scan and keep it empty. You can always re-organize whats in the bag after the scan. For regular use, its just as handy. I like the extra side pockets to hold a water bottle or an umbrella, or whatever else. I cant recommend this highly enough. Ive used many laptop and iPad cases over the past few years while getting from point A to point B, and this one is probably my favorite. The one extremely tiny complaint that I could have with this is that its a bit TOO roomy in the storage areas. If there were a slightly (very slightly) smaller version of this bag, I would probably go for that. Even having some sort of adjustable padding to really hold a smaller laptop or Macbook a bit tighter would be great. Also, bear in mind that this is not a hard case and does not provide that level of protection. There is adequate padding around the computer areas for normal protection, but if you toss this around and drop it on the concrete, you will likely have a damaged laptop. Thats pretty much common sense, I would think, but its worth mentioning.

Had this for about 8 months and so far it has performed well.No problems to report. I use it for work and travel for work. It holds my laptop easily. Had a 15 laptop and it held it no problem. Now I have a smaller one and it swims in the pocket. Can easily fit a tablet or even 2 laptops. Havent tried the TSA friendly feature as I have pre check. There are enough pockets for for all of the stuff I carry. One thing I might change are the side mesh water bottle holders. When there is stuff in the zipper pockets next to the mesh pockets, it is hard to get a large water bottle in there or a thermos. Smaller water bottle fits ok. Im happy with it. Update: Been using this backpack now for 5 years. Traveled past 5 years for work with last 2 years solid travel and after several hundred flights and 3 continents, this backpack is still going strong. Showing very little wear. Zippers all in good condition, handles still secure and attached. Easily holds my laptop and an iPad. Still havent tried the TSA feature as Ive always had pre check. I honestly did not expect to still be using this after 5 years but I think I will get at least another 3 years out of it before I simply get tired of it and buy something new just to buy something new. Cant ask for too much more out of a backpack than I asked of this one. Update 2022: This backpack is still going strong. I added a new continent in 2022 with 2 trips to Australia, one to Korea and several trips to Europe. It is only showing the slightest bit of wear and only on the inside. It must be nearing a million miles of travel by now along with daily trips to the office when I’m not traveling. I don’t know if they still make this model but if they do, it’s a great durable everyday travel backpack

The reason I bought this backpack is that I wanted something that could be useful to be for many future traveling trips. We will see about this. I took it on a trip recently. The back portion worked perfectly. I have laptop on one side, tablet on the other - zipped it open to run through x-ray security, zipped it back up and went on my way. It was great! My goal was to see if I could fit a weeks worth of clothes so I wouldnt have to take a carry on suitcase. I fit a pair of jeans, 7 shirts, bed clothes, and one set of workout shorts and pants. It was super tight but all of it fit. I wanted to see if this would really work for a 3 day trip or a week vacation where Id be wearing board shorts and t-shirts everyday. It worked. I even took a light jacket, rolled it up and strapped in onto one side, water bottle on the other side. Looks like its made to last. Thumbs up here!

Nice quality and functional as well. Could use more padding in the laptop compartment - so you have to carefully drop it when you put it down. Also: front department kind of unstable when open and things can fall out when the zipper is not closed. Same for the other zippers: if they are not closed properly , things can fall out. Once you know the shortcomings you can adjust your behavior and it is just fine - for the money. Update December 3rd One the back straps is starting to separate..I am carrying the equivalent of 2 laptops..probably not made for the weight..downgraded to 3 starts... Update Feb 2013 Need to replace it soon...doesnt last.. June 2013 - UPDATE !! Free Replacement with Redesigned Version by SwissGear They just send a replacement. I am pretty sure that they redesigned the area around the straps and got rid of the elastic material. That should hold much more weight than before. I previously replaced it with a different brand for 100 USD..still like this one better. Thanks SwissGear ! Greast deal for the money !

From back to front: Supportive yet comfortable straps that displace the weight very nicely, yet keep my back relatively cool in the Florida heat. (56 female) My 15 Macbook Pro fits easily yet securely in the laptop pocket (though I am still getting used to the side-zip entrance for the laptop sleeve). The bottom of the pack has a bit of padding which looks/feels like it will absorb any shocks when setting the pack down. The center pouch has a thin partition for organizing folders/notebooks with a phone pocket hanging from the top that snugly fits my iphone 6 plus (in a Lifeproof Case) with a protected hole to thread your headphones out of. The front has two zipped pockets. The top is shallow but about 6 inches long, the bottom pocket has an organizational partition for pens/planners/wallet etc with a little detachable ring for your keys. On either side there are two zipped pockets with vents that run the length of the bag, and two mesh pockets with additional straps; I was pleased to find that my 1 Liter Nalgene bottle fits securely in the side mesh pockets! The handle on top is, like the rest of the bag, is well made and secure! I use the carabiner on the back for my bike helmet, and love the reflective strips for my commutes as well. There are so many pockets, I have yet to find a use for all of them! Overall, its a great bag and appears to be very well-made. Its not necessarily the cutest of backpacks, but its very functional and I am glad I chose it over some of its more attractive (yet not as comfortable, protective, or durable) counterparts!