SwissGear Travel Tech Elite Laptop Backpack – Fits Laptops up to 16” – ScanSmart TSA-Friendly Backpack with USB Port, Shoe Compartment & Organizer Pockets – Heather Grey

I’m really impressed with this backpack! The design is surprisingly well thought out—there’s a dedicated spot for my glasses, which keeps them protected and easy to reach, and a separate compartment for shoes that helps keep everything else clean and organized. The material feels sturdy and durable, and the zippers seem high quality too. It’s comfortable to wear, even when fully packed, and has quickly become my go-to bag for travel, and everyday use. Definitely worth the purchase!

I Bought this backpack for my husband. He needed a quality backpack for business travel. He had previously been using his Mountain Hardwear Camp4 28 as his EDC but recently took a remote position that requires occasional airline travel. While the MH bag is a good bag for an EDC, it isn't designed for business travel. He researches EVERYTHING... ad nauseam. He chose this backpack based upon features, appearance, brand AND the discounted price during Amazon Prime Days. With the intended use as a personal item on US flights, he was able to pack this backpack with his 15.6" laptop, extra 16" monitor, all the cables and power bricks that accompany them, a travel keyboard and mouse, as well as 2 phones, battery bank, notebook and in-flight entertainment including his noise cancelling over the ear headphones, tablet, airfly (Bluetooth gizmo). He was also able to pack a change of clothes in case his carry-on gets gate checked and then lost (it's entirely possible). He loves the small zipper pocket with a hard interior case in which he keeps his eyeglasses (backup to contacts), 2 pair of readers and a microfiber cloth. Yes, this all fit in the backpack which in turn fit under the airline seat. The material is rugged and looks like it will take a beating. The zippers (unknown if YKK) are solid and hefty with the Swiss Gear emblem... they feel like quality zippers. The zippers are also large enough to accept an S-hook to lock the zippers together to help prevent pick pocketing. The trolly sleeve is also better than the average trolly sleeve. It is not the normal thin strap you get on other packs. The backing is contoured and padded for cool comfort if not wearing as a sling. There are 2 padded mesh external pockets that will fit his well used Pogo 32 oz water bottle. My husband is a gear snob and he wants quality in his products. This backpack fits the bill. The Amazon description is pretty accurate, which helped him select this pack. Siskel and Ebert would definitely give this pack 👍👍

I originally ordered 5 other bags in an attempt to save some money. I returned 4 immediately and the 5th one after use on one trip because arriving was coming apart in multiple places. I decided to just get a Wenger bag because I'm familiar with their quality. Luckily picked this up used for about half price however after seeing it compared to all the others I ordered, it's well worth full price. It checks all the boxes with the external USB port, sternum strap, elevated laptop section for max protection, TSA/scansmart feature, bottle holder and large main storage area. Someone in another review said the shoe compartment was very small but this is not true (I was actually able to fit 2 pairs of size 11 Hey Dudes in it). For a test of it's capacity I packed it up as of I was going for a weekend trip. Below is everything I fit in it... TSA section - Laptop, charger, wireless mouse, network cable Sunglass/Quick Access pocket - spare battery pack, tic tacs, ear buds, ear plugs Main section - 2 tee shirts, 2 pairs of shorts/socks/underwear, very large battery pack connected to the external USB port, charging cables. Shoe compartment - I don't often travel with extra shoes so I used this for my shave bag which includes all the typical stuff including a head shaver and an electric razor. This way, I could have access to it without needing to unpack the clothes on top of it. Organizer pocket - pens, lens cleaner clothes, business cards, hand sanitizer. Still had a lot of room available. Front pocket - this is the one with the vertical zipper. I didn't put anything in it but it works be perfect for snacks. I had all this packet up and I weighed it to be about 17 lbs. I wore it around for about 15 minutes and it was extremely comfortable. I could feel the elastic in the chest strap and the suspension feature in the shoulder straps doing their job. Had zero shoulder or neck strain. About the only negative thing I could say is that if you put a water bottle in the mesh pocket, it great reduces anything you could put in the insulated pocket. I looked at about 10 other bags between ones I had ordered from Amazon and checked out in stores and this is by far the best one.

I've always been a buy once, cry once kind of guy when it comes to things I know I'll use daily or often. My last backpack I've literally used since I was in high school, and through college, then through random use for all the years since then. It's served me well and is still totally usable but it just looks old and beat up so figured I'd finally get something new. This is just a day one review, haven't actually put it to the 'test' yet but just instantly its apparent the difference in quality from everything from the materials to the zippers this backpack is great. I love the functionality of it. I started going to the gym this year and was considering buying a gym duffle so seeing that this actually has a dedicated collapsible shoe compartment (it's like a bag hidden in a side pocket that expands out when in use so if you're not using it its not taking up space in the backpack) is awesome and such a great idea. I was also surprised to see the side pocket for carrying cold/hot items. A thermal pocket is such a good idea in a backpack. It won't stow any large thermal cups, it's more made for like a standard plastic bottle of water but it just such a good idea. Anyways I could mention something I like about every single pocket but at the end of the day this thing has everything I wanted, the price of 70ish dollars on prime day was fantastic and I'm completely satisfied. PS my 17.3" laptop fits barely but the zippers have no trouble zipping. It's tight but not so tight you have to struggle to make it fit it's just snug. 18" would probably be the breaking point. (The description only says it fits 16")

Turns out I'm more picky about backpacks than I thought. I bought this after the one I used almost daily for 10 years was wearing out. I tried 3 or 4 different bags that I felt would be a good field work/travel backpack before I settled on this. And after two weeks of use - one traveling for field work, the other week in an office. I personally think this is a 4 star bag. PERSONAL PROS: - The compression straps are perfect for hanging my hardhat, or jacket. - The mesh bottle holder can hold a 32 oz nalgene bottle. The elastic is very tight and I was worried about the bottle falling out, but it stayed put. I have run one of the compression straps through the lid to further secure it. Note: there is only one bottle holder. - The luggage strap is great. I can't feel it when I'm wearing the bag. And it's great to secure on the luggage handle so I don't have to wear it while standing for extended periods. - The shoe compartment is a nice touch, I used it to store my toiletry bag while traveling. - The pockets and storage are good. There are a lot of compartments where I can store my daily work stuff and then my small field work tools. - The main handle is strong and secure - The bag is comfortable to wear PERSONAL CONS: - I'm not a huge fan of the sunglasses pocket. It is nice to have to store small quick things, like my wallet, keys, and earbuds. But the pocket hangs down into the main compartment of the bag and at times I find it gets in the way. My life has not been greatly changed by the sunglasses pocket. I use it, but if it wasn't there I don't think I would ever say to myself "man I wish there was semi-hard shell that is specifically made for glasses, but can fit other small everyday things" - I very much dislike that the TSA laptop portion is where the laptop sleeve is. This means that the compartment which I use the most, has zippers which split the entire backpack in half. So when I'm digging through to get my charger, or my notebook the compartment will unzip and the bag will split in half. This actually caused a huge problem. It unzipped itself while I was walking and my backpack COMPLETEY split open and everything in that compartment fell on the floor. Thankfully the laptop was strapped in. FINAL THOUGHTS: I tried multiple bags before I settled on this. And it's the best of the ones I tried. It has everything I wanted in terms of compression straps, bottle holder, luggage strap, compartments, and overall build/material quality. I'm taking one star off because of the TSA laptop compartment/zipper. Now I know what you're thinking "why are you taking one star off when the backpack specially mentions this as a feature on the bag." And my reason is that this isn't my first bag that had this compartment. But it is the first to ever unzip itself. In my experience these TSA approved laptop bag don't mean anything. I still get told to take my laptop out of the bag. And put my backpack in a separate bin. Effectively making the TSA laptop portion useless. Overall the bag is well made and what I'd expect from this company. If the laptop sleeve wasn't in the TSA laptop portion of the bag, I'd give this 5 stars. My previous backpack lasted me 10 years and was made by same company, so I have high expectations

This is my first SwissGear bag, and I have to say that I'm impressed. For decades, I've used a few packs from other vendors, both "professional" bags and "sports" packs that had laptop pockets. I've often found those other packs to be merely sufficient, but not check all the boxes that I'd like to see. But, I didn't think anyone made the perfect bag, so accepting mediocre products was my fate. Fast forward to now, I wanted to replace my well-worn pack (over 1M travel miles on it!) with something that was small, durable, and which had sufficient dedicated storage space for the smaller items I need to carry in addition to my MacBook Pro and iPad. After searching for a few weeks, I came back to this pack, which was on sale for a fantastic price, and decided to give it a try with the thought that if it didn't work out, I could just donate the thing. To my surprise, this pack is absolutely perfect and meets or exceeds all of my expectations. The pack has plenty of little pockets to hold the bits and pieces, but ample storage room for books, a light jacket, etc. Also, an armored glasses pocket and a really cool side-load sleeve for shoes or jackets. There is a place for everything, and I'm putting everything it its place. The pack is quite light but with the 600 denier nylon construction and it just oozes of durability and quality, I'm expecting that this thing will last for at least a decade. Plus, this pack holds its shape and is a joy to use and to look at, unlike the bag (from a well-known Swedish company) that it is replacing which was permanently crumpled and difficult to put on and use, and was quite void of the little organizing pockets I value. As my first SwissGear bag, I'm completely stoked with this purchase and now regret not having looked at these bags or this brand earlier. Now that I'm enlightened, I'm going to explore more of the SwissGear products to see what else they have that might be of value to me and my family. Recommended without any hesitation.

Fantastic product! Well thought out pocket locations with room for all youll need. Also very comfortable. Light weight as well.

Sadly, I had to say goodbye to my long time friend, my old Swiss Gear laptop backpack. After countless trips, 6 countries, and 15+ years, it was time to let him go. The logical replacement was the newer version. Pros: * the passport pocket in the front - super duper convenient * the fully zip down opening to pull your laptop out at TSA (sort of - more later) * insulated side bag - great, but I often forget the water I placed in there for the taxi ride - sorry Mr/Ms TSA agent * the separate compartment for shoes - maybe. I guess that’s a good feature, but I have huge feet, so it doesn’t work great for my Flintsone feet coverings + it is internal to the backpack, so it removes storage space * side clips - these actually are a great addition over the old model * back strap for use on roller bags. - holy crap, what a game changer - double kudos Cons: * zippers - these suck. They constantly come off track, especially in the fully unzippable laptop portion. If you don’t fully secure them, upon any weight, they come unzipped, tossing your laptop, tablet, extra monitors, etc straight to the floor. This bag utilizes many different sizes and styles of zippers, with the only double thick zipper being in the main bag portion. Arguably, this zipper style should have been included on at least the laptop portion as well (see above) Other than the double zippers, the rest are cheap and poorly made. I’ve already had to retread them multiple times. Also, the teeth are already bent, and missing in spots * no front pocket for catch all (keys, wallet, earbuds, etc.) the only feasible pocket is the one designed for your sunglasses, which means, no sunglasses pocket *heavy - oh lord. It’s like carrying an angry toddler on your back * laptop pocket - like I said before, nice idea, convenient when going through TSA if you don’t have pre-check or are in a global location, but the zipper sucks, picture your laptop and other devices dumping on the floor as you rush to your gate (see above). But the other issue is that, once you remove your laptop and devices for TSA, all of the items in the inner bag shift, making it an impossible game of Tetris to put your laptop and devices back in. It puts additional strain on the weak zipper * weak stitching along the straps. After only a dozen or so flights, the seams have already broken and started to unravel In a nutshell, this is not the Swiss Gear I remember. Would not buy again.