Best Laptop Backpack

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

We hunt for the best laptop backpack

Let’s face it, laptops can be really expensive, especially the high-end gaming notebooks we recommend. They can also be heavy and a chore to carry around. And yet, to get your money’s worth out of these portable PCs, you’ll have to lug them around with you all the time.
But finding the right bag—one that protects your computer while being comfortable to wear—is no easy feat. And it’s not too much to ask that it be somewhat visually appealing, if not downright attractive. You’ve spent your hard-earned money buying a kick-ass laptop and you deserve an equally kick-ass backpack to put it in. So, to help you with your baggage, we searched for the best laptop backpacks that we could find and rounded up seven worthy contenders.
Everki Beacon

Large but in charge
Trying to find an AAA-quality backpack that can also fit a large 17-inch gaming notebook can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but Everki’s Beacon is up for the challenge. Its laptop compartment had no problem fitting our monstrous 17-inch Asus ROG G750.
This backpack is quite roomy, measuring 20.8x16.9x6.3 inches, and it’s a little on the heavy side at 3.5 pounds, making it more of a travel pack than something you would carry around every day. But because of this bulk, the Beacon offers a lot of protection with its mesh padding, while providing plenty of compartment space, too.
In addition to the laptop slot, there’s an even roomier main compartment, which has a zipper for folders, four 3x5-inch pockets, and even a soft-shell bag inside designed to house consoles. In short, there’s plenty of space for whatever you need. Outside of the main compartment is a 3x11-inch easy-access pouch, which is optimal for sunglasses. It also has two small hip compartments on either side of the bag; the left one has a little hole for ear buds, and you can loop the cord through the left strap to get a tangle-free listening experience.

The dashes of orange give the black bag a nice “pop.”

The build quality is impressive, including plenty of rubber padding at the bottom of the bag in case you accidentally drop the pack. The Beacon also comes with a water-resistant tarp that you can use to wrap the bag in case of rain.
While the Beacon isn’t light, its pillow-soft straps are extremely comfortable, and it features a stretchy chest strap that takes the pressure off your shoulders. In addition, it has two sturdy handles: one on top of the backpack and another on the back. Considering you can get all of this for $100, it’s one hell of a deal.
Everki Beacon



$100, www.everki.com
Ful Dean

The budget backpack
While expensive backpacks are often nice, we realize that not everyone can afford them, especially if you’ve spent all your dough on a sweet gaming laptop. However, this doesn’t mean you have to resort to tossing your super-nice notebook in your kid’s old cheapo Jansport, which offers little-to-no protection for your gear.
If you don’t have a large notebook, don’t need a ton of bells and whistles, and if you’re on a budget, Ful’s $70 Dean backpack may be what you’re looking for. If you don’t have a large notebook, don’t need a ton of bells and whistles, and if you’re on a budget, Ful’s $70 Dean backpack may be what you’re looking for.
While Ful says the Dean can fit some 17-inch notebooks, it’s really geared more toward 15-inch and smaller machines. The laptop compartment comfortably fit our fat 14-inch Alienware 14 notebook, but while there’s plenty of padding on the back, we would have liked a little more at the base of the pack, in case you set it down too abruptly. Its main compartment is quite basic, simply offering a 6x8-inch mesh zipper to stow pens and small notepads. On the face of the pack are three smaller, triangular-shaped pockets that zigzag across each other. These diagonal lines and zippers were meant to create an interesting aesthetic, but they look odd and aren’t terribly practical—how many items do you know have (or want) that are triangularly shaped? The pack also has hip compartments on both sides, with one designed for a water bottle. The only other pocket is the 2x4-inch zipper on the right shoulder strap that is ideal for something small, like car keys.

The Dean gets the job done, but is mostly no-frills.

Speaking of straps, there’s a chest harness attached, which is greatly appreciated, but the straps in general tended to be a little wider than we would have preferred, and tended to flare out at the sides. We did like the handle atop the pack, however, which feels quite sturdy.
Overall, the pack isn’t bad, but for a few dollars more, we recommend going with the SwissGear bag in this roundup.
Ful Dean



$70, www.ful.com
SwissGear SA1908 Scansmart

The simple pack
Long known for its Swiss army knives, SwissGear has recently been making waves in the backpack scene. But unlike the tool that seems to have everything, the SwissGear SA1908 ScanSmart backpack opts for simplicity. There are no fancy hip harnesses, nor are there a million pockets.
One interesting quirk it does have, as its clunky name might suggest, is a “ScanSmart” pocket. This means its laptop compartment has a see-through mesh window, which is supposed to expedite TSA bag checks. From our experience, however, the TSA always wants laptops removed from their bags anyway, so your airport mileage may vary. If that feature doesn’t quite cut it, however, there is another zipper above the ScanSmart pocket that splits completely open like a flat clamshell. This clamshell compartment should be able to fit most 17-inch laptops; unfortunately, it was not able to swallow our beefy Asus ROG G750.

There are bottle pockets on either side of the pack.

The main compartment has a dangling pouch for your phone, and it also has a convenient small hole for your ear buds to slip through. This pouch fit our relatively large 5-inch Nexus 5, so it should be able to fit the majority of phones out there. Rounding out the compartments is a small, plain 7.5x10-inch zip. Another neat, if minor, feature is the little loop on the left strap that you can use to carry your sunglasses.
In terms of padding, there’s not an exorbitant amount, but it should protect your laptop in most cases. There is a fair amount on the back, however, and it is quite comfortable to wear. There’s even some space between the back padding along the spine, which gives your back a little room to breathe.
SwissGear SA1908 ScanSmart



$73, www.wengerna.com

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Asus ROG Nomad

Built for gamers
In conjunction with its massive 17-inch ROG gaming notebooks, Asus has designed the ROG Nomad backpack to be “built for gamers,” or so they claim. While that might sound like marketing hyperbole, the pack lives up to the claim.
Everything about the Nomad has been meticulously designed for portable-PC enthusiasts. Its large 20x13.7x7.2-inch size will fit pretty much any 17-inch gaming notebook you throw at it, but what really gears it toward laptop enthusiasts is the dizzying array of specialized compartments. There’s the large main compartment that has designated spots for headphones, camera, keyboard, and power brick. The slightly smaller pocket above the main compartment contains a slit for 3x5-inch index cards, slots for pens to slip into, and there’s even a little HDD carrying case can be taken out. It really has all the trappings that a nerd would need from a backpack. Hell, there’s even a smartphone zipper built into the right shoulder strap, though it won’t fit any phone larger than 4 inches.

There’s no Asus branding on the pack itself.

The shoulder straps are also quite comfortable. And they’re aided by not only a chest strap, but a waist strap to distribute weight across your entire torso, adding stability to the comfort. In addition, it offers plenty of protection for your gear as well, with plenty of rubber padding at the base of the backpack in case you drop it. And the entire thing is made out of ballistic nylon, chosen for its water-resistant protection.
Aesthetically, the pack definitely tries to entice gamers. There’s a “gladiator helmet” design on the pack, which is supposed to look cool, but it’s a little too garish for us. Another gripe we had is that one of the buttons fell off, although it’s merely an aesthetic blemish. Regardless, this is still one hell of a pack.
Asus ROG Nomad



$170, www.lenovo.com
Timbuk2 Uptown

The hipster bag
Let’s face it, most gaming laptop backpacks are nerdy-looking. But while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, if you want to lug your laptop in something more trendy, the Timbuk2’s Uptown Laptop bag’s contrasting grey meshes will make sure you fit in with the hipster crowd (skinny jeans not included).

The Uptown’s biggest drawback is that it lacks padding.

In terms of features, it has the bare essentials. While the pack looks fairly small compared to the others featured here, it actually measures 19.7x11.8x8.7 inches. And while its clamshell laptop compartment, which splits completely open for situations like TSA bag checks, doesn’t fit giant notebooks, its large main compartment fit our massive 17-inch Asus ROG gaming laptop—much to our surprise.
Timbuk2’s simple design inluces a smaller secondary compartment with two 3x5-inch index card mesh zips and a relatively small 5x10-inch velcro pocket. Above the main compartment is a smaller 13x8-inch zipper, which has pockets for pens and other small items. Above that is a vertical quick-access slit where you can store small notepads. Other than the bottle holder on the left hip, there really isn’t too much else to this bag, aside from a bottle opener on the right strap, which you and your friends will appreciate when it’s called for.
In terms of comfort, there isn’t an exorbitant amount of padding, but it still feels good, partially thanks to a chest strap, which we liked. We would have preferred more padding for the laptop compartment, however, as the Uptown is one of the least protective packs here. Another gripe that we had is that its top handle is not comfortable or easy to use; it’s just flat nylon webbing.
Timbuk2 Uptown Laptop TSA-Friendly Backpack



$119, www.timbuk2.com
Urban Xplorer

The European
Even though Urban Xplorer’s HalfPack RT was actually designed in California, we still call it the “European backpack” around the office. There’s just something about the odd belt loops, bright burnt-orange (it also comes in black) day-pack-like body, and weird, detachable U-shaped shoulder straps that screams “This is what you carry to go yodeling in the Alps.” It’s clearly trying to cater to the “sophisticated businessman who also has an adventurous side,” but there’s just something awkward about it.
While the pack certainly isn’t for everyone, it does have its nice qualities. There’s plenty of cotton/polyester padding everywhere, and bag is covered with a nylon ballistic fabric that is designed to be weatherproof and stain resistant. Another perk is that it has a sweet, sexy brown leather handle.
Even though the pack features two belt-style bands to keep it closed, they’re more a novelty, as the flap of the pack can also be opened via two quick-release buckles. When you lift the flap, you’ll find two index card–sized velcro pockets, and a larger 9x12-inch zipper compartment designed to hold pens, glasses, and other stationery.

You can take off the shoulder straps to turn it into a messenger bag.

Arguably, the HalfPack RT’s biggest problem is that despite it being the heaviest pack in the roundup at whopping 4.5 pounds, it’s not very spacious—its main compartment was barely able to house our 14-inch alienware notebook. The pack’s actual laptop compartment could barely fit our svelte 13.3-inch Acer S7 Ultra-book. Also, accessing the main compartment is cumbersome, even with the quick-release buckles, because you have to lift its flap vertically to reach your arm into the bag. When you add in the fact that it’s $200, the Urban Xplorer is simply a tough sell.
Urban Xplorer HalfPack RT



$200, www.xplorerbrand.com
Ogio Renegade

The macho bag
If we had to crown the manliest bag in this roundup, it would have to go to Ogio’s Renegade RSS 17. Hell, even the name “Renegade” implies that it’s pretty badass, and thankfully, it lives up to its moniker.
The Renegade isn’t the biggest pack in the roundup but it’s still pretty large, measuring 19.5x14x8 inches. It’s quite rugged and offers plenty of protection with its rigid frame and copious amount of padding. There’s also a nice padded soft-touch neoprene grab handle at the top, and its 600D polyester material feels high quality across the board. It’s very comfy, to boot, and has a chest strap in case you need to lug around heavy gear.
Unfortunately, this backpack won’t be able to carry the heaviest of laptops—even though it’s advertised to fit 17-inch notebooks, it couldn’t fit our thin 17-inch iBuypower Battalion, let alone our beefy 17-inch Asus ROG G750. Regardless, you’ll find that the bag has a ton of pockets to play around with, which include a hard-shell sunglass cubby, a spacious main compartment, a tablet compartment, and another smaller pocket with designated slots for mouse, wallet, and pens. In addition, there are two pairs of pockets on the side of the pack and a phone-sized zip behind the Ogio logo. There’s also a small zipper on the left shoulder strap, though measuring 1.5x4.5 inches, it’s much too small for even keys.

The Renegade is rugged and has tons of pockets.

In terms of aesthetics, it’s predominantly black with some silver and red accents, giving it a tough appearance. At $135 street, Ogio is pricing the Renegade in the premium tier, but this bag well deserves inclusion in that class.
Ogio Renegade RSS 17



$135, www.ogio.com
Conclusion

If you’ve combed through all the reviews here, you might have noticed that there is a positive correlation between the largeness of a pack and its score. It’s not that we think that bigger is necessarily better, but the larger packs here just happened to get a little more TLC from their manufacturers. This isn’t to say that the smaller bags in this roundup are worthless. Really, there’s something here for every kind of laptop user: from small to large, from cheap to luxurious, they all have their strengths.
Still, if you asked us to design the ultimate laptop backpack for enthusiasts, we would definitely love to be able to combine different elements from all the packs reviewed here. The super pack would have the hip stylings of the Timbuk2 Uptown with all the specialized compartments of the Asus Rog Nomad. We would definitely want to toss in the durability of the Ogio Renegade, with, of course, the same amazing value that the Everki Beacon boasts. That would definitely be the quintessential laptop backpack. Until then, however, we’re still confident that you’ll find something in this roundup that packs the punch you’ve been looking for.
Specifications

	Everki Beacon	Ful Dean	SwissGear SA1908 ScanSmart	Asus ROG Nomad	Timbuk2 Uptown	Urban Xplorer HalfPack RT	Ogio Renegade RSS 17
Size H x W x D (inches)	20.8 x 16.9 x 6.3	18 x 11 x 5	18 x 13 x 9	20 x 13.7 x 7.2	19.7 x 11.8 x 8.7	17 x 13.4 x 7	19.5 x 14 x 8
Weight (pounds)	3.5	2.5	2.6	3.6	2	4.5	4
Fits 17-inch notebook	Yes	Some	Some	Yes	Yes	No	Some
Chest strap	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Street price	$100	$70	$73	$170	$119	$200	$135

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