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Sep 9, 2012 | 3:59 pm

#1

Erik C

Join Date: Sep 2006

Posts: 21

Timbuk2 Uptown

I’ve been waiting for Timbuk2 to introduce a TSA compliant backpack ever since my wife got her Command Messenger bag. The Command is very high quality and unzipping the laptop compartment to lay it flat when going through security is very fast and easy. My main carry-on is a Red Oxx Air Boss, so I prefer a backpack to a messenger bag so I don’t have a bag on each shoulder.

For the past nine years I have been using a REI laptop backpack (can’t remember the model, but it has since been discontinued) every day to haul my computer to and from work, and it also becomes my personal item when I fly. After nearly a decade of very hard use it has never let me down. Not a single stitch unraveled or a zipper stuck. I hadn’t thought about replacing it until my wife got the Command and I saw how easily she breezes through security.

Timbuk2 recently introduced the Uptown, their first backpack with a TSA compliant laptop compartment. Reviews on their website have been mixed, with the most often cited negative being that the material did not appear to be heavy duty. I went back and forth, for some time, but recently decided to buy it from Amazon before the CA sales tax deadline.

My first impression is this is a very nice looking bag. I went with the gunmetal/blue combination and I feel it looks better in person than in the photos on their website. The material is not as thin as I feared based on some of the negative reviews, but definitely not up to Air Boss quality. I predict one weak point will be the top and side handles, which seem very flimsy compared to my REI bag or the Command. The backpack straps seem to be solid and comfortable though. There is a removal sternum strap which is great, but it lacks the waist strap that my REI bag has. I will definitely keep the REI backpack as I like that extra support on the days I commute to work by bicycle.

The bag has several different compartments, which I really like, and the water bottle holder is also a plus. The internal pockets are all flat; I would like to see some gussets here to hold thicker items like sunglasses easily. Some Velcro straps on the pockets would be nice too, to prevent items from sliding out while the bag is lying flat (e.g. under the seat in front of me). Also, a clip for holding keys is noticeably absent. I like to keep my house keys in my backpack when I fly, leaving room in my pocket for rental car keys.

There is a pocket in an internal compartment that seems designed for holding a Kindle. My Kindle Touch fits in the pocket perfectly by itself, but I normally travel with it in a Timbuk2 sleeve for protection, and the added size of the sleeve means the velcro can’t close with the sleeved Kindle in the pocket. Just a little more depth would make this pocket perfect.

The laptop compartment is in the very back of the bag, and unzips along both sides and the top in order for the laptop to lay flat while going through the x-ray. The sleeve has a velcro strap to hold the laptop in place. With my Dell Lattitude E6420, the strap can either be snug but only have minimal velcro overlap, or I can maximize the velcro contact patch, but leave the strap loose. My laptop is on the large size, so I would definitely be concerned if I had a smaller laptop. A wider strap with more velcro real estate would make me feel a lot more comfortable trusting this bag with my laptop.

This concern is especially poignant due to the way the laptop compartment unzips with the attached side on the bottom. When you hold the bag from the top in one hand and unzip the laptop compartment with the other (as you might while waiting to go through security), the laptop swings down quite forcefully. My laptop is especially heavy, so maybe it’s more pronounced with my set-up. The first time I practiced this it swung down and hit my coffee table with a loud thud. What I really like about my wife’s Command Messenger is when you unzip the laptop compartment it still hangs down like a garment bag when you hold the top handle or have the strap on your shoulder. This means you can be ready to go when you get to the table in front of the x-ray machine. With the Uptown, you may want to lay it down before unzipping it. The tables at the TSA checkpoints in my home airport (LAX T7) tend to be very short, so this may be more important to me than others.

There is another lightly padded pocket opposite the laptop sleeve on the main side of the backpack. I’m guessing this is designed for iPads. I don’t have an iPad, but if I did I don’t think I would put it here since there is no way of securing it in the pocket, and it will be exposed when the bag is opened for x-raying.

One feature I will miss from the REI bag is an externally accessible compartment along the bottom. This was perfect for holding the power cord for my laptop. With the Uptown I will have to dig down to the bottom of one of the main compartments to get it out.

Despite the aforementioned shortcomings (many of which I will admit are nit-picking), I am excited to try out the Uptown on some upcoming trips. I’m looking forward to going through security without having to dig out my laptop. The bag is lighter than my previous one, and I like the colors better as well. I have trips scheduled to LAS, HNL and SMF over the next week so it should get a good workout.

I hope this review provide helpful information to people considering a purchase. Please feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer. I will post an update on my impressions once I get some miles on it.

Some pictures: