Inside the laptop bag
Same quilted padding as V1, but now it has a nice pouch inside it. I am guessing I can comfortably fit in my kindle or my (about to be) new iPad mini retina. Nice touch.
The inside front is the same as V1
As before, you can open the back pocket zip of the laptop bag so you can slide it over the handle to convert the one piece bag into a standard 2 piece bag.
Here is a look at the inside of V2 (front) and V1 (back)
Gate8 has stamped a gate8 logo all around the texture - makes it look a little more sophisticated (to me). They have also changed the color - the previous one was a neutral grey - this one seems to be of a different green-grey hue
A closer look at their logo stamping
They have also changed the garment chain that you can use to hang the bag up in the closet. The new
hook/chain is more solid (V2 is left, V1 right)
The inside is the same as V1, with the added gate8 stamp all over
The clothes garment clip is still plastic (same as V1), unfortunately
Packing it all in!
Well, but what about capacity?!?! Here we are
1 suit
2 trousers
2 t-shirts
2 shirts
undergarments for a week
my icebreaker 200 base layer
In the laptop bag: my 13 inch mbp, a leather notebook, my cocoon grid stuffed with gizmos. In the front pocket: my medicines, toiletries
And here is the Gate8 fully packed, with all of the above
But wait!!!!! Does it lean away when packed to the gills? This was a big irritant with V1 (irritant grew over time as you used it more).
Well what do you know! It stays nice an straight. I can finally sit or stand without holding my fully packed Gate8 and not have it tease the person in front of me.
Wowza! So the lean is completely solved and the bag is rock solid?
Not quite. Great improvement, but now there is another issue. More later - this will need a video.
Edit (Mar 2014) - I've noticed that when the bag is fully packed (really, fully packed), it topples very easily. When it stands up, it does not tilt, but its not really stable when fully packed - very easy to tap it and make it fall.