My computer backpack review thread
 

I've owned a Tumi 26141 briefcase for the last 9 years, but it started falling apart 2 years ago. Had it repaired last year, cost me over $100 to reattach a zipper that was separating from the shell material, threads fraying all over the place, one area of the nylon was almost worn through, etc... Thought this stuff was supposed to last a lifetime. Given the price, it should. Well, now it's breaking down again and I'm not putting any more money into this bag. Plus, I've decided that a nice, functional computer laptop backpack is probably going to suit me better. I'm kinda bummed about the downfall of Tumi quality. I love the functionality and the designs. If I felt confident in the quality, I'd probably consider a Tumi backpack. My old Tumi stuff is still going strong, but the newer stuff is just nowhere close to worth the price.

So, I've done a bunch of research and found 4 bags I'm going to demo. Have ordered each of them and will have them all in this coming week. Once I get them in, I'll come back and report back on my experiences with each. I'm getting two higher end models, and two more affordable models. The four are:

- Briggs & Riley Verb Live Large
- Victorinox Architecture 3.0 Big Ben 15"
- eBags TLS Workstation
- Brenthaven Expandable Trek

My criteria are pretty straight forward. Primary usage is day to day. I don't travel a lot any longer, at least by plane. Just hate what flying has turned into. Maybe 2-3 flights a year. Another 2-3 trips by car a year. So most of it is going to be just going back and forth from my home office to the car to my office.....um....office. I want something that securely holds my Macbook Pro, has nice organization for files, room to throw in a few books, and then various sundry items like brochures, business cards, pens, ear buds, food bars, etc.... For when I fly, needs to be able to fit over the handle of my carry on if I choose to do that. Warranty was non-negotiable. If the unit didn't have a lifetime warranty, I didn't consider it. these 4 items have a great warranty.

I looked at a bunch of others, there are great units out there, but I'm the type that can get lost researching something and at the rate my current Tumi bag is breaking down, I need to get something quickly. I figured with these kinds of items, it's impossible to really tell what will suit me and fit what I like to most commonly carry unless I have the bag in front of me. So I've got all these coming this week, will check them all out in depth and then return the 3 I don't want.

Again, I'll report back once I have detailed info on these. And if anyone has any of these units and would like to chime in on this thread, I'd love to hear their thoughts, as well.

looking forward to hearing the results.
The Victorinox looks very very nice, but the price is very high a for bag. :td:
Brenthaven- looks like a Northface bag, not as sophisticated in look as Victorinox.
Briggs & Riley - looks nice. what does that pocket at the back of the bag do?- maybe too small?
Ebags- probably the best value for your buck.

For me, it's about usability. This is something I use virtually every single day. At least 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, if not more. A good bag, well designed and efficient and a pleasure to use will simply make my life better, more productive and more enjoyable. I enjoy using well made, well designed things. They don't have to be expensive, but they need to be RIGHT.

This Tumi briefcase? in my opinion, it's one of the great designs in this category. It's unfortunate that the build quality doesn't match up. When it's held up, it's been a pleasure to use.

So all that to say, I'll gladly pay $280 for a computer backpack that I'll use every day, and enjoy reaching for. But if I can get the same experience, efficiency and productivity for a third of that? Awesome.

My initial impressions of the bags?

The Brenthaven looks too busy. The Briggs, too plain. The ebags model looks like it could have a cheap 'got it at target' look to it, and I like the look of the Victorinox the best of the bunch.

But we'll see how they look in my hands, and how they fit my stuff.

Main reason I wanted to try a Victorinox, I've got one of their toiletry bags. Shoot, I bought this thing in probably 1998. I've used the heck out of it. Probably 200-300 trips with the thing, and it's held up remarkably well. Good design, good design.

Looking forward to taking these bags for a test drive.

Very interesting exercise. I hear your point about over-researching this one, but did you consider one of the Tom Bihn backpacks? (I have no connection, I just love their bags!)

http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/CTGY/100

Yeah, I looked at the Tom Bihn bags, but two things turned me away. First, I read on another thread somewhere here that it lacks the capacity to fit over a carry on handle to piggy back on it. Perhaps that's not true, but that was an issue. But more, I was turned off by the myriad of extra options for fee that they offer. Don't offer me a bag and then 15 different things I can buy to make it actually work. Just make a bag that works. Horizontal laptop sleeves, vertical laptop sleeves? Why do I need any laptop sleeve, the bag should handle that all on its own. A separate bag for cables? The other bags I'm looking at have that built in.

The other thing I didn't like about the website for the Brain Bag was there are absolutely no views of what the bag actually does. Just shows the outside of it, then a 360 degree view of it, but no pictures of it opened up. I guess I'm just supposed to trust in its awesomeness, sight unseen.

The bag I pick should make my life simpler, not complicate it. Just didn't get a good vibe looking at the brain bag. Looks like it's very well made, but I've got enough on my plate just researching bags. If I have to research options to make the bag work, I'm out.

I have an older version of the B&R for about 5 years and use it almost daily. It can slip over a carryon handle, the straps detach (so I can carry it like a briefcase), and the pouch for the laptop is quite generous. Despite all this, the profile is sleek and unobtrusive. I really like Briggs and Riley for quality and dependability.

I have to say the four models shown above are a bit... boring style-wise. :)

Fair enough, each to their own. One of the things I like most about TB bags is the ability to customize them through choice of options. That way you get a bag that really does work the way you need it to.:)

Do you have a BR bag that isn't boring, style-wise? Does such a BR bag exist? To me, the entire BR line is boring. Style does not appear to be one of their strong suits.

I can absolutely understand the value of that.

To me, if ever a bag needed a product video demonstrating its features and capabilities, this is the one. But the site is almost arrogant in going out of its way to NOT show you what the bag is and does.

Without pictures or a video, I have to imagine what the functionality would be like sticking these inserts into the bag. If I want laptop protection, I have to spend $60 on that. Something to organize files and papers? That's another $45. Cord management? Another $30. By the time I'm done buying all that stuff, I'm close to $300 and now I'm shoving a bunch of add ons into the bag. Do they fit as if they're designed for it, and work as if they were built it, or do they look, fit and function like a bunch of things shoved into the bag after the fact?

I have no idea, and the webpage does nothing to help answer that question for me. They may have built a terrific bag, but their weak marketing is not doing a very good job of displaying that fact. You want me to buy all that stuff and spend that much money, give me a reason. SHOW me why I should buy your bag, don't just tell me.

Which bag do you have? Do the add ons fit as if they were designed for it? Which ones do you have? And, is it an accurate statement that it doesn't have the capability to fit over the telescoping handle of a suitcase?

Ok, so now you've piqued my interest in the Brain Bag again.

"But what if this is the one?", lol.

Also, from the pics on their page, I'd say it's the most attractive (to my eye) of the ones I'm looking at. Will call them today to talk about the bag and possibly order one. They gotta have a solid return policy and I'm assuming the warranty is bullet proof.

Looks like I would need the horizontal brain cell for my laptop, the vertical freudian slip, and maybe the snake charmer, though I'd probably wait on that. I only bring cables with me when I'm traveling, which isn't that often these days.

I do agree with you that a few more pictures and video on the TB site would help. The narrative descriptions are good if you can take a few moments to wade through them, but it's not the same as seeing the bag from all angles.

I don't have the Brain Bag. I have a TriStar, Western Flyer and Synapse. The Synapse is a backpack but would likely be too small for your needs and the other two are travel bags, but I have packing cubes for the TS and the WF which are, in each case, specifically designed for the bag they go into and fit perfectly. Also some of the inserts are available in a variety of sizes to suit different sized laptops.

At the risk of sending you into research overdrive, ;) you could post a query on the TB forum over at their site. There are legions of TB groupies there who will be able to share real life experience, with photos, with the Brain Bag (there is bound to be a thread already). Lots of them seem to use it as their every day bag, in a very similar way to what you have in mind. But I am not sure if it has a sleeve to sit it on top of a rolling bag. But given you plan to return all but one of your review bags anyway....

Yeah, I'm probably going to order a Brain Bag to check it out. One thing that is attractive to me the more I think about it is that when I travel now, if I'm going to do some hiking I am bringing my briefcase and then an empty backpack. Now, when I get where I'm going I can just empty out the brain bag and turn it from a mobile office into a hiking backpack. Two bags in one.

Then, I found this review that really got my interest. Look at the picture of how many books they fit into this bag. It's unreal!

http://www.laptopreviews.com/tom-bih...review-2011-12

and yeah, I'm a visual person so those descriptions/narratives don't do much for me. I gotta see it to understand the functionality.

well, at this point doesn't look like I'm going to be able to include the Tom Bihn bag at least in the initial eval. First, the color I wanted (black) was out of stock and not available for 3 weeks. Then I had to run an errand, got back, went online to place an order for a different color, and now the laptop sleeve in my size is out of stock for the next 3 weeks.

We'll see if anything wows me from what's on the way already. If so, then I'll probably just blow off the Brain Bag, which is a bummer because the more I look into it, the more I'm intrigued. But if I don't find something I'm really crazy about, then I might just keep the best of the bunch and put it in the closet and keep it unused until I can get a Bihn bag in stock.

you could also try Wenger backpacks (similar to Victorinox, and actually now owned by them I think). Some nice very practical models incl. for everyday use. Otherwise, it's B + R for me all the way. I have so many pieces of theirs, their guarantee really stands up, I already tested it twice.