In deciding to go back to school, my beloved Jack Spade canvas briefcase from my industry job just wasn't going to cut it anymore. I needed something that could hold my laptop and charger, as well as books and binders, but I didn't want to go all the way backwards into high school JanSport land. I was glad I found this backpack, which looks stylish (surprisingly hard to achieve in a backpack) and does most of the things I need it to do. You sacrifice quite a bit of functionality, though. The built-in padded laptop sleeve does fit my 15" Macbook Pro, but the last few inches stick out the top and are protected only by the thin outer shell — which is to say, not at all. I have to be careful not to hit that part of the backpack on anything for fear of audibly striking the laptop. Aside from the laptop sleeve and main compartment, there is only a tiny pocket on the front (probably about 6" square, no zipper) and a very narrow pouch on the inside. The inside pouch is clearly meant to house a couple of pens, and the outer pocket... also holds pens, because I wouldn't risk putting anything more valuable there for fear that it'd fall out. I wish there were a medium sized pocket that could hold a cell phone, small notebook, some Altoids, etc. — as it is, all that stuff is just jumbled together at the bottom of the main compartment. The top flips open to reveal a drawstring closure, which becomes annoying over time. To close it, you have to pull the string, slide the plastic fastener to tighten, then flap the top part over and try to match the two magnetic fasteners so they click shut. (The buckles are thankfully just for show.) This doesn't seem like such an ordeal, but I've started to wish for the simplicity of a zip top backpack. With zip top backpacks, you can also swing it around to your front side in order to quickly pull something out. Not so with this one; you have to take the whole thing off to rummage around inside. Other than that, it's nice and roomy, doesn't weigh much on its own, and the straps fit comfortably. The red and white stripe interior is a little goofy for my tastes, but it provides the advantage of allowing you to see inside clearly, unlike most bags that have black interiors. It's hard to overstate how useful this is, especially because (as I mentioned before) all of my smaller stuff has to go in the big compartment. Overall, it's about as professional-looking a backpack you can get without paying hundreds of dollars for a Filson one or something made of heavy leather, but is pretty bare bones as far as functionality goes. Be warned: if you haven't seen everyone and their mom carrying around this backpack, you will once you start wearing it yourself. It's very popular (for a reason, I suppose).
