SwissGear Travel Tech Elite Laptop Backpack – Fits Laptops up to 16” – ScanSmart TSA-Friendly Backpack with USB Port, Shoe Compartment & Organizer Pockets – Black

This is my first SwissGear bag, and I have to say that I'm impressed. For decades, I've used a few packs from other vendors, both "professional" bags and "sports" packs that had laptop pockets. I've often found those other packs to be merely sufficient, but not check all the boxes that I'd like to see. But, I didn't think anyone made the perfect bag, so accepting mediocre products was my fate. Fast forward to now, I wanted to replace my well-worn pack (over 1M travel miles on it!) with something that was small, durable, and which had sufficient dedicated storage space for the smaller items I need to carry in addition to my MacBook Pro and iPad. After searching for a few weeks, I came back to this pack, which was on sale for a fantastic price, and decided to give it a try with the thought that if it didn't work out, I could just donate the thing. To my surprise, this pack is absolutely perfect and meets or exceeds all of my expectations. The pack has plenty of little pockets to hold the bits and pieces, but ample storage room for books, a light jacket, etc. Also, an armored glasses pocket and a really cool side-load sleeve for shoes or jackets. There is a place for everything, and I'm putting everything it its place. The pack is quite light but with the 600 denier nylon construction and it just oozes of durability and quality, I'm expecting that this thing will last for at least a decade. Plus, this pack holds its shape and is a joy to use and to look at, unlike the bag (from a well-known Swedish company) that it is replacing which was permanently crumpled and difficult to put on and use, and was quite void of the little organizing pockets I value. As my first SwissGear bag, I'm completely stoked with this purchase and now regret not having looked at these bags or this brand earlier. Now that I'm enlightened, I'm going to explore more of the SwissGear products to see what else they have that might be of value to me and my family. Recommended without any hesitation.

I’m really impressed with this backpack! The design is surprisingly well thought out—there’s a dedicated spot for my glasses, which keeps them protected and easy to reach, and a separate compartment for shoes that helps keep everything else clean and organized. The material feels sturdy and durable, and the zippers seem high quality too. It’s comfortable to wear, even when fully packed, and has quickly become my go-to bag for travel, and everyday use. Definitely worth the purchase!

I originally ordered 5 other bags in an attempt to save some money. I returned 4 immediately and the 5th one after use on one trip because arriving was coming apart in multiple places. I decided to just get a Wenger bag because I'm familiar with their quality. Luckily picked this up used for about half price however after seeing it compared to all the others I ordered, it's well worth full price. It checks all the boxes with the external USB port, sternum strap, elevated laptop section for max protection, TSA/scansmart feature, bottle holder and large main storage area. Someone in another review said the shoe compartment was very small but this is not true (I was actually able to fit 2 pairs of size 11 Hey Dudes in it). For a test of it's capacity I packed it up as of I was going for a weekend trip. Below is everything I fit in it... TSA section - Laptop, charger, wireless mouse, network cable Sunglass/Quick Access pocket - spare battery pack, tic tacs, ear buds, ear plugs Main section - 2 tee shirts, 2 pairs of shorts/socks/underwear, very large battery pack connected to the external USB port, charging cables. Shoe compartment - I don't often travel with extra shoes so I used this for my shave bag which includes all the typical stuff including a head shaver and an electric razor. This way, I could have access to it without needing to unpack the clothes on top of it. Organizer pocket - pens, lens cleaner clothes, business cards, hand sanitizer. Still had a lot of room available. Front pocket - this is the one with the vertical zipper. I didn't put anything in it but it works be perfect for snacks. I had all this packet up and I weighed it to be about 17 lbs. I wore it around for about 15 minutes and it was extremely comfortable. I could feel the elastic in the chest strap and the suspension feature in the shoulder straps doing their job. Had zero shoulder or neck strain. About the only negative thing I could say is that if you put a water bottle in the mesh pocket, it great reduces anything you could put in the insulated pocket. I looked at about 10 other bags between ones I had ordered from Amazon and checked out in stores and this is by far the best one.

Great for big laptops. Perfect production with good padding. Feels light even while carrying heavy stuff. Totally worth it. Works with my 17' laptop too.

As travel picked up for work again, this ended up becoming a solid investment for me. I often fly multiple segments every month, and this has been my primary carry-on for just about everywhere I’ve gone. It’s solid built, good size, and has excellent compartmentalized. For how many miles it’s seen, it’s held up very well. That said, still a bit of a bummer that a year in I’m now seeing a pretty significant tear at a rather critical part of the backpack. For what the backpack has gone through and for how well it has treated me, this would be an easy 5/5 stars if it weren’t for the fact that it’s starting to develop a point of failure on one of its straps. That said though, this is still easily one of the best work travel backpacks that I’ve owned.

I've always been a buy once, cry once kind of guy when it comes to things I know I'll use daily or often. My last backpack I've literally used since I was in high school, and through college, then through random use for all the years since then. It's served me well and is still totally usable but it just looks old and beat up so figured I'd finally get something new. This is just a day one review, haven't actually put it to the 'test' yet but just instantly its apparent the difference in quality from everything from the materials to the zippers this backpack is great. I love the functionality of it. I started going to the gym this year and was considering buying a gym duffle so seeing that this actually has a dedicated collapsible shoe compartment (it's like a bag hidden in a side pocket that expands out when in use so if you're not using it its not taking up space in the backpack) is awesome and such a great idea. I was also surprised to see the side pocket for carrying cold/hot items. A thermal pocket is such a good idea in a backpack. It won't stow any large thermal cups, it's more made for like a standard plastic bottle of water but it just such a good idea. Anyways I could mention something I like about every single pocket but at the end of the day this thing has everything I wanted, the price of 70ish dollars on prime day was fantastic and I'm completely satisfied. PS my 17.3" laptop fits barely but the zippers have no trouble zipping. It's tight but not so tight you have to struggle to make it fit it's just snug. 18" would probably be the breaking point. (The description only says it fits 16")

Great work backpack! Plenty of space and dedicated slots for computer and iPad, it unzips and folds ALL the way open to lay flat! Only upgrade I might like is maybe an easier spot to store pens. Super happy with it.

Sadly, I had to say goodbye to my long time friend, my old Swiss Gear laptop backpack. After countless trips, 6 countries, and 15+ years, it was time to let him go. The logical replacement was the newer version. Pros: * the passport pocket in the front - super duper convenient * the fully zip down opening to pull your laptop out at TSA (sort of - more later) * insulated side bag - great, but I often forget the water I placed in there for the taxi ride - sorry Mr/Ms TSA agent * the separate compartment for shoes - maybe. I guess that’s a good feature, but I have huge feet, so it doesn’t work great for my Flintsone feet coverings + it is internal to the backpack, so it removes storage space * side clips - these actually are a great addition over the old model * back strap for use on roller bags. - holy crap, what a game changer - double kudos Cons: * zippers - these suck. They constantly come off track, especially in the fully unzippable laptop portion. If you don’t fully secure them, upon any weight, they come unzipped, tossing your laptop, tablet, extra monitors, etc straight to the floor. This bag utilizes many different sizes and styles of zippers, with the only double thick zipper being in the main bag portion. Arguably, this zipper style should have been included on at least the laptop portion as well (see above) Other than the double zippers, the rest are cheap and poorly made. I’ve already had to retread them multiple times. Also, the teeth are already bent, and missing in spots * no front pocket for catch all (keys, wallet, earbuds, etc.) the only feasible pocket is the one designed for your sunglasses, which means, no sunglasses pocket *heavy - oh lord. It’s like carrying an angry toddler on your back * laptop pocket - like I said before, nice idea, convenient when going through TSA if you don’t have pre-check or are in a global location, but the zipper sucks, picture your laptop and other devices dumping on the floor as you rush to your gate (see above). But the other issue is that, once you remove your laptop and devices for TSA, all of the items in the inner bag shift, making it an impossible game of Tetris to put your laptop and devices back in. It puts additional strain on the weak zipper * weak stitching along the straps. After only a dozen or so flights, the seams have already broken and started to unravel In a nutshell, this is not the Swiss Gear I remember. Would not buy again.