Thule Subterra Backpack

Beautifully designed backpack with a lot of room and organization compartments. High quality material and so comfortable for traveling.

General Thoughts:I am a huge fan of backbacks. I’ve bought way too many. Similar to the stereotype that all women love purses, I am a man that loves backpacks.I am a photographer, videographer, graphic and motion designer. I am also a dad of 3; I love having my DSLR camera on hand. With all of this, I’ve looked for the backpack that compliments all of these lifestyles and hobbies – impromptu hikes, spontaneous photography, lugging work items such as external hard drives, graphics tablets, laptops, in addition to misc. office items. In the past, I’ve leaned towards finding a camera bag that has storage in it for general use. But it just wasn’t right.With the Thule Subterra 30L backpack, I finally have discovered THE bag for these need.Size:Do not get anything less than 25L for what I listed above and for my size (6’). To give you an idea, it’s general carrying size in the main compartment at one go is big enough to carry a *DSLR, sweatshirt, thick book, an extra water bottle or two (y’know, for the kids), couple energy bars or packed snacks, and a bit more. The size could also accommodate a Mac Studio (*highly recommend keeping the studio in an additional slim case) and whatever a packed lunch, plenty of cables, and a camera**Protection:If you are carrying a DSLR or something similar, the bag’s padding is great with one exception - the bottom, and that’s usually where I want my camera. I highly recommend getting an appropriately sized neoprene sleeve for your camera. I also have my camera in a silicone cover.Don’t get the bag if you need…If you need to keep extra lenses somewhere, this is NOT a camera bag to use FOR photography; not purely a long distance travelbag - I would want more space in the main compartmentSome Other Recent Bags I have:Thule Enroute 25L – What I was using but the camera section was barely used and the storage section at the top was too small overall and made the bag top heavy. Also material felt flimsyLowepro LP37127-PWW Camera Back - Super durable and compact camera bag. Absolutely my go to for small solo shoots. I have several f-stop bags that are great, but I still prefer this one for its size. Loewpro makes some good stuff.I wish…I wanted Mineral. It’s a dark, dark blue. I wish it was just dark blue. It’s practically black.Conclusion: If you’ve read all of this, this is probably the bag you want.THULE: If you read these reviews, I would love to be a brand ambassador. Also…three recommendations: 1.) add better padding at the bottom; that’s a huge miss IMO and surely an easy thing to add. 2.) Add a design element that would accommodate adding a bladder for water, swapping out the laptop 3.) I’m confused how it only fits a 15.6” PC laptop. We measure diagonally, right? It holds my 17”. A little snug.

This is the best backpack ever, and I am someone who would know! I am a 36 y/o research scientist, mom and world traveler and I wear a backpack to work every single day, in addition to taking one on every trip and vacation I've ever been on. My favorite backpack before this was also in the Thule line (the crossover). I had it for 3+ years and I actually still love it. Before that I have used Ogio bags, Burton, Jansport, Camelbak, Osprey, you name it. For the price, this backpack really does have it all (well, almost).I mentioned that I use it for work. The laptop sleeve fits my HP Spectre X360 15" laptop perfectly. I LOVE that you can insert it in the sleeve at the top/inside of the bag but can access it via a zipper on the outside/side of the bag as well. I also keep my iPad Air 2 and all of my iPad and Laptop accessories and chargers etc. inside. I also keep my large wallet, a powerbank, my Sennheiser PXC 550 wireless over ear headphones, my lunch, and plenty of pens, cables, highlighters and personal stuff as well as keys and a water bottle etc. I also do some audio and video recording on the side and can fit a small tripod, Canon Vixia, my DSLR and other audio/video/photo gear in here if I want to. You could also easily fit a change of clothes in here for an overnight trip if you don't want to pack a carryon.I adore the colors of this bag and that it has a pocket or pouch for everything I need. My favorite part about this backpack that makes it different from literally every other back pack I've owned is the addition of the strap on the back for slipping it over the handle of a piece of rolling luggage, so you don't have to wear out your back/neck and shoulders wearing when traveling. It's very very comfortable, but even the most comfortable back pack is going to cause neck and shoulder pain after a long day of airports. This little feature is seriously my new favorite thing!!!The other "best" thing about this back pack is the quality. Thule doesn't skimp on quality. Period. I can speak from years of experience. I also own their large rolling luggage and it is my favorite by far. Their limited lifetime warranty is phenomenal. When I owned their crossover backpack, 3 years into my first one and a zipper started to come apart from the fabric of the bag. I contacted them and within the day they had shipped me a brand new back pack at no cost to me and with no questions asked. That kind of customer service is worth its weight in GOLD!! This bag is made for the long haul and is super sturdy with the finest materials from the zippers to the handles.The only complain I have about this backpack is that it doesn't stand up on its own when I set it down. The way it's made, it always tips forward, no matter how much or how little I have inside. It's a very rigid material for a backpack and I don't see it softening up and sitting flat over the years but I could be wrong. Also, I've always hung my back packs on a hook on the wall, but the way the top handle is positioned, it makes hanging it on my old hook impossible as it's too far forward on the bag and the space is too narrow in between the handle and the bag. Those are very minor quibbles though.In summary, this is the best bag for work, every day and travel that I have ever owned and I am NOT sponsored or compensated by Thule in any way for saying so! I've paid full price for all of the stuff I've ever bought from them, this bag included! I can highly recommend this for professional working adults, college students or travelers. You will not regret buying this. You DEFINITELY get what you pay for it and then some!

I got this backpack in an unpopular color (Dark Forest Green). Let me just say how good this color looks surprisingly. It is a very nice dark green which changes color slightly depending on if light hits it. The backpack design is nice and modern. It fits very comfortably on my back and I have not experienced any back pain while wearing it. I commute to school and sometimes have to walk a mile or two and so far so good. The only thing I do not like about this backpack is that it does not have much space. The materials used do not allow for the fabric to stretch. Compared to a SwissGear backpack I used to have, I cannot fit as many things in here. If you were thinking that the 30L would be too big, it is not that big and I recommend getting this size. My favorite feature about this backpack is the side pocket to access your laptop/IPad. It is very convenient not having to open the main zipper and quickly get your laptop out. The side handle is also a nice touch. Overall a great backpack with smart organization and beautiful design but not the most spacious one.

Excelente material, es más bonita en persona.

I use this bag everyday and it still looks amazing. It is small, which is what I wanted to keep from collecting junk, but very well padded and pretty water resistant. I ride my bike most days so this was important to me. This bag has performed much better than the mountain hardware or north face ones that preceded it.

Great laptop bag. I get compliments on it often.