Sleek Backpack

I was really excited about this bag. I’m on a few weeks in and not loving it. I have a fairly skinny water bottle and it’s a chore to get in and out. The main glasp to open and close already looks like it will be an issue. It’s difficult to open and close and the plastic is pulling from inside its housing. All of the pockets are great but if they are full it competes with your laptop being able to slide in.

Gorgeous

Stylish bag which fits what I take on my weekly commute from Birmingham to London. The 2 side pockets fit my travel mug and water bottle and there are slots inside for my kindle and iPad.
The only thing that bothers me is that the main compartment closes with a magnetic popper and I'm not sure how robust this is.

Brilliant rucksack!!

I researched extensively before buying this bag and had high hopes. My conclusion after almost 2 months of weekday wear is that this bag is okay. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to use it.

The good: the style looks clean and professional. For me at 5’3, this bag looks proportional. I don’t get swallowed up. The main compartment is JUST enough space to hold my 13’ laptop in the padded pocket, strategically store a bullet journal, a thin make up pouch and some small work equipment and a THIN lunch bag. I like the pocket organization of the main compartment and that the bigger one is gently held shut with a magnetic strip. The side pockets are deep and have an elastic bit that holds things taunt in the pocket. I’m sure my travel mug and umbrella will stay put. The back and straps are padded adequately. The zipper on the front pocket is super smooth and really quite lovely to use.

The bad: the fabric is quickly looking dirty. It doesn’t wipe clean. The bag flap closure, which seemed like a neat, new design proves to open far too easily. I’ve often simply lift the bag and it opens in its own. On several occasions, the bag opens itself from swinging over my shoulder and a stranger has tapped me on the shoulder to tell me it’s opened. I would never take this bag travelling. You cannot put anything remotely heavy in the small pocket under the flap or it weight down the clasp and open. So now I just have a pen, some tampons, a travel mascara tube and lip balm in there. The main compartment being too empty will also make the clasp open when you’re picking the bag up by the top handle. I wish they just used a normal magnetic snap button. The faux leather tab has also curled already. The side zips are the same as the front one. While they work beautifully in the front, they are far less functional for the main compartment sides. Since there is a pocket on the inside of the front of the bag, anything heavy there will pull down the side zips. This has only happened twice so I put light things there now. I still worry that it will spill all my belongings out especially since the front clasp is so wonky. I wish they used a sturdier zipper for this section. If I keep this, I will need to sew a tab or a hook to keep them from unzipping and add some sort of Velcro/button under the front clasp. I feel like these are flawed design choices and, as a customer, it’s annoying to have to think of solutions for address this. The padded compartment does not pad the bottom. In my opinion, this is THE MOST important part of a padded laptop compartment. This means your laptop is sitting only on the lining and outer fabric, which puts it at risk of damage if you unknowingly drop your laptop in quickly or put your bag down harder. There is nothing protective between your laptop and a hard surface. So I still have to keep my laptop in a sleeve still. With a sleeve, my 13’ laptop just barely fits in the slot. Finally, I wish the front pocket could expand a bit more. It is a flat pocket with no give. It fits a compact wallet, my keys and maybe a badge. However, even my small hands will scrape on the zipper. Luckily the zipper quite fine but this may cause scratches and cuts in the winter.