Swiss Gear SA1923 Black TSA Friendly ScanSmart Laptop Backpack - Fits Most 15 Inch Laptops and Tablets

I have been using this backpack daily for four months now, and its been holding up well to the abuse. I generally carry the following: - A 15.6 inch HP laptop - Power cord for said laptop - Extension cord for power at coffee shops - Power spliter so I can get power at coffee shops - Books of various sizes (for the most part, small - about 5x8 on average, 1/2 - 1 thick) - First aid kit - External Hard Drive - etc. As you can see, I carry a LOT of stuff, generally running about 25lbs worth of stuff in my backpack at any given time. I was hesitant to buy this backpack initially due to reviews about breaking straps, but so far I havent had any issues with it. Now, for me, I would prefer to have a bit more room in the backpack, but thats just because, as mentioned earlier, I carry a LOT of stuff. For the pro/con list people: Pros: - Good padding on the back, pretty comfortable - Decent number of pockets. Two large (one only for laptop, one for laptop + accessories), one medium sized (should be able to fit an iPad), and at least five small pockets (one hidden inside the medium pocket. - Fits my 15.6 laptop perfectly - Two water bottle carrying slots Cons: - The side zipper pockets cant carry much if you use water bottles since they interfere with each other. - Could use a bit more padding on the bottom of the backpack

I dont normally write reviews but I read them often. I bought this based on the great reviews, the SwissGear name, and the nearly 50% discounted price at the time. One thing I did not see in the reviews but I think is very important to anyones satisfaction with a backpack is the ease of access, specifically how easily can the user open the various compartments to access their stuff. For the most part this pack does a great job of this with quality hardware and well designed placement of the compartments/pockets. However, there was one oversight in the design that draws my attention almost every time I open the pack. The main compartment has a dual zipper that has to pass the ends of another zipper of a smaller pocket on the front of the pack. The stiff ends of the smaller zipper are too close to the main compartment zipper and therefore impede the operation of the main compartment zipper without manually readjusting the zippers with 2 hands. A slightly wider gap at these 2 locations would have made the zippers function flawlessly without compromising the overall look of the pack. Modifying this myself to correct the problem would result in possible damage to the pack. As an engineer I have a hard time overlooking such a design oversight when the rest of the pack is of such high quality. Maybe my pack has a manufacturing defect causing this and that is why it did not come to my attention when browsing the other reviews. Its just something to be aware of. Hopefully SwissGear reads this review and can make sure the problem does not persist.

At first, I liked the pack a lot. It seemed well-built, has pockets everywhere, plenty of room and is TSA-friendly. (No more removing the laptop through the scanner). Theres plenty of room for my 15 MacbookPro which is stored securely and is well-padded. After daily use for about 7 months the pack is showing its age. Im constantly forgetting to close all the zippers (its hard to tell when theyre open with the black-on-black color). It no longer wants to sit upright, but is always falling over. A couple of the zippers dont glide smoothly any more, but get hung up. Finally, some of the interior pockets are getting loose and floppy. Even so, its a better pack then I had before and Ill probably keep using it until it falls apart, but I cant say if this is one of the better SwissGear backpacks. SwissGear packs seem everywhere and I expected a little better quality. The pack is reasonably lightweight and I got it at a decent price. I would call it a good, but not great backpack.

This backpack case is simply fantastic for its primary goal of getting you through airport (or other) security checkpoints quickly, and its great for regular day-to-day use, as well. My backpack usually carries a Macbook, iPad, an old iPhone converted into basically an iTouch, and all of the accessories and power cables and headphones that would accompany those three. I also carry a few notepads, pens, and other assorted productivity and notetaking supplies. On trips it may sometimes also carry snacks, a hoodie or one of my daughters blankets, stuffed animals, etc ... all while still carrying and protecting my electronics. Going through airport security with this has been a breeze. I simply unzip the large main pocket and lay it flat. Im through the line and quickly on to my gate while others are repacking their laptop cases and getting flaps flipped back over and tethered or zipped down or whatever. Its really quick and handy. I do recommend that you prep for the security check by not having snacks, hoodies, blankets, stuffed animals, or whatever else in that large pocket. Think about the fact that youll be laying that wide open for the scan and keep it empty. You can always re-organize whats in the bag after the scan. For regular use, its just as handy. I like the extra side pockets to hold a water bottle or an umbrella, or whatever else. I cant recommend this highly enough. Ive used many laptop and iPad cases over the past few years while getting from point A to point B, and this one is probably my favorite. The one extremely tiny complaint that I could have with this is that its a bit TOO roomy in the storage areas. If there were a slightly (very slightly) smaller version of this bag, I would probably go for that. Even having some sort of adjustable padding to really hold a smaller laptop or Macbook a bit tighter would be great. Also, bear in mind that this is not a hard case and does not provide that level of protection. There is adequate padding around the computer areas for normal protection, but if you toss this around and drop it on the concrete, you will likely have a damaged laptop. Thats pretty much common sense, I would think, but its worth mentioning.

I have been using my Swissgear backpack for a number of months now and could not be more pleased with it. Not long after buying this from Amazon, I was given a new laptop to use. My Original HP 17 laptop fit in it perfectly with some room to spare. The new Dell developer 19.5 laptop pushed the limits. At first I thought there was no way I was going to get it to fit. I then figured out the right method of sliding the bottom corner in first, then follow with the top corner. It then slid in the rest of the way with just a gentle tug at the last corner to get it to fit in. The zipper has been holding up great for the last several months with no trouble! I love the durability of this backpack. It holds everything I need, including a 19,200 ma backup batter pack for my peripheral recharging needs. I cant say enough nice things about it, Enjoy yours!

I tried the following bags before settling on this one: SwissGear 1900 – tablet sleeve not useful for my purposes Under Armour Storm Hustle II – nice lightweight bag but not sufficient number of useful pockets (internal zippered or velcroed) KAKA waterproof – roomy and well constructed but no internal zippered pockets SwissGear 1908 – not bad but the SwissGear 1923 had more pockets / stitching seems weak Amazon Basics Adventure – fair construction / good weight / not enough useful zippered internal pockets – I liked that laptop compartment had anterior and posterior padding SwissGear 1923 – has one internal zippered pocket in the bag’s flap. Zippered side pockets and front carabineer are also useful. The backpack handle would have been better if it were more rubbery and flexible instead of hard plastic. This bag weighs a bit more than some of the other comparable bags.

I have used this bag for a couple of trips in the last week and am very happy with it. The bag is very well put together and it is really convenient for the airport as it is as simple as unzipping the back half of bag and opening it out flat for the security scanner. If I were to suggest anything that would make the bag better I would ask for more sections inside the main compartment to store things. There is really only one small pouch inside and then some dividers but I didn;t have a great place to store my paperwork when traveling. The front and side pouches are very roomy and I had plenty of room to store the various gadgets and accessories that I feel the need to travel with nowadays! All in all, this is a nice handy bag and is great value for the cost.

Extremely well made backpack. This is my third one. The first one I bought about 5 years ago. I bought a second one about 3 years ago and gave the first one to my son which he is still using. Im still using the second one. The only reason I bought this one was it was such a good price (Amazon Deal of the Day) that I just wanted to have it in reserve in case the one Im using ever does tear up (which I doubt) or gets too ratty looking (could happen). I travel a good bit and the Scan Smart laptop section is great. I just leave the laptop in the backpack and it always goes right through the TSA scanner. In probably 200 airline trips, TSA has taken my laptop out of the bag only one time. I use this bag every day. It goes with me everywhere. Just to give you an idea, here are things I keep in the various pockets: Main/large pocket - file folders with work papers and personal papers, reading book, plenty of room left over to put food or other items in here to take to work. Zippered upper pocket inside Main pocket - Prescription drugs. Lower zippered pocket inside Main pocket: portable hard drive and other electronics if I am traveling. Pocket inside Main pocket designed for MP3 player - I keep my work security badge here, extremely handy and I always know where I put it. Front lower outer pocket - pens, pencils, personal grooming items (floss, comb, nail cutter), mini-maglight, eyeglass repair kit, business cards, etc. Front upper outer pocket - ear buds, usb cord, 110v to USB charger adapter, 12v to USB charger adapter. Side zippered pockets - eyeglass cases, laptop mouse. Side mesh pockets - laptop power cord when Im traveling I ride my bike to work alot. I unzip the Scan Smart zippers lay my neatly folded cloths in that section, rezip. and when I get to work my cloths are still nice neat and unwrinkled. As you can probably tell, I really like this bag and I highly recommend it.

Im writing this review from the airport now having just gone through security. First off, the bag is solid. Feels it, looks it and should hold up no problem to my travels. Lots of pockets for storage and organizing. Fit my dress shoes, three shirts and some other assorted clothing items as well as my usual travel electronics and accessories. The reason I bought it, though, was for my laptop on business trips. I asked the TSA agent monitoring our line if the bag folding flat was acceptable. He said yes so long as nothing obscures the laptop. The way this bag is constructed has the laptop in a pocket closest to your back and when opened flat, the only thing on that side of the bag. Theres even a little mesh window for security to see through. All your other stuff is separate. Got to the x ray machine and unzipped the bag, no agent gave it a second glance. Went through the scanner and grabbed the bag and my shoes then I was on my way. Its a simple thing, removing your laptop, but this actually made things faster and easier because there was no need to fight off people around me as everything I had was already contained. I could snag everything and get out of the way. Very happy.

So I had a Jansport backpack and it was stolen and that left me in the weird position of having to buy another backpack. I figured this time Id opt for what was practical for me as opposed to what was in style at the time. I did some searching and discovered this bag and was intrigued when I saw it could serve all of my needs. First off, there are compartments galore. Three separate areas, one main compartment, one flat compartment designed for your laptop, and a rear compartment that can hold some extra stuff. All three compartments are very long, with the main compartment being the biggest. The padding on the backpack is unreal. It really feels like having a pillow on your back. The side mesh pockets are great for holding a bottle of water or coffee container, and the Swiss Gear logo really adds a bit of style to the whole thing. Overall, Im very pleased. Well worth the money.