SwissGear Scansmart TSA Laptop Pack Blue

I needed a replacement for my Columbia backpack that was getting old (id had it for the better part of 6 years) and couldn’t accommodate a 17 inch laptop. Swiss gear is known as a pretty reliable brand name. This backpack looked nice, appeared to have plenty of pockets for my needs, and could fit a 17 inch laptop along with a tablet which I also need to lug around for my work. So I went for it. I’ve had it for approximately 2 months and it’s treated me alright. It has some cons that, had I done a bit more research on, I think would have led me to get a different bag had I known about them. Pros: ++ Plenty of pockets, and they’re large. Not huge. ++ Fits a 17 inch laptop snuggly. ++ Fits not only my tablet for work, but an additional tablet for school without issue. + Pockets open up wide so Its easy to toss things into, see cons below tho. + Side straps have snaps and aren’t just to snug down. + Side zip pockets are great for extra cables + The bag handle is heavy duty. + Loops for carabineer, see cons tho. + Backpack shoulder straps are soft and seem strong despite issue below. + Backpack backpad is also soft, see issue below. Cons: -- Pockets open up too wide. I have had both the little front pocket and the large tablet pocket zip all the way open, dropping their contents after accidentally leaving them partially unzipped while walking. I’ve got heavy duty cases for my tablets so no harm no foul, but you need to remember to zip up ALL the bag pockets ALL THE WAY. The contents will dump out if you don’t. -- The small pocket with the carabineer loops on it pulls open with any amount of weight applied, even if its slightly unzipped. I’ve lost a mouse and a phone charger due to the weight of my carabineer on the pocket, let alone if you wanted your water bottle clipped there. -- Only have had this bag for two months and the backpack shoulder strap is starting to come unstitched / unravel. I’ve had a few workmates who have had Swiss gear bags for years without this sort of thing happening, not sure what’s going on with mine and I hope it’s not a trending issue. I can’t really even singe the fray with a lighter to clean it up, given where it’s at. -- Backpacks backpad gets warm. Really warm. I haven’t gone to the middle east with it yet, but the trip is coming and I’m sure this will lead to my back sweating profusely. -- If you’re using the side pockets for cables. Expect to hold your water bottle as the pouch will protrude into the bottle pocket. Not a big deal for me as I carry my water bottle anyway. -- Laptop pouches interior Velcro strap is… a waste… and it gets in the way. Good news is you can remove it. But the pocket itself does a good job holding things in place so I’m not sure why they put it in there. If it’s left in there unused, it gets in the way and can make it difficult to put your laptop in to the point where it can fit behind the zipper. Other thoughts: I’m a military member that frequently travels. I need a backpack that I can hang on stuff and that can endure some use and a little bit of abuse. I didn’t want a tactical bag as their pouches are too generic: they leave laptops unsupported and their pockets get huge. I didn’t want this. So I felt like this product would fit the bill, which it did. But it does it at the cost of being too easy to unzip and have your pockets contents dump. When you’re walking on the flight line, this is a really bad thing. If it weren’t for this issue, I would have given this a much higher rating, even with the shoulder strap mesh unraveling. Maybe next time add some snaps or something to help keep the pocket from opening up too far or maybe don’t have the zippers unzip so much of the pocket.