eBags Slim Travel Laptop Backpack

I've covered trade shows as a journalist for many years, and I spent most of them hauling around a big, bulky Swiss Gear backpack. It withstood a lot of punishment, and I have nothing against it, but I recently decided it was time to find something that looked a little more professional. The TLS from eBags, to put it bluntly, is one of the best backpacks I've ever had. As its name suggests, it has a very slim profile, even when it's stuffed with papers, cables, adapters, a camera and laptop. The pockets are thoughtfully designed for quick, easy access, and the brightly colored lining helps all of the contents to stand out, rather than being swallowed up in darkness. The laptop compartment is heavily padded, and the main compartment has a handy flat pocket to keep your documents separate from other items. The front pocket is really a flap, with lots of netting, elastic loops and interior pockets to keep your pens, USB drives, business cards, and cables organized. I also like the key leash, which keeps me from having to fish around for my keys. The felt-lined tablet pocket is a nice plus too. Though I typically use it to store my Kindle and headphones, it will easily accommodate an iPad. The zip out water bottle holder is a nice touch too. It reveals some elastic netting whenever you need to hold a water bottle, and it zips up and out of sight whenever you don't need it. Very smart. Which brings us to the best thing of all: The A/C adapter "garage," at the bottom of the back. This little door opens a removable hard case that's absolutely perfect for storing your power adapters and cables. You will never have to root through your bag looking for the right cable ever again. I keep my laptop A/C adapter cord, a portable mouse and a portable USB battery in there with room to spare. Plus, if you like, you can remove the hard case entirely, giving you more room in the main compartment of the bag. I personally prefer backpacks to shoulder bags because they're better for your back, but it's nice to have one you can take to the office without looking like you just got home from high school. If you want, you can even tuck the shoulder straps into a special pouch and carry the bag using a handle on the side. It doesn't *really* look like a briefcase, but it'll do in a pinch. I've only taken it on a couple of road trips so far, but it seems very sturdy, and it has nice thick fabric and great zippers. Highly recommended.

I waffled back and forth over whether to order the Pro Slim or the larger Pro Weekender version of this backpack. In the end, I went with the slim. I was tired of carrying a big bulky backpack with straps dangling everywhere. My previous backpack was a black Swiss gear that looked like something you'd take hiking. It wasn't very classy in a business environment even though it was very functional. So, I bought the Slim version of this bag because I thought the Weekender might look like I was carrying a suitcase on my back. And it really isn't that often that I need to pack an extra jacket or rain gear. I made the right choice. The Slim bag is about the same height and width as the typical laptop backpack like my Swiss gear. But it is not quite as deep front to back. Still, I got all the junk I was carrying in my Swiss gear bag into this Slim bag. The difference is that I had room to spare in the Swiss Gear while this bag doesn't really have much room left. But the space in this bag is exceptionally well designed in my opinion. Everything is neatly tucked away but easy to access. The tablet pouch is a nice touch and the front document zipper really works for me when travelling. In return for losing a little space, this bag provides a more sleek and compact package without a lot of loose straps and stuff to get hung up in tight spaces. In addition, you gain a neat luggage handle pass through to secure this bag to your roll aboard luggage. It just looks much more professional in an executive environment. It's easy to tuck the shoulder straps away and carry this horizontally or vertically like a briefcase. That also makes for easier stowing in aircraft overhead bins, nothing to hang up. Lastly, I ordered this bag in heathered graphite (gray) because I was tired of black bags and the different color helps me identify my bag while keeping others from grabbing it by mistake. If you regularly do one night trips it may be worthwhile to check out the larger Weekender version of this bag. If that's rare for you, I'd recommend this Slim version for everyday commuting. It's well designed and it looks much sharper than 99% of the backpacks on the market. Oh, and according to the tag that was attached, the bag is treated with Dupont Teflon water repellent / stain protector. So it should hold up pretty well to planes, trains, and automobiles as well an occasional rain shower.

My laptop backpack search started about 2 weeks ago when I discovered that my old pack was starting to tear in a few places after years of use. As a 30 year old "young professional", I needed something that was sleek and business like in appearance, but a typical single strap laptop bag has never been to my liking. After a fair amount of research, I ordered the TLS and it arrived via Prime in 2 days as expected. For my personal needs, the pack is absolutely perfect. The video on eBags does a very nice job explaining all of the features of the pack and when it arrived there were no surprises. I decided to go with the gray color, black seemed just a bit too plain for my taste. I will try to follow up with some photos of the gray since they seem to be quite hard to come by. I will say that the color was perfect for what I had in mind. Too light of a gray would have ended up looking like a stone washed gray from the 80s and too dark would not have been enough of a difference from the black. The color strikes a nice compromise between the two and it looks very professional. One note I will add about functionality as it pertains to the zippered tablet compartment. One review I read on Amazon stated that a customer who purchased this pack found the zippered opening to be a bit too small to easily fit their iPad in its case. I have the iPad air (same size as the Air 2 if I recall correctly) in a Zagg Folio case and there is more than enough room to easily drop the iPad in and retrieve it comfortably. It is possible that the other user had a bigger case I suppose? The new iPad pro would more than likely have a tough time fitting into the opening, however. If anyone needs, I can take a measurement to see how wide and deep the opening is exactly. Quality and craftsmanship are excellent. I looked over the pack when it arrived and the materials used, as well as the stitching to holding everything together, was what you would expect for a $90 backpack (and I mean that in a good way). In fact, I would argue that the quality is on par with some packs that are twice the price. Overall I am very happy with the purchase and, as long as the quality proves itself to be as good as it looks in the coming months and years, I would not hesitate to purchase another TLS in the future.

I love this bag!! I'm a school administrator and last year I found myself walking into school with the same bag as one of my students! Needless to say, I needed to get a backpack with a more polished and professional style for work so that I didn't look like a big kid! The bag looks great and wears well. I love the front compartment which gives easy access to quick at hand items like pens, id cards and such. I like the hard bottom compartment for my cords and chargers. The hard bottom also helps stand on its own (though it does tip over when full sometimes). My laptop (13 inch) fits nicely in the sleeve and it could probably accommodate up to a 17 inch. The laptop sleeve does have a removable pad at the bottom to protect against impact damage. My only gripe is that what makes the bag look great also makes it a bit of a pain: the sleek design sacrifices space. It does hold two of my notebooks and a small flex file folder, but just barely. On occasion, I have trouble getting everything back into the pack after I take it all out and I have to unzip the whole compartment open. In a pinch, I can fit another notebook in the laptop sleeve at the back, but I like to keep my laptop alone if I can. All in all, this is a great pack for professionals and those who want to look like professionals. You'll likely have to pare down a bit, but chances are you're carrying around to much anyway!

This was a great purchase for my 15" laptop for work. Although when it came in the mail work issued me a Surface Pro 4 - so needless to say the laptop compartment has lots of room. Here are a few of my pros and cons after one month of use: Pros: -- Two main compartments for laptops and/or books that have configurable cushions on the bottom for extra space. Both zippers open in L-shape (left to right). The cushion in the laptop (back) area is about 1" thick. The other cushion is located inside the middle zipper and is secured by velcro. This cushion is also bigger at roughly 2"X4" or the same size as the charging zipper. For extra room, you only have to un-velcro the base and push it down all the way. -- Designated tablet sleeve in between the middle and back zippers on top. I use my planners and organziers here instead since I use the laptop (back) zipper for my surface pro 4. -- The front compartment has five zippers on the inside (three of which are mesh to easily see what's inside). There's also a spot for business cards, three pens loops, and one elastic holder that I use for my eye glasses case. Outside this compartment there is one additional zipper compartment (partially hidden) next to the "e-bags" logo I would use for documents traveling (e.g. passport, boarding tickets, etc.) -- Designated storage area for charging cords with sturdy interior walls. -- Interior walls are bright orange and contrast easily against items in storage compartments or mesh netting in the front zipper -- Two pass throughs for luggage handles in case you want the bag to sit upright or on its side. There are two handles on the top and side that extend slightly or "flex" as you lift up the bag. It makes for a nice feel when you move the bag around. -- The bag stands vertically on its own. -- Large zipper tabs to easily grap After one month of using, I have very few Cons but here they are: -- The beverage zipper on the side is too small. It opens to a mesh holder with an elastic band. You're lucky if you can fit a 16 oz bottled water in it. -- The chest straps across the front are unnecessary and look too much like outdoor or college bags. -- Straps can be unhooked at the bottom with plastic clips to hide straps inside the pass throughs for travel. While this is a nice tough, I would like to have metal or something sturdier than plastic. -- Only comes in black and light grey. Let me know if you have any questions or want me to post pictures.

I took everything from my bag I bought a year ago, which was more of a travel backpack, and it's impressive how much lighter this bag feels on my shoulders. The way the pockets are designed are great and are an efficient use of space. I carry 2 spiral notebooks, a 17" laptop, over-ear headphones, Xbox elite controller (in case), laptop charger, mouse, calculator, extra charging cables, pencil/pen box, small misc items, and a QI charging pad. Fits very well in the bag, but doesn't leave much room for anything else. I could remove a notebook and carry a text book instead if need be, but after a few years of college I kinda have my backpack load out down to a science. Gets me through my classes and my shift at work afterwards. I also like how clean/elegant it looks. The only odd thing is the way the zippers don't go on both sides of the pack. The main compartments' zippers only go across the top and down 1 side. I like this feature though because my other pack would unzip to open up for TSA inspection just by the weight of the 2 halves and I didn't need that capability for school use.

I bought this for business trips and airline flights, to take my laptop, iPad, portfolio for the presentations, and electronics such as my electric razor. Buy this one, do not shop around. This is the one to get. Pouches and Pockets: The versatility and diversity of the pouches and zippered pockets are simply exceptional. Every charger, every cord, earbuds with a wire to plug into the airplane's entertainment system, my wireless headphones for my own iPhone, plus business cards, flash drives, sunglasses, mints, gum, everything has it's own dedicated spot. In particular, I liked the hard shell space on the bottom. I know that the company advises you to use it for the bulky charges to keep them from getting smashed. I actually stored a sandwich and bag of chips in here, for my flight Quality of Materials: Not flimsy, very sturdy. The zipper quality is high, and the thin nylon is strong and snag proof. I particularly like that the outside material would withstand snags on anything that's underneath the airline seat in front of you. I have shoved my old Jansport underneath, only to pull it out and tear my backpack right open. Also, the handholds are excellent, strong, and don't feel like they will rip. Comfort: With all the stuff I put in, the weight distribution, and the padded lumbar support, made it a breeze to take it through the airport. Additionally, when walking through the airport, the ability to tuck the backpack straps in, and then piggyback it on my carry-on luggage was a nice benefit. Best backpack, ever! Secpon

I researched for a laptop backpack for a while before I came across this bag and I am extremely happy I found it! I have used it for 8 months and am pretty impressed. It accompanies me to all my weekday work which includes travel to client sites. It has a very sleek look that is professional for a client visit. I was always hesitant to choose a backpack as my bag because I thought it didn't look professional but this one does, especially because of the side handle that allows it to be used in a briefcase manner. On trips requiring travel other than a car I am very pleased. Being able to slide the pack over the extended handle of a suitcase is great. It fits in the under seat storage but fills a good amount of the space. I did not find any comfort issues with it down at my feet. It has held up great. I haven't taken it through a rainstorm but it does a good job of preventing the interior items from getting wet in most other weather circumstances I have had it for. None of the seams appear to be fraying or coming loose and it still looks in great condition. The only downside is that the zipper pulls are coated in black paint that appears to have chipped off in nicking various objects and normal wear. It isn't overtly obvious but is visible.

This has been an amazing bag. It protects my investment well. I've had this bag for 8 years and it's holding up great! No rips or tears. It was a great investment.

I bought this bag on through Amazon a decade ago, and I lost my old one. I got a similar model. Very durable. Good for traveling, and relatively reasonable price. Definitely worth it