Solo New York Solo New York Executive Backpack with Padded Compartment for Laptops Up to 15.6-Inches, Brown (EXE735-4U2)

I work and go to college so I need the convenience of a purse and function of a backpack. I was looking for something larger than a computer bag to avoid multiple bags and a purse. My "must haves" were a padded laptop area, many pockets and decent quality within budget. I've only had it for a day. Tested the zippers and they work fine so far. There are 5 separate zipped areas (not including the side pocket zipper). I was able to organize my school and personal items. The pocket where I put my wallet goes all the way down (which also fit a make up bag- yay!) My laptop is 15.6" and fits perfect. There's also a place for a tablet if traveling. I could only fit one binder and book in the largest back pocket but there's additional space in the area of with laptop to fit a book about 2" (if needed). I can combine everything from my purse and old backpack into one. My pictures are the greatest. Don't worry photography isn't my day job. I work with apparel industry. I'm impressed. Only thing I see is the lining could be a better slightly thicker nylon. Overall it's better than expected especially for the price!

Backpack bottom failed, my Macbook Pro corner is hanging outside the pack. Not sure how long till it rips a huge hole. Its a nice looking and functional pack otherwise.

As an Amazon Vine reviewer, I once received a brown version of this backpack to test out in exchange for writing an honest review on it. I loved it. Then, my workplace gave us all backpacks, and I switched to the company backpack. I hated it! So, I went home to find my brown version of this Solo backpack. My wife had already claimed it, and she wasn't giving it back. We got into it with one another, and then I relented for fear that divorce by way of backpack fight would not be worth it. So, I bought a black one for me. What do I love about it? So much to love: + Just the right size! + Cloth, not ballistic nylon. + More pockets than you can shake a stick at. + Drink holder on the side. + Premium/upscale look to it. Cloth with leather trim. + Does not belly out when stuffed. It has form, unlike other backpacks. + iPad sleeve inside. + Like a Chinese fire drill. You won't believe how much you can put into it, and it won't look ridiculous. I assure you that if you buy this backpack over the plain Jane ballistic nylon garbage you are considering, you will never go back to one of those mediocre backpacks again.

For someone that carried a TUMI Alpha 2 most of the time, this was kind of a nice change. The TUMI was around 6 pounds, this is about 2, and on my back, I felt an immediate difference. Although the Alpha 2 can fit up to a 17 inch MacBook Pro, I only have a 15 inch. This fit the 15 inch snugly. The amount of compartments was a feature I immediately took advantage of. It might make the backpack bulge a bit if you were to put irregular objects into it such as waster bottles, but the overall design makes it so that the bag stays a general recognizable shape. I'd like to think of it as a little more form fitting. The TUMI Alpha 2 would stick out like a sore thumb that made you look stupid when you carried it whereas this one I feel more confident walking down the street. If I remember correctly, I think I managed to cram two 1 liter bottles of water, a Beats Solo 2, and a Moleskine Large notebook into the main compartment, but like I said, it bulges a bit. Of course I also had my laptop in the back and charger and wallet in the front with space leftover for some a stuffed pencil bag if I wanted to I think. The smaller sipper slots are actually quite deep if anyone is wondering. I carried a fold-able umbrella on the side pocket with the zipper, but sometimes if I bend over, the umbrella slips right out. Reaching over to grab the umbrella wasn't too hard. The exterior fabric is kind of nice for people who are into the texture of jeans. The feel more towards the stiffer type of jeans rather than the softer type. The interior fabric reminds me every day that I got what I paid for. It's definitely not the smooth silky TUMI interior, not even Dell computer bag for that matter. It's feels rather like a thick layer of those soft plastic bags from supermarkets, but that's fine with me. I was waiting for the shoulder straps to start hurting, like that white and blue canvas bag I got one time from the Apple Store, but it never did. There's soft padding on both the straps and the back. The left strap on mine does slip sometimes, but that might just be my posture. I didn't like the handles at all. They were hard to use. Maybe if they simplified the handle design. I really like the TUMI handle. I feel like this might be a bag that I'll keep for a while.

This was not the exact fabric I was expecting, but its very durable. I use it for work and have found every week I have it I just add more and more into it. It has so many pockets that I do not have to pick and choose what I carry with me. The straps do not have very much padding on them, but the back of the bag itself has a lot of padding, so its comfortable to wear for a longer term. It is very sturdy, and I really like the reinforced bottom so i don't have to worry about where I put it.

Really liked this bookbag until 5 weeks after i bought it, when the zipper just fell off.. Not sure why this happened but I can no longer zip my bookbag...

it's a really nice backpack. I am really happy with my purchase.

Smaller than expected for main compartment. Rear compartment bigger than expected.