Timbuk2 Authority Laptop Backpack Deluxe, Eco Black Deluxe

I went through dozens of bag reviews, bought four of them and returned (sorry Amazon), when I just should have started with the GOAT of pack manufacturers, Timbuk2. For everyday carry this is the best. Great padding, all the little details like thumb hooks for the straps, adjustable and removable chest clasps, high grade zippers and premium material; it's all here. I don't like a dozen pockets for items that will change size over time and limit what I can carry. Compartments are roomy at the bottom but keep the bag snug. Straps are padded and perfectly designed. When Ipick it up it feels a little weighty until it gets on my shoulder and then feels like a feather. You could pack this thing out and walk around all day with no problem. YKK zips of course. I ordered a $420 that could not hold a candle to this thing. Love the tight laptop compartment which feels like it has enough padding to stop a truck. Plush top handle which is a must.Only one con is the bottom strap clasps. They feel very fragile as they are light plastic. Would have gone with metal, even magnetic, because I think these things are going to get beat up hard since they are in the bottom of the pack. However, I haven't had it that long so we will see.All told, this is a $500 everyday carry stylish and top grade everyday backpack for $150. I've had my Timbuk2 messenger bag for more years than I can remember, so I guess I'll write a followup review in 2035. 😃

I don't do 5 star ratings because really "... love it?" I love this backpack. It's light, strong, snug and thinner than I thought it would be loaded. I carry a Surface 3 laptop, a 12.9 iPad Pro, Bose headphones, a Plantronics headset, the laptop charger and all the other various cords in an Amazon Basics zip case and a tilt stand for my laptop. The bag doesn't have a suspension pocket for the laptop, but everything fits snugly and feels well-padded and secure. I've dropped it a couple of times with no issue. The straps are comfortable even with this load and it feels balanced. The extra pockets for phone, keys, meds whatever are thoughtfully designed and don't bulge out when loaded. I've got all my stuff in it right now and it's maybe 8 inches thick so it goes under an airline seat and I can shove my toes underneath it and stretch a little. The water bottle pocket fits your standard water bottle no issue, and holds it securely. The shell is water resistant to even a drenching rain storm. The shell fabric wears well - I've had it a year now and it looks basically new. The strap to go around your luggage handle is almost too snug - you have to stretch it to get it on, but it holds tight and doesn't make my carry on fall over, so props there. I have one quibble and it's a small one. The fabric is sufficiently flexible that you have to use two hands to close the top zippers. If you try to pull with one hand the zipper folds. Given everything else they got right I'm sticking with 5 stars.

This product is perfect for my use needs, I wanted a comfortable bag that leaves no concern for the safety of the laptop. The bag is obviously still a bag, and a laptop could be broken while inside, but for normal wear, I would be shocked if my laptop were to break due to the durability of the laptop sleeve. The laptop sleeve seems well reenforced, with extra padding on both sides. The other two main pockets are supplementary in my opinion, as the design of the bag seems to be with the intention of being sleek/thin. While you can store a good amount of items in the bag, I would use a different bag for travel, or efficient packing (storage/price ratio is not the intention of the bag).There is a secondary sleeve in one of the other main pockets that could fit an additional laptop, but this sleeve is less reenforced. If you really wanted you could probably fit like 4-5 laptops in the bag, but the incentive is to use the reinforced pocket for the laptop.If you want a good looking, comfortable bag that is ideal for laptops, I would highly recommend this bag. This is my second Timbuk2 bag, and I have used them daily. I've never felt like I need a better bag of the same style.

I use for hauling a laptop and iPad, usually along with a few books, chargers, cables, etc. Backpack is not huge, but you can fit a reasonable amount of stuff in there. Protection in the laptop compartment is sufficient, just enough pockets to be useful without being overwhelming, and feels slim and convenient rather than big and bulky, even when packed out. Also offers some water resistance (not waterproof), but it was enough to protect my gear when left out in moderate rain overnight (barely... that was a close one!). Material has held up really well so far with moderate to heavy use, still looks new.

I have been going on a over a month long journey to find the perfect backpack for me. I bought this one because I thought it was a fair price and I thought it looked good. The biggest issue I had was this backpack is the fact that the color is not actually black. It is a dark blue and most lighting conditionsMy previous backpacks were a matein 15-in backpack and the Timbuktu Parkside backpack.I thought the backpack was overall comfortable. I had a good security features and good padding. What I thought was lacking was the quality of the zippers. They felt a bit cheaper compared tomy Thule backpack.I am not a fan of only having one water bottle holder on the side. I think that was a big design flaw. I am also not a fan of how unflexible the water bottle holder is. I had to buy a smaller hydro flask 24 oz that is slim to fit in the backpack water bottle holder. If it had two I probably would have been rating this higher.