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Backpack for 15" and lots of textbooks

F

Feng Shui

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 9, 2008
190
0
I'm heading off to university next year, and I will need a sturdy bag to hold all the textbooks and my 15" classic MBP. I'm looking for a backpack (no messengers) under $200 that will hold a few textbooks and my MBP.

I looked around Apple Store, and found interest in Crumpler King Single. Please suggest some suitable bags.

Thanks.
 
Feng Shui said:
I'm heading off to university next year, and I will need a sturdy bag to hold all the textbooks and my 15" classic MBP. I'm looking for a backpack (no messengers) under $200 that will hold a few textbooks and my MBP.

I looked around Apple Store, and found interest in Crumpler King Single. Please suggest some suitable bags.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Maybe take a look at the Booq XM backpack. It's expensive, but it seems to be a well made/big bag.
 
The Jansport Exchange is a large backpack, and my 15" fits in it just fine. Most of the time I keep the side straps cinched down because I don't carry too many books, but when I need to carry a lot, it is nice to have the capacity. It also has the gel straps, which make it comfortable with heavy loads (but not quite as comfortable as my old non-laptop Jansport because the side of the straps on the Exchange tends to dig into my shoulders a little more).

I couldn't find it in any stores, so I bought it from ebags.com. ebags doesn't seem to have it any more, but if you search, there are a few places selling it. Here's the first one I found:
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2451952
I paid $80 since ebags was having a sale, but $100 is a good price.

The backpack has held up well so far. The zippers look durable enough, and it is generally well-built. One time when I had too much stuff in it I could hear some threads in the shoulder strap snap as I picked it up, so be careful not to overload it.

I really like mine, and I highly recommend it.
 
I personally use the Timbuk2 Hacker bag for my 15" MacBook Pro and textbooks/notebooks. It has the feature of being both a backpack and a messenger bag, so you can switch between the two if you wanted.
 
Booq Python Pack if you have $250 laying around (I know that's more than you want to spend but it's really nice) or the Swiss Gear Synergy if you are financially sane (well under $100).

The Synergy actually has more room for books, best backpack out there dollar for dollar IMO.
 
I've got an incase sling bag (the one with the single diagonal strap). It's great if you want just one diagonal strap, but it can be a little awkward. I'll be looking for a different bag with two straps for next semester. The bag itself is of very good quality.
 
I just ordered a North Face Surge. I like that it has lots of padding for my mbp, but also has space for books and other stuff. Not to mention that it looks good, is very durable, and can be used as an outdoors pack.
 
I was terribly disappointed with the Booq boa XM: poor quality (tearing inside, zippers) and also felt that it was very uncomfortable. It has a hard, stiff back that doesn't in any way conform to the natural curves of a human body -- surprising that comfort seems to have been overlooked. I love the design from a functional perspective, but it was definitely not worth the price.

I've been looking at the axio tekno and fusion -- anybody had experience with those?
 
Feng Shui said:
I'm heading off to university next year, and I will need a sturdy bag to hold all the textbooks and my 15" classic MBP. I'm looking for a backpack (no messengers) under $200 that will hold a few textbooks and my MBP.

I looked around Apple Store, and found interest in Crumpler King Single. Please suggest some suitable bags.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have the Crumpler King Single. Although it's cute and has a built-in laptop sleeve with pockets inside, it's not really convenient to get things in and out of it because of the shape/design.

The laptop sleeve is too big for the bag, I think. Because it's at the rear of the bag where the zipper is positioned, it's in the way and it's hard to get to anything else inside the bag. And although the sleeve is removable, you still pretty much have to unzip the whole bag (zips go all around to bottom) to access anything deep inside it. It's OK if you have a big desk you can open up your backpack on (it opens like a suitcase) most of the time, but that isn't the case when you are at university. Try it out when you are at the Apple Store next time.

I use this as an overnight bag/grocery shopping bag instead. Personally, I like STM backpacks, better design for access. Also, their waist and chest straps are better positioned. I had to buy an extra chest strap for the Crumpler King Single to make it more comfortable to carry.
 
Got a late 2008 MBP 15" and it is stored inside a Booq M2. I carry my gear in a Chrome Metropolis along with my med school textbooks. works well and I bike commute to school pretty much everyday.
 
I second the North Face Surge. It's a great backpack with tons of space and pockets; the 15" uMBP should fit with ease in its padded compartment. My brother has had one for a while and it's held up great, so I just bought one for college.
 
I use a plain old Jansport, it's at least seven, if not eight, years old. I think it's either the Superbreak or the Perfect Score, sometimes with a case for the laptop and sometimes without.
Case or no depends on how much else I have in the bag, and how heavy/full of sharp corners they are.
I also have a messenger (a Timbuk2, in the medium size), without a built-in laptop sleeve. One of the things I like about not having a built in laptop compartment is that there's no wasted space if I'm not carrying my laptop around.
Before I left for school, I definitely thought I would be carrying my laptop every day, and planned on also carrying around textbooks. I just graduated in May, and for the most part, neither my laptop nor my textbooks came to class, although my laptop came with me other places. Obviously, your experience might vary, I know people who carried their laptops everywhere, I know people who carried every textbook for every class with them.
I definitely got a lot of use out of my Jansport, so I can recommend those if you're just looking for something basic & flexible. The only thing that wasn't ideal was that the model I had was "water-resistant", a downpour could still manage to soak through the fabric, and things would get damp. Don't know if that's a concern for you, but I went to school in New Orleans — unexpected showers were pretty common.
If you're looking for something a little more well-designed/engineered, I highly, highly recommend the bags Eagle Creek makes, especially the Back Office, although you'll lose some space with the integrated laptop carrier. They're built really well, I use it as my primary "travel bag", since it'll fit underneath airplane seats and means I don't have to empty out my school bag everytime I flew.
 
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