Others say...

"A fine laptop backpack"
I purchased this to take on a Caribbean cruise in September. I am no spring chicken anymore--I'm 64 and have one lung--but had no problems at all with this backpack.

It accommodated my 17-inch P-7811FX Gateway laptop with ease and provided decent, padded protection. I also included a laptop cooler stand, the power supply and cables, and an assortment of odds & ends that I wanted to keep with me (iPod, cell phone, chargers, reading materials, snacks, water bottle, passports, ...). This combination weighed in at about 30 pounds. I had no problems hefting it to put on or take off and there was no shifting of contents. There was room left over for a light change of clothing or a wind breaker and careful packing could include more. I don't doubt you could get this heavy enough to not want to carry it far!

I used this bag as my carry-on on Continental Airlines (along with my camera case) and had no problems...it fit easily into the overhead bins and the "briefcase handle" on top made it easy to carry down the narrow aisle. The numerous compartments were handy for keeping things separated and protected. The adjustable straps and waist belt allowed for a good fit and the weight seemed evenly distributed. I noticed no irritation points where the bag fit against my body.

All in all, this worked very well for me on a 12-day trip and it seems to have withstood the rigors of travel with no ill effects. Only time will tell about wear over the long haul but the construction and materials seem OK for a not-too-expensive backpack. I can recommend this one for those that need the additional room with a 17-inch laptop--mine measured 16 x 12.5 x 3 inches with the cooling stand which I kept in the compartment behind the laptop).

I don't know if I'd recommend this for school...I can remember text books weighing quite a bit and I think I'd rather lug around a smaller laptop for University work. This is more for the person who wants (needs?) to have their gaming with them or needs a desktop replacement when traveling.

"Great bag for college"
I got this as a gift and I use it for school. I can fit my computer, charger, books, and iPod and I have PLENTY of room to spare!

"RATING WOULD HAVE BEEN HIGHER BUT SHIPPING DELAYS"
happy w bag
took an extra week to get.
Wanted to have for a trip.
It literally 2 days before I left town.

"Fits Everything!"
I bought this backpack to use at college. I've had it for three weeks and I love it. I have 15 in macbook and bought the Brenthaven Edge II Sleeve (Black) for 15.4" MacBook Pro case to protect it. the case has a lot of structural integrity, far more than a sleve and thus adds a lot of bulk, but this backpack fits the laptop in the case in the laptop slot.

With the laptop in there, I can still fit my notebook, calc textbook, history textbook and reader and another 500 page book all in the laptop pocket and the first pocket after that. Then my ac adaptor, calculator and other bulky non book items can fit in the third pocket. And then theres those two mesh pockets and the whole front part for small stuff or anything else.

The only negative thing about this backpack is its not so good for packing clothes for a trip if you want one backpack for absolutely everything. also the zippers don't look so heavy duty, but no problems yet.

While this pack fits a lot of stuff and is very light. when nothings in it collapses real well so I still like it even when I'm just carrying my laptop or a couple books. It also is much more comfortable then my old Jansport backpack. I can fit about twice the weight in this backpack, but I get fewer aches and pains from carrying a full load around then I did with my old backpack.

If your like me and you like to have everything with you, I don't think theres a better backpack out there.

"Very disapointed"
I was very disapointed in this back pack. It's extreamly big, the strange place with the two nets is practicaly useless, and even though it appears that the zippers are hidden by a weather gaurd to help protect the computer from the rain, they aren't. All in all i would have liked a different pack.