Thule Paramount Commuter Backpack 27L, Black

I usually never do reviews, but I had to for this product. It is a long review, but after spending so much time searching for a great school/travel back pack and reading tons of reviews, I created this review how I wish I would have found one during my search. I didn’t think the pictures or descriptions of features on here or Thule’s website did a great job of providing descriptive details, and I enjoy the backpack so much I decided to do so myself. This product is well worth the time to do so. I am student in grad school, so I do a lot of walking around on campus and back and forth from our parking garage. I had owned and used my old back pack as my primary school bag since I started undergrad, but the water resistant coating had worn away. I also used it for travel and such which led to me constantly wishing I had more room. I wanted to invest in a high quality back pack with waterproofing to protect my laptop and enough room to do what I needed as a student and then some. I don’t have much money, so I browsed the internet for weeks looking for deals and reading reviews. Although this bag wasn’t on sale and there were some negative reviews for it, I am very pleased with my purchase. This bag is durable, waterproof, and has plenty of space for all I need as a grad student. The quality of craftsmanship and materials is clearly evident. It has plenty of small pockets for organization but not TOO many. There are two main compartments both of which have waterproof zippers. In the compartment closest to the wearer’s back, you’ll find a mesh zipper pouch for smaller items in which I place my wallet, earbuds, small tube of aquaphor, and a larger charging block. Also, there is a divider in the middle of this compartment where you can place your laptop and/or tablet in one half which is suspended off of the bottom of the bag for device protection in case you were to set in down onto the boot too hard (It fits my 13in MacBook Air and 11in IPad easily). The laptop portion of the compartment is located in the divided sleeve away from your back (toward the middle of the bag) which I found odd at first because most bags I have seen have the laptop pocket right at the back of the wearer. This version in the paramount bag feels more secure to me somehow, and the weight feels more evenly distributed when carrying. On the other side of the divider, I have enough space for a 2in thick binder for papers and such. This compartment is more slim than the second main zipper compartment as it is tailored more toward notebook/laptop storage. In the second compartment which is further away from the wearer’s back, you’ll find another mesh pouch which is larger than the other compartment’s pouch but has no zipper to close it. In it I have 4 pens, a calculator, a cleaning kit for my glasses, and a small note pad. The compartment itself has much more room to store bulkier items that aren’t notebook shaped. In it I have my portable charger, electronics organizer for charging cords and blocks, and a pair of headphones with plenty of space left-over. The small, outside pocket at the top of the bag is covered with a flap that latches down with magnets. Once you pull the magnetic cover back, you’ll find a small zipper pouch where I store my keys, eyedrops, and a couple packs of gum. There are elastic water bottle pouches on each side of the back pack which I used to hold a 50oz water bottle, but on the right-hand side next to the water bottle holder is a vertical zipper for a small felt-lined pouch that acts as a more secure, “hidden” place to store small items. I don’t have anything in there currently but this pocket is bigger than you think! The external pouch which is advertised as being used to hold a bike helmet or a pair of shoes is open at the top but slightly covered by the magnetic flap. There is a zipper on each side to “open” it with straps on each side where you can expand or decrease the size. I have used it to store my rain jacket where I can zip it up to stay compact. Lastly, the waterproof cover is stored in the boot of the bag accessed through a small zipper at the bottom close to the back of the wearer. To apply the waterproof, reflective cover, simply unzip the pouch and pull the cover from the bottom of the bag to the top. The cover has a small buckle attaching it to the inside of the pocket where it is stored so that (I’m assuming) it doesn’t blow away if the wind takes it off the pack. The cover can be unbuckled in case it needs to be left out to dry or just removed altogether. The padding for the shoulder straps and back is sufficient. My favorite part is the sternum strap. It has “daisy-chain-like” attachment points at the shoulder straps to adjust the height of the sternum strap. This is great to me because most other bags with a sternum strap attach at the shoulder straps with a slide mechanism to adjust the height. This always leads to the sternum strap creeping up too high as I walk or move around. Speaking of shoulder straps, there is another great feature here. I dont the terms for these, but the pulls that are used to tighten up the shoulder straps which make the bag higher and tighter to your back can be held down with “slip-fasteners”???on both sides. Basically, the straps you pull to tighten can be secure so they aren’t swinging around your body or blowing in the wind as they are long and could get on something when walking or biking.Now, while I have raved about this product I have some complaints/concerns. I am a bigger guy, but this backpack still fits me comfortably. It might not fit comfortably for people who are on the heavier side with more soft-tissue mass around their back, chest, and shoulders. It is not a pliable bag either and keeps it’s form well even without items inside, so there is not much give when it comes to wearing it. The backpack is also a bit on the heavier side especially once loading it with your personal items, but it maintains it’s comfort even with the heavier weight. I suppose weight is the trade off for the durability and waterproof materials.

The Thule Paramount Commuter Backpack is an exceptional choice for anyone on the go. This backpack is designed with the commuter in mind, offering a perfect blend of style, functionality, and durability. The sleek design and high-quality materials make it both attractive and long-lasting. One of the standout features is the dedicated laptop compartment, which provides excellent protection for your device. The multiple pockets and compartments are incredibly well-organized, making it easy to store and access all your essentials. The weather-resistant material ensures that your belongings stay dry, even in unpredictable weather conditions. The ergonomic design and padded straps make it comfortable to carry, even during long commutes. The reflective details are a thoughtful addition, enhancing visibility and safety during nighttime travel. Overall, the Thule Paramount Commuter Backpack is a fantastic investment for anyone looking for a reliable and stylish backpack for daily use. Highly recommended!

I haven't purchased a backpack in 11 years. This bag is outstanding. The phone pocket sells it for me since I can keep a garage opener there when I'm commuting on my bike. Helmet holder and rain cover have also been super useful. Helmet holder can double as a gym shoe holder too!

just a quick note: spent a long time looking for backpacks with these requirements: 1. sufficient space for my stuff, including laptop and lunchbox 2. sufficient side compartments that are sturdy (not mesh: previous thule backpack with mesh side pockets ended up tearing pretty quickly) 3. waterproof 4. looks reasonably professional this hits all of these very well. on top of that, it is really comfortable, doesn't feel or look super bulky, and my large helmet can actually fit in the front. definitely worth a buy if you're a commuter!

if your are smaller than 5’10 it will looks very large on you. otherwise very good backpack

Use this for commuting to and from work. Comfortable and holds a lot. Added bonus that it comes with a stylish rain cover!

I was prettty underwhelmed by this product. The lack of organization is troublesome. Definitely not worth the money. It was my first Thule, but I don’t think I will continue buying Thule based on this Boring bag.

This is a nice, but somewhat strange, commuter-oriented day pack/backpack. The build is ultra-heavy — mine weighs in at almost exactly 1.5 kg or 3 lb 5 oz, a really beefy monstrosity even with nothing loaded in it. This is *not* a pack I'd take on a light hike, and honestly might be uncomfortably heavy when loaded. In exchange for the weight, you get not a ton of capacity but a lot of weird, possibly useful, features; there is a dedicated side pocket for a phone, a weird magnetic top flap that conceals a lined sunglass pocket, an organizer panel, a helmet/shoe flap with side zips on the outside, a whole separate rain-cover in a dedicated underside pocket, and a central laptop sleeve that's somehow still a bit under-padded. The back panel is also heavily padded, in a somewhat strange style, and the shoulder straps are contoured and well made. The whole design is a bit weird and I'd suggest looking it over in person before ordering, or planning on a quick return if the style (or weight!) doesn't suit you; you'll have to want a lot of the specific features for this pack to really make sense. There are also some odd design decisions even considering the features — a lot of little things seem ill-thought-out, like the rain cover pocket being part of the inner, non-waterproof, lining, so that putting away a wet rain cover will soak the pack's entire contents. Or, as another reviewer mentioned, the odd magnetic top flap, that won't really hold anything in place. Still, it's nice to see a commuter pack that actually tries to provide something others don't; take a look at it in person, and maybe it'll work for you.