Briggs & Riley @ work - Large Clamshell Backpack, Black, One Size

I've been traveling for business fairly regularly for about the last 18 months. Sometimes by car, sometimes by plane. I've always used a rollerboard suitcase and a Jansport backpack for my carry-on. I'm extremely organized, so having just two large pockets in the Jansport has always kind of bugged me -- usually a padfolio and my laptop in the big pocket, and then a mix of charging cables, Beats headphones, books, iPad Mini and so on in the second big pocket. It also never really looked appealing enough to take into a client meeting, so I would usually just bring the padfolio and leave the rest. This Briggs & Riley backpack now solves my problems! The organization and layout of the bag is great, and the quality of it is second to none. I just moved all of my stuff from my old Jansport and a side bag into this bag, and I swear it holds more stuff in an organized manner, but still looks slimmer and less bulky as well. Definitely something I would not be afraid to take into a client meeting either. Have not flown with it yet, but it appears that it would easily fit under the seat in front of me in coach. The craftsmanship is second to none as well; very sturdy looking and certainly feels it too. Very excited to put some mileage on this and review again a year or two from now, but with the lifetime guarantee you really can't beat it for the price. When my suitcase needs to be replaced or I need any kind of luggage in general, I know who I'm shopping with from now on. A pleasant surprise that you might not notice or possibly skip over in the list of features -- on the backside (part that is against your back when wearing), it has a sleeve so that you can place it on top of your suitcase if you don't feel like wearing it through the airport. An added bonus that I only found out about upon unboxing!

It's a really good bag. Is it $300 of a good bag? Depends. I have the matching suitcase. As a frequent business traveler who likes to look sharp when visiting potential customers, this certainly sends a higher signal of success than the ragtag, 10-year-old Targus I was previously toting around. So, you're certainly paying a "fashion" premium, like you would with a pair of premium jeans versus the perfectly nice Gap jeans that I typically buy for about a third of the price. Nonetheless I've kept it. Day-to-day, it works well. I had put an old pair of boxers in the bottom of the laptop compartment so that when I slid my $1200 laptop into it, it didn't feel like it was slamming against the floor. But I like that the laptop compartment only zippers down to half the height of the bag. Somehow, that feels intuitively right, like you don't have to worry about the most valuable item in your bag falling out if you forgot to zip that compartment. The keyholder in the front pocket is metal instead of plastic; that's a nice touch. It does have the piece that allows you to slide it over the handle of your suitcase, and that works well, holds it in place. The metallic zipper pulls jingle around a bit in my back seat; that's kind of annoying. The only other negative comment would be that it's designed in such a way that the fabric is stiff and puffed out to its fullest capacity, versus being soft and expandable. It did fit under the seat in front of me on a plane, but if you're in one of those tight situations where every inch of space helps, this thing is the size it is, no matter what. Still, it is a classy, comfortable, and seemingly durable bag. I'll ride this horse for as long as possible. UPDATE: Recently took a new Targus bag on vacation to Italy, on the grounds that it would take up less room at my feet on an airplane. I transplanted much of what I carry in this daily over to the Targus, which performed fine. But I have to say, now that I'm back, after two weeks of being away from this one, I really appreciate the roomier top and front pockets much more. Those would have been much easier to find stuff in while toodling around in an airport. I guess if I had to do it all over, I would take this one and just stow it in the overhead. Also the weave of the fabric is made of much thicker thread, and is more coarse, but in an attractive (and hopefully more durable) way.

I'm writing this review after over 3 years of purchasing and using this bag. Before I bought this, i had gone through several backpacks over the years and usually needed a replacement after a few months. I am what you'd call a power user, I use it daily for work (it's stylish enough without looking juvenile), on the weekends for sound engr, lights, and dj. So it gets pretty heavy. Sometimes I carry two to three laptops, cables, drives, headphones, other accessories, and sharp edged objects like laptop stands and light tools. I travel with it often, and have tossed it around a bit, as one would for backpacks. But despite the heavy and rough use, it's still strong and looks decent after three years. I don't think it's waterproof but it has been in the rain briefly with stuff in it without any issues. I have (more than once) had it on the floor of a dj booth where booze has been spilled. Nothing affected my gear but the bag smelled afterwards. To get the smell of booze out, i simply empty out the bag, hosed it down and then let it dry. Despite the heavy usage, after three years, this bag doesn't have a thread loose, or even a bad zipper. The only caution i would give would be the lack of padding on the inside of the back compartment where I often carry a laptop. Since I carry my laptop in padded sleeves, i don't worry about it. I have attached a photo of the padded sleeve. The inside compartment is already padded. The bag is pricey but worth every penny.

The bag looks very sturdy, has a large number of compartments, and a design that allows one to leave the laptop in the bag when going through TSA checkpoints. However, although the description says that it will fit a 17" laptop, this is not always true. I bought this bag to carry my work laptop (HP EliteBook 8770w) and it does NOT fit into the laptop compartment. When inside that pocket, the laptop corners protrude outside and prevent one from closing the zippers. Same problem with Dell precision M6600/6700/6800 mobile workstations.

Hurt my back, returned it and bought backpack from The North Face which doesn't have that problem.

Pleasantly surprised with this product! I have been looking at Briggs and Riley and Tumi backpacks for years. I lucked into this one at a great price and I'm thrilled. Some reviews describe this model as a "small" backpack. It is solidly a medium size bag. The side pockets are small, one is designed to hold a water bottle when open. I use the side pockets for chargers and small accessories comfortably. The good: The compartment layouts are well proportioned with secondary pockets in some. The smaller front pockets are well thought out with more space than expected. The straps are very comfortable and have good traction whether on one shoulder or on both. The handle is good quality leather and feels great. There is a refinement to the design so you don't feelike you're carrying a sports. The bad: More a personal preference than a complaint but the position of the zipper pulls when in the closed position causes clanging. In my opinion, the best value on premium brand backpack, making this a better deal than Tumi.

This has been working nicely for the month we've had it (and 4 international flights, and several long bus and train trips, plus cycling around Oxford). It's not light (probably because we can get so much into it), but it's been easy to use through airport security, and easy to load and unload books and papers. Actually works far better than my B+R 17" laptop shoulder bag, plus things don't get lost in the depths

Quality product - shape stays solid no matter how full and can always open zips without using two hands. Lightweight yet strong and resilient - well worth the money in my opinion.

Allows you to carry a comfortable pack and still look good in a business environment. Higher quality and more stylish than most.

Great backpack for short travel trips. Interior compartments hold all needed items safely. Upper front pocket hold passport and boarding pass. Lower compartment is perfect for liquids.