I chose this bag because it’s a bit smaller than the other ones I tested this week and it could be good for a younger person or a svelte, slim lady/man about town. It is a fairly standard backpack but is nicely outfitted with a number of useful features including, but not limited to, a bottle opener, a side zipper to access your laptop, a bottle opener, and a bottle opener.

I’m starting to love bags with bottle openers.

Style
Made of rip-stop nylon, the Swig is a handsome, weatherproof backpack that comes in multiple colors. At $89 it’s a bit pricey but it’s a solid bag and did I mention it had a bottle opener on it? It comes in multiple bold colors.

Who is it for?
This bag is for smaller folks, to be sure. It’s a smaller backpack, on par with your standard Jansport, but the quality is higher and you have more padding and features (see “bottle opener”, ibid.). A standard laptop will fit into the laptop cosy and it has some excellent expandability for overnight items. Rather than say it’s “for girls,” I’ll say it’s smaller than I’d like.

Do you want it?
At $89, the Swig is a mid- to high-end alternative to the high-end standard bookbag. However, Timbuk2 is known for quality so I’m loath not to recommend it to students on the run or folks who just want to carry a laptop and a few other things. If you’re a big, round fellow like me, this is a bit small. Otherwise, give it a go.

Product Page

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our Bag Week 2011 reviews.

The Trek Support backpack is a “checkpoint friendly” bag with a built in USB hub, and an extension cord that plugs directly into the wall to power that hub. This means that when you have a few minutes of down time between flights, or when you get to your hotel room, you can just plug the backpack into the wall and recharge up to 3 USB powered items at once. It’s also got mesh pockets for those gadgets, holds up to a 15″ laptop, and even has a built in rechargeable battery so you don’t even need to be plugged in all the time. Now, this is another Quirky project so the pre-order price is $130, but the final price will be $150. Personally, I like the design and the idea. My only concern would be how much weight is added by all the extra electronics required for the battery and charging system.

Features:

• Holds up to a 15-inch laptop
• Fully padded internal laptop sleeve
• Well designed carrying system

Pros:

• Laptop slot is very well padded
• Enough pockets to keep everything seperated
• Great zipper pulls

Cons:

• Interior lining is a bit bright
• Some pockets are a bit small
• Lacks a carrying strap at the top

Crumpler bags are extremely well-designed, and the King Single is a fine example of this. It’s a backpack yes, but the way the weight is carried and the straps are set up really improve the way that the bag fits. This is not a standard day-pack, the strapping system is more what you would expect to see on an actual hiking pack. In addition to the standard shoulder straps, the King Single also has a chest strap (to keep the shoulder straps from sliding off) and a waist strap (to help you carry the bulk of the load on your hips, instead of the your shoulders). This is somewhat unusual in the realm of laptop/cargo bags, they normally just put some shoulder straps on there and call it good. I was disappointed by the lack of a carrying handle on the top however – it seems like that would be a logical addition to the design. Both shoulder straps are equipped with d-rings, which made a really convenient place to clip my multi-tool. Crumpler also has a mobile phone case on their site that would be ideal to clip onto this particular location – I didn’t have one, but it’s worth mentioning.

Moving into the bag, the first thing you notice is the color. The bag sent to me to review has a tangerine interior. While it’s not the color I would have chosen, it’s normally zipped up anyway, so not a huge issue. Just be aware if you order the green/brown bag you’re going to need sunglasses when you open it. The cloth has an excellent texture to it, almost plush to the touch; I’d have no issue trusting my delicate electronics to the inside of this bag. There are several large zip pockets on the inside of the bag, and one extremely well padded laptop slot against the back with an organizer on the front of it. The laptop slot closes with a massive velcro patch, which will definitely keep your computer secure while you’re move about.

The laptop slot is not removable as it was in previous versions of the bag, and it’s held firmly against the back of the bag. This keeps the bag from pulling you backwards as you’re wearing it, and improves that balance mentioned earlier. The interior pocket are (in general) a generous size, and all of them have a high quality zippers and metal pulls. One thing that I noticed was the rather small size of the pockets on the interior organizer. There was the standard size pen holders, but the other pockets seemed to be rather small and scale, almost to the point of not being usable. Compared to the size of the other pockets on the inside of the bag, they were practically lilliputian.

I like the King Single. It’s not perfect, the organizer pocket size is definitely a problem, but other then that it’s a perfectly usable product and I wouldn’t have any issue recommending it to someone looking for a decent laptop backpack that will last pretty much forever. In fact, it’s worth mentioning that Crumpler warranties their bags for life. While the King Single is not cheap at $155, I feel that it is worth the price. Just make sure you don’t get that tangerine interior.

Update: Crumpler emailed me after I posted this review. It turns out the the review samples were lacking the carrying loop, but the production versions have them.

Product Page

PS – The Crumpler site is worth a visit just to check it out, it is pretty damn cool in its own right.

Nixon via Uncrate

Quick version: V-Dimension’s Helius Solar backpack provides portable power and an ample amount of storage to those who are constantly on the move. While it won’t charge your laptop, it will charge your iPhone/iPod, Samsung, Motorola, LG and Nokia devices. And anything with a mini-USB port or adapter, which is just about everything these days.

Long version: Backpacks are an invaluable asset for technophiles and I’ve gone through my fair share in recent years. I long for the days when my hand-me-down Jansport was enough to pack my comic books, toys and whatever else youngsters carry around. These days, I have to carry around my laptop, an SLR, video camera, cell phones, cables and any other accessory I deem important.

My Lowepro Fastpack is still my #1 pack these days, but I’m always open to whatever else is out there. One of the issues I have with backpacks these days is that most of them have lackluster build quality. The seams rip apart easily and I run the risk of something falling out because it simply can’t handle the weight of a five-pound laptop.
I was a bit skeptical when the Helius arrived at the office, but the solar charging feature was too good to pass up. I can say, however, that it’s held up quite well so far – sometimes carrying up to two 15-inch laptops.

In terms of functionality, the Helius has five external pockets with two lining each side and a larger compartment on the front that also houses the solar panel and charging unit. The side pockets are great for cell phones, MP3 players, point and shoot cameras or anything roughly the size of a Nintendo DS Lite/DSi.

Very thin dividers split the main compartment into three sections that holds a 15.4-inch laptop, magazines, books and anything else you can manage to cram in there. The main external compartment has the standard fare pen slots, key ring, mesh pocket, etc., but it also comes with a vinyl pouch that houses the various tips and USB cables needed to charge your gadgets. The battery pack is also in this section and takes up a bit of room.

The battery pack can be charged via the solar panel or from an electrical outlet. It takes roughly three hours to fully charge the Ni-HM battery and somewhere in between six and seven hours via the sun. The box has two modes: Cell and USB. Cell is used when charging an external device while USB mode retains any stored energy and is also the desired setting for charging the solar panel. You can also charge devices while the solar panel is being charged up. VD mentions that the iPhone takes up to seven hours to charge this way and I’m inclined to agree, but I never made it past four hours because we haven’t had much sun lately.

You’re supposed to get two full charges for most gadgets out of the Helium and that holds true, but it takes a pretty long time to get a full charge – about 3.5 hours by my rough estimates. But I did get two full charges to my BlackBerry 8900 (from 10-15 percent) from the backpack’s battery.

One last thing about the comfort of the Helium: it’s surprisingly comfortable but I wouldn’t put more than 10 lbs into it. The padded shoulder straps are wide and don’t dig into your shoulders and the padded back makes for comfortable use over long periods of time.

At $120, I’d be a bit apprehensive about buying the Helius, but it works as advertised and the pack itself is sturdy enough for everyday use. However, the solar panel is in a vulnerable spot and it could be cracked if you’re not careful.

Product Page

[PSGallery=5ct1ph3e8d]

The AvaLung backpack does more than just carry your personal belongings; it also functions as an extra set of lungs. Imagine that you’re on the mountain skiing and all of the sudden an avalanches rolls down after you and traps you under the snow. No need to worry, AvaLung saves the day, transforming the CO2 built up under the snow into breathable air. The air is directed to the user’s mouthpiece via respiratory tubing. What about CO2 contamination, you ask? The exhaled air is redirected out the opposite end of the pack. When the user inhales or exhales, valves within the AvaLung open and close to minimize CO2 contamination.

If you don’t want the bulkiness of a backpack but want the extra life support, the AvaLung II (pictured on the right) functions just as well. You can find these through the manufacturer’s website, Black Diamond Equipment, or from Amazon. Prices start at $69.95.

Ymup [JP], a Shizuoka-based company with a bad homepage, has developed a backpack with an integrated oxygen generator powered by batteries. The portable device comes with a remote controller and is – according to Japanese newspapers – a world first.

Users can use the backpack if they need oxygen while mountain trekking or hiking, for example. The oxygen with 30% concentration can be inhaled through a nozzle. The company claims the battery lasts for about 2 hours.

Ymup plans to sell their backpacks (1.3kg, 20l volume) in 3 different versions starting July 31st. Prices will range between $880 and $1,150.

Here’s a little something for those of you who are sick and tired of carrying your laptop around in a boring old bag. Why not strap it oh-so close to your back and dance through the subway system like an urban gazelle?

For $80, you can pick up a neoprene laptop backpack from “BUILT”, based out of New York. They’re available in medium and large sizes. Here’s more!

Made from lightweight neoprene and breathable air mesh, our new ultra-slim backpack streamlines the transport of your laptop and accessories. The main compartment accommodates and protects laptops from 12–17″ with room to spare for books, folders or other essentials. Two additional smaller compartments provide storage options for your other necessities; one conveniently located directly on the shoulder strap for easy access. With two sizes available to fit most people, an adjustable sternum strap helps tailor to your shape.

They come in three different colors, too. I dare you to buy this one:

BUILT : Laptop Backpacks [BuiltNY.com] via Crave

BEIJING — As an urban warrior on the streets of New York City, it’s almost a requirement for me to own a backpack with a laptop compartment. For the past year and a half, I’ve used the STM Sports backpack with much success and originally planned to take it on my trip to China.

But then I was given the chance to bring the Naneu Pro K3 back to the motherland (it, like me, was manufactured in China but exported globally), and the lure of its many compartments was too strong to resist. Built for photographers and photojournalists, the bag’s base is designed to fit a large DSLR camera and several lenses. The bag, meanwhile, comes with a compartment for 15-inch laptops and features more than 15 other pockets — both large and small — semi-hidden throughout its body.

At first glance, the backpack, which retails for $149.99, looks a bit over-sized because of its thick base. Fortunately, it still was small enough to fit in the overhead compartment of a Boeing 777-200 (a major concern that kept me up at night). At 5.25 lbs, the backpack is relatively light, because it’s made with water-resistant, ripstop nylon. A hidden rain guard keeps items from getting wet, and the back of the bag uses patent-pending trademark called the “AirFlow Suspension System” — essentially a wire mesh that prevents your back from touching the bag, thereby increasing airflow.

For this trip, I decided to pack a bunch of gadgets: a router, digital camera, cell phone, iPod, iPhone, international power adapter, Magsafe airline and laptop power adapter, and several headphones. I’m happy to say the bag doesn’t disappoint when it comes to the sheer amount of stuff it can hold. Everything I threw at it, from a stack of research papers to my litany of devices, fit easily.

The base compartments are nice and soft, and adjustable with Velcro. However, you need to make sure you unzip the buttom while the backpack is vertical, otherwise objects tend to fall out pretty easily.

My 15-inch MacBook Pro fit snugly in the laptop compartment, and despite watching in horror as the bag tipped over a desk and onto the floor at one point, the MacBook came away without any scratches.

The K3 has held up so far on its trip, although it still has a ways to go before it gets total my seal of approval. It’s not invincible.

Much to my dismay, when leaving the airport in Beijing, I noticed that the “ripstop” nylon already had torn at the base — likely from the zipping and unzipping that occurred during my 13-hour flight. At this rate, I’m worried the backpack will come apart before the end of my month-long trip. For now, I’m just going to have be a bit more careful with it.

Naneu Pro K3

Backpacks are like shoes, you can never have too many of them. At least that’s my logic. Backpacks are one of those things that I always seem to keep buying not matter how many I have. But this time around I decided to pick up one that offered something special. There are a number of MP3 player specific bags with built-in speakers, but I’ve found that most of them sound like garbage. I was skeptical when the Spyder Groove arrived at my doorstep. What is NXT? Is this even going to sound decent?

We’ll start with NXT and figure out what that’s all about. The Groove features an NXT flat panel loudspeaker that’s built from EVA foam, which is pretty durable. The EVA panel is coated in jersey and comes with two 25mm exciters that are powered by a stereo amplifier. You can connect to virtually any portable music device so long as it has accepts a 3.5mm jack. I’m inclined to believe that the front panel is durable and rugged enough a day on the slopes or venturing through the streets of Manhattan. It’s even water resistant! Now that we’ve covered what NXT is and how it’s involved in the Groove lets move onto the functionality of the backpack itself. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about sound quality, but I’m not a cheap slut, either. Keep reading to find out.

The bag itself has ample room for any skier/snowboarder or student. There’s a padded section for your laptop, but no internal pouches, which sort of sucks. There are three external zipped pockets; two small pockets on one side and one that runs the length of the bag on the other. One of the smaller pockets is essentially the pouch for your MP3 player because it has ports for earbuds and an internal port to run the cable from the speakers to your player. The shoulder straps aren’t the most comfortable and they may be adjustable, but the bag is geared towards mountain folk who wear layers and layers so it’s probably comfortable enough. But for the average city dweller, I wouldn’t recommend loading it with tons of gear. The back piece has a really cool embossed Spyder logo in case you were wondering.

Now we’ll talk about the good stuff. For starters, the Groove runs on three AAA batteries and it’s been rated to run up to seven hours. During my review I left it on and came back six or seven hours later and found it dead. My iPod’s volume was set somewhere around 50 percent so it should last about seven hours depending on the batteries you use and the volume you set it to.

So, how’s the sound quality? Pretty good, actually. I was pleasantly surprised. Even with the volume of my iPod set at max the sound quality wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. It was only very faintly garbled and I didn’t notice that much distortion. Will I abandon my headphones, docks or other listening apparatus for the Groove? No way Jose! I will, however, bring the Groove along for hiking trips and jaunts to the park or beach instead of bringing along a small dock. Why not kill two birds with one stone, right?

The Spyder Groove will be available in the coming months for $120.

Ah, acronyms. The downfall of society. It started with “lol” and now this backpack for Geniuses, Artists, and Innovators is continuing the tradition. OK, so it’s really the Booq Boa, a bag which has won multiple awards for being totally awesome but that’s beside the point.

I mean is this thing gai or what? It has a whole lot of James Bond-y features like a rain proof coating and plenty of pockets to conceal even the largest bag of whatever you are trying to smuggle into the country. Oh and it’s also good for carrying MacBook’s and MBP’s unfortunately however, this model is incompatible with PC’s. Sorry. It’s available right now for $165.

Boa backpack by Booq

The ultimate in fanboy apparel has arrived in the form of the Macpack. All it took was a dead Macintosh SE from the late ’80s and some hard work. After trying to restore his Mac, lamanalchemist went and attached backpack straps to the machine, gutted it, and is now using it for storage. Comfy? Hardly, but think of all the whistles you’ll get walking up to the Genius Bar.

Macpack [MAKE]

If you have an iPod and frequently trek around with a bunch of crap in a backpack, you’re in luck: Nike realized that by partnering with Apple and offering products that integrate with the iPod is a good move. So they’ve released the Nike C.O.R.E. Audio iPod Backpack. For $85, you get a backpack that looks like it’s straight out of a 1991 episode of MTV’s The Real World.

But that’s not all! It comes equipped with a cable to hook up the iPod so you can control your music without having to take off the backpack. The backpack also has a padded slot for carrying a laptop and a dedicated iPod storage pocket. If you really want one, they’re available now in stores and online, but $85 can get you a much better backpack or at least something that looks a bit more stylish.

Nike C.O.R.E. Audio iPod BackPack [MobileWhack]

Hardcore snowboarders are much cooler than you. Get over it. They stomp you in every conceivable way. Now, they have one more tool. The H3 Campack from O’Neill is everything you need to be plugged in while on the slopes. This backpack has controls on it that can be plugged into your DV cam, iPod and Bluetooth phone. Mmmmm….talking on the phone while snowboarding. That’s not all, though. Of course, the pack has weatherproof compartments, as is customary with packs of this type; and it also has a sort-of joystick that you can use to control your camera lens or your iPod’s playlist. Buy one for £240 ($449) and pretend that you’re as cool as those guys that never get off the slopes.

O NEILL to present ‘Campack’ a video backpack [AVing via Engadget]

What is it?

BackPack launched in early May 2005, and it is one of the defining web 2.0 applications.

BackPack does one thing very, very well – organize your personal information online. It has a basic package that is free, and it is one of the first applications built on AJAX and Ruby on Rails. If you aren’t familiar with these development platforms, all you need to know is that data transfers and page updates occur without submitting and refreshing, it is lightning fast and there are NO client downloads to deal with. BackPack is a perfect use of these emerging development technologies. To understand how this technology kicks web 1.0 in the pants, just compare it to Microsoft’s One Note (which I used for about 10 minutes before never opening again).

At its core BackPack is an information management tool. It is one of the showcase applications created by 37 Signals, along with Basecamp (“Project Management Utopia”) and Ta-Da Lists (“Make Lists and Get Stuff Done”).

In their own words, ““We call it useful” Some have called Backpack “a wiki with out the wacky.” Others have called it “blogish.” Others have said it’s a project management tool for all the little things in your life. Some say it’s a application that helps you get things done. Some have called it Basecamp’s little brother. Call it what you will. We call it useful and hope you do too.
Last but most: Clear, Simple, and Fast. At the heart of Backpack is simplicity and clarity. Things work the way you’d expect them to work. Everything complex has been tossed so the tool is simple to the core. In fact, nothing takes more than a few seconds. Our “Ajaxed” interface elements eliminate reloading hassles. Backpack gives you the benefit of the web (centralized access, no install, no IT nightmares) without the downsides of the web (reloads, slowdowns, poor interfaces). Information management on the web has finally been realized. Backpack it.�?

There are a number of suggested uses, with screenshots here . In our opinion, the key uses are to create pages of to do lists, planning for trips or events, taking and updating notes on products, etc. The great thing about it is how easy it is to create a new page, and add text and files, including images. You can share those pages with friends or the whole world. After you create pages, you can group them in any way you think is appropriate. There are no mandatory fields, complex multi-step processes, or specialized “buckets” for data.

Pricing: A basic account is free. Upgraded accounts have a monthly fee of $5, $9, or $19 (see the last screen shot below) (more $ = more storage and more reminders). You need at least the $5/month option to get some file storage space.

Features:

- Home page to easily manage all sub-pages
- Easy to make new pages
- Easy to add content to a page – links, notes, files, images, etc.
- Set reminder feature, with reminders via email, sms or RSS
- Tagging of pages
- Sharing of pages (public or just friends)
- email pages
- email data to a page (like posting a picture to flickr with a cameraphone)

Screen Shots:

Relevant Links:

BackPack Blog
Reviews of BackPack (on a BackPack page!)
Om Malik on BackPack
37 signals “signal v. noise blog”
Blog Launch Post
SearchViews Post