The bag's main compartment is accessed via a double zipper that opens a little more than halfway down the bag. This compartment is fairly minimal: there are just two open pockets--to accommodate a travel mouse, portable hard drive, or other accessories--and the padded laptop sleeve, which includes a Velcro strap over the top to hold the laptop in place. We had no trouble fitting the 15.4-inch Gateway M-7818u and even a 16.4-inch Sony Vaio FW270J/W in the sleeve. (Though we didn't have a 17-inch MacBook Pro on hand to try, it should just fit.) Once the laptop is loaded, there's still some room for a spiral notebook and a few magazines.
The bag's back panel features thick padding covered in a breathable material; the insides of the straps, too, incorporate thick padding, making the bag extremely comfortable to carry. If you ever want to carry the bag exclusively by its top grip handle, you can detach the shoulder straps from the bottom and tuck them into a pocket on the back of the bag. This pocket also converts into a strap that slips over the handle of your rolling luggage; just open the zipper at the bottom.
We used the MetroLite Backpack to carry all our necessities around town for several days, and we loved its compact, city-friendly design. We really only wished for two additional features: a pocket for a cell phone on the front of the straps (so we wouldn't have to take off the backpack every time the phone rang) and an external pocket for a water bottle. (However, we also acknowledge that these features would diminish the bag's clean exterior design.) In addition, we know some pack rats who would be driven insane by the MetroLite Backpack's lack of expansion options; it's really designed to carry just your laptop, a few notepads or magazines, a book, and your smaller gadgets. But for commuters and anyone else who likes to travel light, the MetroLite Backpack is a great choice.
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Where to buy
Brenthaven MetroLite Backpack (red):
$46.77 - $54.38
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$46.77 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$54.38 | Yes |
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