Two zippers along the side of the bag open to the two largest compartments. One, accessible via a 13-inch-long zipper, can accommodate a trade paperback and a small spiral notebook (or, for that matter, a Netbook). The main laptop compartment's zipper, though 21 inches long, doesn't reach all the way to the bottom edge, which makes it a little difficult to access the bag's contents; we wish it was just a bit longer. On one side of this compartment, there are two pen loops and a slot for business cards, plus two arc-shaped pockets that help corral power cords, discs, thumb drives, and the like. On the other side, a heavily padded orange sleeve protects your laptop, and a Velcro strap over the top holds the laptop snugly in place. Though Brenthaven specifies that the Sling II can accommodate laptops up to 15.4 inches in size, we struggled to squeeze the Gateway M-7818u into the bag, and it was difficult to extract. The task did get easier with each try, but we nevertheless recommend that owners of 15.4-inch laptops take the Sling II for a test drive to ensure that their computer fits properly.
Owners of smaller laptops need not worry. We were able to load the Sling II with everything we needed for an afternoon of work at a coffee shop, including a 13-inch laptop and power cord, two smartphones, MP3 player, and a pen and paper. The bag was rather comfortable to carry, thanks to its heavily padded and breathable back panel; however, we do wish the interior of the cross-body strap had such heavy padding. The strap is adjustable so you can situate the bag at just the right height on your back, but it is not ambidextrous: you have to carry the bag with the strap across your body from right shoulder to left hip. (To put the weight on your left shoulder, you have to carry it as you would a backpack on one shoulder, which, though not painful, is not ideal.) We were glad to have our wallet within easy reach when we got to the register, and we liked the nylon handle at the top of the bag, which made it easy to pick it up from the floor next to our table.
Brenthaven backs the Sling II with a lifetime warranty, and the company emphasizes its "zero impact" program, which addresses environmental and ergonomic factors in its bag design, as well as laptop protection.
