Business 120 | EVERKI

I wanted to love this backpack. I spent two hours researching and was so sure that this one was perfect. After a few days of use, here are my thoughts.

1. SPACE. While it is large (as desired), the space is not well allocated for my purposes. The primary compartments are tall, wide, and shallow. If I were stuffing some clothes into the bag in order to reserve my carry-on for my violin, the clothing would have to be piled up vertically in the same compartment as my work supplies. And even this main compartment is further divided vertically in half, making it even more tall, wide, and skinny.

2. PROPORTION. I'm 5'4" and 112 lbs. I'm strong for my size, but it's just ... unwieldy. I couldn't get into the car and put it next to me because it was too bulky to swing over the steering wheel, making it impractical for daily use around town (back and forth to coffee shops & from work to home).

3. COMPARTMENTS. The sizes are oddly sized and not well suited for my typical supplies. Specifically:

• The side compartments are sliiightly smaller than my laptop charger, so it sticks up out of the top. And they are MUCH too small for a travel mug or water bottle.
• The interior pen-sized pockets don't have bottoms.
• The two square pockets seem designed for a 3.5" floppy disc. They're way too big for business cards, and too flat for my wireless mouse.
• I'm not sure what to use the 11" x 6" x 0" pocket for.
• There is no compartment that might keep my studio-quality headphones safe from getting crushed.

I was so committed to my choice that I was planning to take scissors and remove the dividing panel in the main compartment, to make this space roomier and more versatile. My husband helpfully observed that 1) the bag reminded him of how small I actually am, and 2) for the price, I should not have to take scissors to the bag to make it work.

So, I appreciate the bag's durability and many compartments, but this laptop bag seems better suited for someone whose primary purpose is carrying several laptops.

As other female customers have commented, this bag is not designed for women. The sternum strap is too low down and cannot be moved high enough to fit correctly.
Also, the bottom corners of the laptop pocket are left open (WHY?) and are not padded. I am going to have to close and pad the lower corners of the laptop pocket to ensure that my laptop is protected.
The side pockets are not big enough to be much use.
Since the backpack is "checkpoint friendly", there should be an RFID-protected compartment or pocket in the backpack.
Also, a second laptop pocket in the laptop compartment would be an excellent addition. It's virtually impossible to find backpacks capable of accommodating more than one laptop. This one manages - just.
If these are corrected, the laptop design and function would be greatly improved.

First— this is a review from a 5’ tall woman. I am also former military, so I am used to carrying large heavy items in bags made for men. However, I am disappointed that Everki, as a civilian company, has not taken a more modern approach to bag design/ergonomics. This bag is not made for a woman and id designed in such a way that is assumption is clearly that a woman would never have a need for such a device, which is annoying to say the least. This is why it is not a 5-star bag (see below for the ladies out there).

The things I love, which is why I gave it 3 stars. If you are a man considering purchase, definitely get this bag, it will be 5-stars for you:
(1) There are so many organization pockets. It is really important to me to be able to know where everything is and find it without looking or digging when in a tight space.
(2) The zippers and stitching are very high quality. I expect this will last for many years.
(3) It has a sleek design, so I feel I can take it into work and still get into my office to unpack while looking professional.
(4) The padding on the straps and back are very thick and cushy, which is great for carrying heavy loads.

The things that lost 2 stars are really only specific to me being a woman, if you have narrow shoulders, or if you are a generally small person:
(1) The straps on the shoulders are fixed in static position too high up, and the suspension system does not allow for enough give even if you loosen them all the way. The bag should be able to tilt further off the back and also draw closer into the back (depending on the heft and type of load that is being carried), but it does not do this very basic thing that most suspension systems do better. Plenty of tactical and high tech bags are able to do this better (Everki designers, take a look at Osprey packs for some guidance on how to build a suspension system in a city or travel backpack).
(2) The chest strap is much too low. Even if you do not have breasts, it is still not in an ergonomically advisable position as even men have different centers of gravity. That is why most hiking packs and other bags with chest straps have a wider area of being able to slide it up or down. This one is too narrow of a range and basically could accommodate flat chested people between 5’6” and 5’8”. If you are shorter or taller than this, likely it will not be in a comfortable position and cause back strain. Again, Everki designers, take a hint from the dozens of well made bags out there. For the ladies, I am going to get around this by sliding it all the way down and using it as a torso strap instead. If you are also <120lbs with a small frame, this should work for you. If not, I recommend purchasing attachable straps and fixing them on yourself—most hiking supply stores can help you here.
(3) It would be nice to have one of the side pockets be a taller one for something like a coffee mug or umbrella instead for the short side pockets with flimsy little straps to hold bottles in place.
(4) There should be attachable (and preferably) tuckable/hidable padded waist straps for a bag this large—regardless of the size of the person wearing it, that is just common sense and a poorly planned design in my opinion having carried dozens of packs over my career. When the straps are tucked along the back, they would provide lumbar support, when they are out, they will secure around the waist. Please add to future designs.

All in all, I will use this bag because it really does seem the best way to keep my really expensive and really large work computer safe. However, Everki should hire some women and consult with some outdoor supply/hiking experts. Even a city bag needs some of these common and helpful features. I will be able to rig this bag to work for me because I have years of experience doing this for made-for-men products, but many people will not know how to do this safely.

Lots of room, even was able to fit my purse in it! It is heavy, even when empty. The chest strap is my biggest complaint - had to return as the chest strap does not slide up the shoulder straps enough to fit properly on a woman, rendering it useless. This was definitely designed for a man.

Fits my Dell Precision M6700 with room to spare. Looks really cool has loads of inside pockets.

BUT, and this is quite a design flaw I think - the laptop compartment padding has gaps at the bottom corners and offers no protection in those areas.

If this bag is dropped and lands on a bottom corner on a hard surface the laptop will be damaged. This has happened to my previous laptop with a different bag which had more padding than the titan!

I will need to buy some foam inserts to protect my laptop properly.