eBags Professional Slim Laptop Backpack

"I'm an IT guy. I travel with a lot of stuff, parts, cables, connectors, a few more cables. And a tablet, and a laptop. My mobile office gets crowded and heavy. For years, I carried a backpack. A nice one, an expensive one. They sell them here and I probably have at least three between myself and my kids. And for many reasons, I like to continue to carry a backpack (makes me feel young) but sometimes want something that could pass for hand-held. It has to fit in that ridiculous area known as 'under the seat in front of me' or in between the table lamp and yak rug the passenger in front of you just squeezed into the overhead. The bag must be well organized, easy to navigate on the inside, stylish on the shoulder and easy to carry. This bag does all that. Mesh pockets on the inside make finding a cable or USB drive a snap. The AC Adaptor Garage has ample room for my laptop charger, a mouse and maybe a 10ft Ethernet cable. My expensive laptop is well protected in its own compartment. And unlike his big brother, the TLS Weekender, I can't fit an extra pair of shoes in this bag, but I could find room for what I need for an overnight. Important meeting, carry it like a briefcase after stowing the shoulder straps. Catching the train? Throw the staps back on and dash away. There are a few recommendations. One, I wish the zipper for the tablet compartment zipped the other way. All of the zippers culminate to the same end of the bag. It gets a bit crowder. But I love that tablet compartment. Two, there should be a sleeve in the second compartment for maybe a notepad or file folder. While the opportunity to organize excels in the front compartment, not so much in the middle. A minor grievance. Third, the backpack strap attachment system is weak. You guys engineered the heck out of this bag but put fifty cent clasps on the straps. Do better. I shore mine up with Nite-Ize S-Biners, size #2. Love the bag. Right size, right presentation. Great value and excellent engineering." Show More

"I was delighted a few weeks back to see that eBags finally offered a slim backpack that avoided the slouching problem so common with large backpacks. I have the TLS Workstation backpack and love it for long trips overseas, but for daily walks to work, the TLS Professional Slim is much better. The organizing compartment has all the hallmarks of a TLS backpack with exquisite organizing pockets. I like the increased use of zippered mesh pockets rather than open pockets. Things are more secure. One of the main reasons I bought the TLS Workstation was the "overhead" removable compartment for all my Mac accessories and power brick. That they moved that to the bottom AND made it zipper accessible makes this bag even better. The laptop compartment is large and can easily hold a 15in laptop. I have a ultraportable and I can fit it easily with some papers and a small umbrella. The storage compartment is large enough to hold papers, lunch, etc, but not overly large. But the most significant and welcome improvement is the addition of a dedicated iPad/tablet pocket. I use my iPad more than any other device and love having it so accessible yet isolated in its own space, where it is protected. One improvement that could be added is a sternum strap. I added one from Timbuk2 for three bucks. Even though the bag isn't designed to hold heavy things, a sternum strap is great to have to keep the straps from riding up under one's underarms while walking. Overall it is an excellent bag. I still use my Workstation on long-haul travel, but this is excellent for daily use. Designer Note: Sternum straps are now included thanks to this customer's comment. If you own the backpack from the initial production run, contact Customer Care and they will send you sternum straps at no charge." Show More

"Buyer Beware: I've had this bag for just over 4 months, and use it under light conditions - carrying my Macbook Air and assorted papers/notebook and doodads (charger, plugs, etc) - to and from work. I'm a commuter, so that really means its on my shoulder from my car to my desk - 500 meters twice a day. I love the bag itself - the slim profile, the side-entry design, the spaciousness - are all perfect for my needs. Frankly, I was in LOVE with this bag for the first 3 months I had it. But in the last 30 days or so, its started to come apart. Specifically, where the left shoulder strap meets the top of the bag, its coming loose and fraying. Now... I get this is the primary pressure point on a backpack, as its where the load-bearing shoulder strap meets the bag itself - but in a quality, well designed and manufactured bag, that should NEVER come unstitched or apart. And especially not after barely 4 months of light use..." Show More

"I love this bag except for one very BIG problem. The plastic clips that attach the bottom of the bag will occasionally twist just the right way so that when you pick the bag up off the floor, lift it to put it in you shoulder, the clip releases causing the bag to fall and hit the floor. This happens maybe 1 in 100 times and it was just an irritation until I started carrying a laptop on a regular basis. The first time it realized with the laptop in it, the laptop didn't fair so well. So as much as I love the bag, and as much as I think that bags through about everything from an organizational perspective, and the fact that after originally receiving the bag I recommended it to another board member who purchased one, I can no longer recommend it without knowing it will never release when I simply pick it up to put it on my shoulder." Show More

"Got this bag because of the attention to detail, and I thought it might do well on a motorcycle due the rigidity. But I wouldn't buy this bag again for several reasons... #1 the zippers are truly noisy. When I saw that in the reviews I thought, "Wow, some people..." But now that I have one and have used it for 10 months, I can tell you they're right. The zipper pulls make noise when you are carrying it around. Someone else compared it to carrying around a bunch of keys. The zippers are also noisy to operate. It may be due to the material the bag from which the bag is made, but it makes me self conscious to operate in a quiet office environment. #2 the CRITICAL flaw is that the shoulder strap clips come undone. These are the clips that hold the bottom of the strap to the bag such that the clips can be undone to stow the straps away (a late addition to the design). So far its only been when I pull it out of the car, and not while riding a motorcycle. But recently the closing part of one of the clips popped inside out and I had to force it back in. I think its because the swivel will get the clasp at a weird angle so when you pull on it, it comes undone. But since the clasp itself turned inside out, I cannot trust this bag on a motorcycle and am even a bit skittish getting it out of the car. Think of pulling a heavy bag out of the car by one strap, having it come undone, and having the strap slip through your hands with the bag hitting the ground. #3 called customer service. They offered to exchange it, but only for one of the same design. Unfortunately that won't solve the clip problem if they're the same design. Also, I'd have to pay for shipping their defective product to them. The person I spoke with was adamant that they don't get complaints like this about these bags, and that mine must be defective. But the pics still show the same design, and I have seen several other similar complaints about zippers and shoulder strap clips." Show More

"Very frequent traveler 50-80 business travel on avg. so use of my bags are normally very intense. I was sold on this bag by the video. It did, however, appear larger in the video than it really is in hand, so the camera must add 10 lbs. The video was very accurate and what you see is what you get. I have always used Incase brand bags, and a very big fan of their design, but they quit making some of my favorite styles, and the last bag I purchased from Incase was not able to hold up to my travel demands and the organization that I need. I eyed the Tumi Network bag, but just could not bring myself to drop the $$$ on a bag I may replace every year or two. So, I shopped around and found this one. PROS: **doesn't slouch - stiff bag, very thick outer shell, very tough exterior **zippers are great - you can tell the quality **light - bag much lighter than expected **cord garage - best invention ever, perfect catch **all..would like to see it slightly larger **easy - SUPER easy access to laptop section (I use a Lenovo T510 - pretty large pc) **pretty decent overall storage **very well made bag - you can tell the high quality **handles - retract, very cool, comfy and tough CONS: **tablet storage compartment just a bit too small - does not zip open wide enough. I have my iPad in a case, so it's a bit tough to get in / out...an extra 1" on the zipper would have been enough **storage on front is too flat. There needs to be deeper storage pockets for plugs / cords **to elaborate on above - the storage garage could be larger to fit more cables and misc **water bottle side zipper - just too small, tried to use once...needs to be several inches "higher" or deeper pocket **a couple more small zipper pockets, maybe on back under padding...always nice to have a small additional easy accessible storage to throw expense receipts and misc while traveling **shoulder straps could be better design, thicker Overall, nice, well made bag would recommend 9 out of 10" Show More

"I have been happy with this bag until the shoulder strap became unattached from the bag." Show More

"I purchased this bag two months ago. I liked the overall appearance but was taken off guard immediately by the connection of the shoulder straps to the lower end of the straps. The carabiner and straps appeared very flimsy and looked like the weak point of the backpack. Today I left a coffee shop with the bag hanging over one of my shoulders and the strap released. The bag crashed from my shoulder onto a very muddy sidewalk. My Macbook Pro was in the computer compartment. Unfortunately it did get severely damaged. I won't recommend this backpack. I will return mine since I don't trust it any longer. I'm sure this will be fixed in a future edition of this item but it doesn't help me with my broken $2700 laptop :(" Show More

"Love the idea of this bag. It's great in all areas except one. The clips that hold the shoulder straps to the bottom of the bag are cheap plastic and keep coming off. This morning I got out of my car, slung my backpack over my shoulder and the clip came off. Bag fell to concrete floor and damaged my laptop. Thank you eBags for creating an almost perfect bag with a huge fatal flaw. Now I will most likely have to replace my computer or at the very least a hard drive. Potential buyers beware. eBags, please fix this flaw and make this bag as great as it should be." Show More

"I'm a bag geek. I admit it. And I really like this bag. I¿m a Director at a large software company in a global role, so I travel often - mostly domestic, some international, and always in a blazer, sport coat, or suit. Every 1-2 years I get the itch for a new bag, and have tried everything from multiple Tumis (briefs and backpacks), Booq, Briggs & Riley, Eagle Creek, REI, and a few others I cannot remember...many of which cost 2-3x as much as this one¿and I may be done. This bag is the perfect blend of style and function. It's very well laid out, with many smart features, and the materials seem very durable (I've only had mine a few months so I cannot speak based on fact). I have no issues walking into an executive meeting with it - as I have before with other bags that look like I just came from class - or camping. It slips over my rollaboard very well, stows under the airplane seat just fine, and has plenty of room for a PC, iPad, tablet keyboard, all my cables I would ever need, and more. It¿s far from the largest bag I¿ve ever had ¿ if you carry lots you may do better with the TLS Workstation (I own that one, too. ;) Some features I especially like: the side handle allowing me to carry it like a brief, separate lined tablet pocket, many internal pockets, connector ¿garage¿ that¿s there when I need it, but can be removed if not, padded back and straps, etc. The only thing missing would be to make it TSA compliant so I don¿t have to remove my PC at the airport, but TSA pre-check is quickly making that a non-issue. At this price you won¿t find a nicer looking, better thought out backpack. I¿d absolutely buy it again." Show More