I got a new bag for lugging my stuff to and from work: an eBags Professional Slim Junior Laptop Bag.  I figured I’d give you guys my impressions on it, just for funsies.

First, it’s a sturdy, well-made bag.  The zippers and stitching all appear to be high quality, and it’s well-padded in all the right spots.  It had one of those across-the-chest clips connecting the shoulder straps, which I hate, but that was easy to remove.  The straps themselves sit comfortably on the shoulder and slip or slide around.  The back of the backpack has a similar cushioning/ventilation setup as most Swiss Gear backpacks, which is nice.

The bag is laid out very well.  There’s a separate, padded laptop compartment that easily holds a 15″ laptop (could probably do a 17″ laptop if you really wanted to), has a dedicated tablet pocket, and a main pocket that holds several sketchbooks/notebooks/etc.  There’s a bottle pocket on one side that can be zipped closed when not in use, and a hard-walled compartment at the bottom of the bag for your laptop’s power cable.

The bag rides well and is comfortable even over prolonged periods with a heavy laptop in it.   This particular backpack doesn’t hold as much as my old Swiss Gear backpack, but it’s more compact and convenient for school.

This bag would also be great for travel.  The shoulder straps can be disconnected and hidden away, and the bag has a slot so it can be attached to a wheeled suitcase.  There are also two handles, one at the top and one on the side, making it easy to carry even when you don’t have the shoulder straps hooked up.

There’s another compartment on the bag with mesh organizer pockets, perfect for storing headphones, writing utensils, and other odds and ends.

The bag also looks great.  I got the heathered gray, which has an orange interior that contrasts nicely.  It looks very mature, and is perfectly acceptable and appropriate for professionals who don’t want to lug around a briefcase or briefcase-style laptop bag.

My biggest complaint is the balance of the bag.  Because it has the hollow, hard-shell compartment at the bottom for your power cable, the bag ends up being top heavy and falling over easily.  You can remove the hard compartment from the bag, making the main pocket deeper if you want, but then where do you put your power cable?  But it’s a small problem, considering I usually lay the bag down and slide it under my desk while I’m at work.

Overall, I’m really pleased with the bag.  It’ll hold up well over time and it looks great.  And it’s damn comfortable to use.  The different compartments are easy to access and cleverly-designed, and you can carry everything you need and nothing you don’t.  They usually retail for around $100, but the site often has sales and coupons (I got mine for considerably less than $100).  Plus, I got a coupon when I bought the bag good for $25 towards another purchase from the site.  That’s pretty sweet.