I commute to my office 3 times a week by train. I need a backpack that's not too protruding from my back, because the train may get crowded. I have done a lot of research to find one and I narrow it down to 3. InCase City Compact, Belkin Slim Backpack and Cocoon Slim. On the thickness, Belkin slim is very slim and its edges are tapered so it looks very slim. Cocoon is probably about as thin. Of all 3, InCase is the thickest. I have a reserve on Belkin because I want to carry my Bose QC35 to work as well, and Belkin may be too thin for that. Cocoon was my second consideration and I really like the built in rubber band grid to gel organize things inside. Cocoon slim fell out of my favor because of other people review about its durability. So I came back to InCase. I owned 3 InCase backpack and messenger bag before and the quality build is a gaurantee. One of them is coming up 10 years and its leather age really well and not cracking. That says something about quality/material that they use. When I received this backpack, I address my first concern which is how thick it's going to be if I put in my MacBook and my Bose headphones. To my relief, the backpack doesn't bulge up over the side wall of the backpack at all. It stays within the profile, as you can see in one of the pictures that has iPad sitting on the strap. Second is how heavy it is going to be. The backpack itself is really light, unlike another InCase that I have that's so well built it is on the heavy side in and of itself. This backpack is light but not skimming on padding and protection at all. Every compartment is well padded with soft material and be able to bump/bounce to give your precious carry proper protection. There are slots that can help you organize things although it's not enough for me. Fortunately, it can be addressed easily. I'm purchasing the Cocoon Grid-it to help me organize cables, thumb drive, small headphones and battery. All in all, I'm really happy with this backpack. Read more
I was looking for a nice laptop case with should strap to replace mine for my MacBook and thought about a backpack instead. A backpack will not hurt your shoulder or back with the weight on one side. I absolutely LOVE this backpack. Great space for 15" MacBook, padded all the way around. A couple large zipper pockets with plenty of room for glasses, AC charger, ipad, ipod, earbuds, wallet, small umbrella, and a sandwich. It still looks thin and is not heavy after all this. The only thing I don't like is the zippers appear to be made of cheap thin plastic, along with the zipper threads. I am very careful to zip and unzip slowly for fear of the teeth breaking. This is such a nice bag with a beautiful cloth / plush pocket I use to put my sunglasses in...very thick wool material. Then they cheap out on the zippers? I highly recommend it. Very comfortable to wear and not bulky at all. Read more
Just received today & love it! Seems to be of great quality. My 14" laptop fits snugly & I added a light jacket, beanie, full pencil case, InCase accessory pouch, notebook, laptop battery pack and cord, & another small pouch in main compartment - & there's room to spare. Added small items in top zipper compartment. Wallet & flash drives in top of large, front, divided pocket, along w documents in other portion of divided front pocket. ALL of that & the bag stays compact with a sleek, beautiful design. And wasn't heavy. Looks just as good on your back as it does being held by handle. Straps are comfortable & overall color/design are top notch. Definitely happy w my purchase. Will use this as an every day bag. Read more
This backpack is great. It has a pocket for every device I carry. My work laptop is 14.5 inches and it’s tallest point, 18 diagonal, the City Compact protects it fully. I can carry my work laptop a Wacom tablet and my over ear headphones in the main pocket, each having its own compartment. Awesome. The top has a pocket for some quick grabs. I keep my house keys, chapstick, work ID type items in it. The front pocket is very good at protecting an iPad with a little padded pocket. I fit an iPad Pro 11 inch and I would say it probably could fit a 12 but I’d probably just put a 12 in the main pocket. The front pocket also can hold a decent battery pack and a Nintendo Switch/case. The price point is reasonable for the overall function this backpack allows. The pads are strong, the zippers aren’t flimsy. The bag even with everything loaded inside is still pretty light and doesn’t feel bulky. Incase has very nice craftsmanship for this bag. Read more
I really love this bag. Is really small and you can fit a lot of things inside keeping a nice organization in your stuff. The only negative point: There is nothing to clip your keys, wich mean that you have to use a pocket just for them or put them in the fur one (but if you do that the fur became useless). And I think a little pocket at the bottom of the big compartments (like on the 17" version) will have been good to put some extra items as well as one outside for a bottle (I have an Eastpack for laptop thinner than this bag and it has one really useful) or one the straps for keys or cards. Anyway, it is still a really good backpack and really bulky. It looks like is gonna least a long time. Hopefully ! Read more
