Diane—December 8, 2025
I have been traveling with this backpack for a month in India, along with a carry-on piece of luggage. It has held up well, easy to pack and easy to carry either by the handle or as a backpack, and when on rollers it is easy to maneuver and the handle remains firm. It fit as under seat luggage on major airlines, but not on the smaller internal flights- but then my carryon was too large for the overhead and had to be checked while this fit in the overhead just fine. At this price point, it cannot be beat. There are a couple of downsides. The back straps do fall out of their holder easily if not placed firmly. The side pocket only holds a 1/2L bottle. It would also be helpful to have a way to secure it to the handle of my carry-on luggage.For me, the biggest downside is that the zippers do not lock! This should be an easy fix for the company on their next iteration. Read more
Smallu71—March 17, 2017
I bought this bag in early 2015. As my work bag, it took over 2 year of abuse on the streets of Seattle. It has a large open space inside which easily fits a standard projector, a lap top, a set up small speakers plus files. This bag has also been my primary travel bag to place like Japan, the Dominican Republic, D.C., California. It functions as the perfect carry on, even when overstuffed. It converts easily from the roller option in the airport to backpack version on stairs. Once at the destination and you're unpacked, it can serve as an out-and-about backpack for sightseeing or going to the beach. What makes this bag so functional for travel purposes is that the inside isn't a bunch of flaps for organizing work items; instead, it has a big open space, perfect for layering in clothes and shoes, toiletries, etc. In the end, the stitching began to give way on my first bag as I am prone to overstuffing it on a regular basis with files, books, shoes, lunch, tablet, etc. The fact that it lasted 2 years under this kind of punishment is a good sign. There seem to have been a couple of design "improvements" made to the bag compared to the first one I bought. This bag is lighter than the last one. That's not necessary a good thing; now the bag is front heavy and tips over more often in the front where the tablet is. The front of the current model zips all the way open; it used to stop a couple of inches from the bottom. This will aid in packing for trips with the bag in the horizontal position but makes loading and unloading the bag for work a bit less convenient as when you zip open when the bag is in the vertical position things just start falling out. For me, there is no such multi-purpose bag, especially for the price. But if you are just looking for the ultimate work / laptop bag you can probably find better. Read more
lmwt—April 29, 2013
I have owned my Targus Compact Rolling Backpack for about 2 months now. I like it a great deal and it meets my needs. I use the backpack for the daily commute to my downtown office 5 days a week. I walk from the parking garage to my building and then back again after work. I walk along sidewalks that aren't in great shape, I cross streets, and go over curbs, and my backpack rolls along easily. I read a couple of reviews that mentioned that the wheels are very loud, but they seem to be the same noise level as all the other people rolling along with their wheeled bags. It rolls quietly on the marble floors once I enter my building. I am very sastified with the capacity of the backpack. I cart my laptop and usually several 8 1/2 x 11 files that total about 1 - 2" in thickness. In addition to the laptop and files, I am able to fit a coffee thermos and some walking shoes behind the laptop and files. At times, I have packed 4 hardback books approximately 1/2" - 1" thick and a note pad in the back of the bag and still had room for my walking shoes or a makeup bag. I carry a large plastic water bottle every day and that fits nicely in the open, mesh pocket on the side of the bag and I keep my computer glasses in the zipped pocket on the other side of the bag. I keep an extra power cord for my laptop in the little zipped pocket at the top front of the bag and I was surprised that there was enough room for the power cord because it's very bulky when it's all wound up with a velcro strap to hold it all in place. I have used the front, large zippered pocket for carrying a small makeup bag, building access badge, and pens and other items when I didn't feel like carrying my purse, and at other times, I have used that pocket to carry my 7 x 9 1/2" leather planner that is 1 1/2" thick, but I can't fit anything else in that pocket when I use it to carry the planner. The bag is holding up well so far. It is very sturdily built, and the zippers and telescoping handle work perfectly. There are two things about this bag that make it a bit difficult to use, but I don't consider them to be too much of a nuisance: 1)When I pack my things inside of the bag I have to position the items on either side of the "bar" that houses the telescoping handle. There is still plenty of room in the bag to pack files and books despite the bar, but they don't lie nice and flat against the back of the bag. 2) The top of the bag does not unzip all the way around the bag to fall open the way a suitcase does. It opens into an "L" shape. So I have to hold the top (the area where the laptop sleeve is) open with one hand and pack my things with the other hand. Neither of these issues is a deal breaker for me, but it keeps it from being the "perfect" bag. I did a lot of research and read many reviews about rolling laptop bags before deciding to buy the Targus. I'm very happy with my choice. Read more
