Wenger Ibex 17 inch Laptop Backpack Mens and Womens Laptop Bag Black Gray Blue

This so far has been the best backpack I have ever purchased. And this particular brand of backpack has a small following at my local college. My friend had purchased the "pegasus" version of this backpack, which is intended for 17" laptops and is almost identical to this one. I really liked the design styles on the backpack. I appreciate when something I use every day is built with quality because the last thing I need is for it to break down. I like that the handle on the top of the bag is actually a steel cable that is bolted to the material of the bag. It's covered in a plastic sleeve and a padded handle so that it's also comfortable to lift the bag from that durable handle. That has to be the most durable handle I've ever seen. A steel cable is overkill, but I like overkill. There are pockets out the wazoo on this thing and I'm not sure if that's a bonus to you, but it's a bonus to me. Lets see if I can recount all the pockets. There's the back-most pocket which is intended for storing the laptop. There is a padded sleeve inside the backpack to which you slide your laptop into, you can then strap the laptop more securely into the sleeve using an elastic Velcro strap. This brings me to my first and only gripe about the backpack. An acquaintance of mine has an older model of this backpack and the strap for securing the laptop in the sleeve actually has a very durable plastic clip. This model uses Velcro instead of a clip. Personally I would prefer the clip since Velcro only has a limited lifetime and also likes to cling to dust and other debris, and that bothers me. Even still, I could care less. If the Velcro strap becomes a problem I'll just cut it off and do without. There is an additional mesh pocket in the rear-most laptop pocket which is seems like it's intended for pencils or something but I use it to store my full-size desktop mouse as well as a USB flash drive for use with my laptop. There is a small amount of extra room in that pocket which can be utilized for a small - medium folder or perhaps 1 large textbook or two small textbooks. It's really up to you. I use it to hold a single small textbook which I actually keep inside of a bubble-wrap envelope to protect the edges. The next pocket as you move forward is a very small ( yet cozy ) pocket. The fabric inside that pocket is a red color and it also appears padded. This pocket is intended for an mp3 player but since it's about 7 inches deep you could even put a small cdplayer in there with extra cd's. I mainly use this pocket to hold my business cards, I put them inside the small sleeve intended for the mp3 player. I also store various drugs in there for easy access (OTC). P.S. this pocket is usually very skinny when your backpack is filled to capacity since there's no room for it to expand. The next pocket as you move forward to the front of the bag is the main pocket. This pocket is massive and this is pretty much the only pocket you have for storing your school supplies other than that rearmost laptop pocket. There's a small padded flap in there that you can either put up ( to make the bag appear slimmer ) or put it down ( to widen the pocket and provide a more stable base to keep it from toppling over ) I personally cram my backpack to capacity so this flap is always down. I keep 4 1" folders in there and 3 small manilla envelops filled with paperwork. Those three together come to about 1/2 inch. And I still have room for a large textbook. If I were to put in a large textbook,( for example a biology textbook ) I would expect that this pocket would no longer be able to fit any more stuff. However inside this pocket there is a rather large mesh pocket. I have no idea what you're supposed to store in it. I leave it empty, and if your backpack was stuffed to capacity it probably wouldn't be of much use. But if your a slim backpack type student I'm sure you can make use of it for something. There is also a sleeve in the back of the main pocket which I use to hold my three manilla envelopes separate from the rest of the cavity. Moving forward from the main pocket there is a smaller sized ( cozy pocket ) I say it's cozy since I love sliding my hand into it and filling the smooth cold fabric which is thick so it appears padded. I'm not sure what you could store in this pocket. Some spare papers or another manilla envelope type object. It's a very thin pocket. More like a sleeve with a zipper top. I use this pocket to store additional drugs (OTC). Moving forward from that there's the "main utility/pencil/calculator" pouch. I'm not sure what to call it but that's where I keep my pencils erasers and whiteout. Inside of that pouch theres a zippered sleeve in which I keep my spare erasers, three-hole-punch-paper-reinforcing-stickers, and also all the warranty cards for the backpack. I use the mesh sleeve to hold my pencils and pens. (Note: there are no pencil sleeves. You know, the kind that hold like a single pencil or pen. Personally I'm kind of happy about that since I usually carry like 5 pens and two pencils.) The mesh sleeve is ideal for it since it provides room for about a dozen pen/pencils and they can all clip onto it and stay put very well. There's a clip in there you can use to store your keys, so they don't stab your leg through your inferior pocket. There's a couple of knife-holder pockets in here as well. One of them I use to store a utility-knife/needle-nose-plier. Another I use to store 4 of the fate dry-erase markers. Most the other tiny sleeves in there I leave empty since they seem to be meant for business/credit cards/ids and I don't need those since I have a wallet. P.S. this is a padded pocket as well. Moving forward one last time there's another smaller pocket which is also padded which I don't use for anything. Now on each side right and left there are two sleeve pockets. 1 zippered sleeve pocket and then over that one there's a mesh sleeve. I don't use the mesh sleeves for anything except sometimes those travel-size kleenix pouches. The zippered sleeve on the right I use to store my laptops charging cable. And the zippered sleeve on the left I use to store my Ti-84 Graphic calculator. So all in all there's 9 zippered pockets if you don't count the mesh ones and there are 11 zippered pockets if you do count the zippered mesh pockets. and many more than that if you count all the sleeves. I use to carry 2 backpacks. Now I carry 1 backpack! This purchase was extremely worth it for that reason alone. Padding out the wazoo. Pockets out the wazoo. Durable to last to... the wazoo. Highly recommended. Read more

It stores my laptop and all of my accessories, with room to spare! It's well made, and rugged. I purchased one of these several years ago, and was impressed. So, when I needed another one, I hoped I could find another one; and when I found it, I gladly purchased it. I am glad I did. Read more

I bought this backpack in February 2007 when I was in school doing my Masters. I needed a bag which can hold my 15.4" Vaio with extended battery (total weight ~ 6 lb), 1-2 textbooks and 1-2 notebooks. And also some stationary and all stuff. I did not have any other gadgets at that time. :( First Impression: - When I received this backpack I was completely amazed by the build quality. There are gazillion pockets and each of them are designed and placed very thoughtfully. - Separate compartment for laptops has sturdy pocket to protect the laptop and there is a small pocket to hold all the power cables of the laptop. The strap on the laptop pocket holds laptop securely in place. - The back side of the backpack is designed very well for the air ventilation when you are carrying it. The cushions on the back are so comforting and will never make you feel like you are carrying so much of weight. - The shoulder straps are fully adjustable and also has cushion on them. - The main compartment can hold a big (really big!!) book (or 2 medium books). It has a pocket to hold some loose papers or notebooks. - Then there are on big, one medium and one small compartment for stationary and stuff. In the medium compartment there are again a few pockets and compartments to keep things organized. - There are two side pockets to hold water bottles, coffee cups, etc. - Right beneath the handle of the bag there is one compartment for MP3 player or smartphone. You can leave your phone, player inside and run the headphones through the designated headphone hole. It was amazing thing in 2007 :) How I used it for over 5 years: - I was doing my masters when I bought this and my primary use of this was to carry books and laptop. - As I started using it, I realized how much this backpack can hold. After a few months I saw myself stuffing it with all kinds of things. On a typical school day you would find: Textbooks, laptop, a notebook, a lot of stationary (around 25 pens and pencils ;) ), 2 flash drives, a diary, a water bottle, a soda bottle, some snack (chips or something), hot chocolate powder and few other things. I can say this: If I were to lost in a jungle, I would easily survive few days there. You get the point. - My current use excludes some food items and textbooks but includes few other gadgets like tablet, hard drive, headphones, etc. - Overall after 5 years it's still going solid. This backpack is the sturdiest from every angle and at every inch of it. The zippers are same as they were in 2007. Not a single thread or anything has come off of the backpack. It looks as if I have just bought it. (Well I take care of my stuff pretty well so that counts too) Only thing I wish I could change: - The only thing I wish I could change is the look when I am carrying it. Because it's able to hold these many things, the backpack has a wide base. So that it stands on its base. So when I am carrying it, it won't look too cool like some other backpacks. It's simply designed that way so that one can stuff whatever is needed. So unless you are looking for a cool looking backpack this is the BESTEST backpack you will ever buy. Price: - When I was thinking of buying a good backpack I researched for 1-2 months and decided to buy this backpack. Then I watched its price for another 2 months and it never fluctuated a bit. I bought it for 60 bucks in 2007 and I was watching the price even all these years. It is always varying between 50 - 60. So trust me on this one. Price is not going to go down dramatically one morning even if it has a newer model. Conclusion: - If you are like me who needs a backpack which is solid in design, holds a small studio inside and lasts forever in commute, I have two words for you: BUY IT!! Read more