Targus XL Backpack Designed for 17 Inch Notebooks TXL617 (Black with Blue Accents) by Targus
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Digital camera reviews of Targus XL Backpack Designed for 17 Inch Notebooks TXL617 (Black with Blue Accents)
Digital camera Review: A decent laptop pack, but not perfect
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this just this week, and while it holds my HP Pavilion DV9830US 17" Laptop sufficiently, it's not what I hoped for. First off, the padding around the laptop compartment is barely sufficient. I've seen laptop backpacks that provide much more padding. Also, who makes a laptop backpack without CD sleeves?! There is also a front flap that's not sealed, so if you're caught in the rain that compartment will get water in it.
Overall, I wasn't clear on who they designed this for. It was a water bottle holder and some sections that make it seem more like a sport backpack than a student / business travel oriented item, and yet no one is going to go hiking with a 17" laptop... are they? Maybe I'm wrong.
The straps seem solid, though around the shoulders they can dig in a bit. I'm overweight, so perhaps someone who had thinner shoulders would not have this problem. The overall construction seems fine. Zippers are mostly double which is good, although the exception is the phone/music player slot on the side, which unzips in such a way that you have to hold your device in place while you re-zip, or it will simply fall out.
Digital camera Review: A fine laptop backpack
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this to take on a Caribbean cruise in September. I am no spring chicken anymore--I'm 64 and have one lung--but had no problems at all with this backpack.
It accommodated my 17-inch P-7811FX Gateway laptop with ease and provided decent, padded protection. I also included a laptop cooler stand, the power supply and cables, and an assortment of odds & ends that I wanted to keep with me (iPod, cell phone, chargers, reading materials, snacks, water bottle, passports, ...). This combination weighed in at about 30 pounds. I had no problems hefting it to put on or take off and there was no shifting of contents. There was room left over for a light change of clothing or a wind breaker and careful packing could include more. I don't doubt you could get this heavy enough to not want to carry it far!
I used this bag as my carry-on on Continental Airlines (along with my camera case) and had no problems...it fit easily into the overhead bins and the "briefcase handle" on top made it easy to carry down the narrow aisle. The numerous compartments were handy for keeping things separated and protected. The adjustable straps and waist belt allowed for a good fit and the weight seemed evenly distributed. I noticed no irritation points where the bag fit against my body.
All in all, this worked very well for me on a 12-day trip and it seems to have withstood the rigors of travel with no ill effects. Only time will tell about wear over the long haul but the construction and materials seem OK for a not-too-expensive backpack. I can recommend this one for those that need the additional room with a 17-inch laptop--mine measured 16 x 12.5 x 3 inches with the cooling stand which I kept in the compartment behind the laptop).
I don't know if I'd recommend this for school...I can remember text books weighing quite a bit and I think I'd rather lug around a smaller laptop for University work. This is more for the person who wants (needs?) to have their gaming with them or needs a desktop replacement when traveling.
Digital camera Review: A good choice for a large laptop and extra gear
Summary: 5 Stars
Just received the backpack and transferred everything from two backpacks into it with room to spare. My main concern was that it would hold my ASUS G73J which is 16.5 inches wide and 12.5 inches deep - fits with room to spare. You could probably get an 18.4 laptop into it.
I am in the solar business and it has absorbed my computer gear, most of my site survey gear and my cables and test equipment for setting up solar monitoring. Plenty of pockets means most of the gear I carry isn't just jumbled up at the bottom of a compartment.
The construction quality looks good for now...not up to the North Face I used for my old, smaller laptop but this cost half as much and is a lot larger and more spacious.
One note is that the photos show a cell phone holder on the shoulder strap which did not come with it. Not an issue for me since I wouldn't carry my phone that way anyway but a student might find that frustrating. There are pockets on the side and inside the front compartment that would serve for cell phones, though.
Digital camera Review: A huge backpack that does everything pretty well.
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this backpack for school. I commute to school via bus and I am on campus for extended periods of time and some days I need to bring an awful lot of stuff with me. And have no doubt, this backpack is even bigger than it appears, taller and wider than the OGIO Epic by at least an inch. When the backpack arrived I filled it with every item I'd ever brought to school for the quarter. This included 4 full size textbooks, a 12inch laptop, an 8.9 inch netbook, an Altera DE1 FPGA System (~6"x8"x2"), 3 subject notebook and paper folders (no binders), mp3 player and in ear headphones, small digital camera, misc pens and school supplies, a small lunch, thumb drives, sweatshirt, laptop mouse, laptops' and DE1 cables, and a 1 liter water bottle. The bag had room to spare. It was heavy and the weight did not distribute well. My 12 inch laptop fit in width wise instead of length wise. The strap that belts around your waste is pretty useless and pretty dippy looking when attached. The shoulder straps are probably the worst feature of this backpack. They attempt to be quality straps, but they feel like they were fitted on a mannequin and no real ergonomic testing was done (I'm 5'10 and pretty much the definition of medium build). They are tolerable, but for a backpack capable of holding so much it's a shame more care wasn't put into these straps.
The backpack doesn't have much rigidity and it would have been nice if something padded but fairly stiff was in the back. You can feel your laptop pressing into your back. The backpack handle isn't great but seems durable. It likes to flop inside the pouches as you're zipping them up. The zippers seem sturdy, but they do not like to be pulled at an angle and catch. It makes zipping up a little bit of a pain as you situate you or the bag in an orientation that lets you pull the zippers straight across the track. The organizer pouch isn't all that special. It has a place for your cell phone, 3 pens, and credit cards. The fabrics used aren't special but are durable. There is very little cloth except for the fleece in two of the small pouches. I don't care for the rough synthetic plastic fabric they use everywhere, but it does the job and should last.
If you need a backpack that can do everything and hold a lot, this pack is for you. It isn't a pleasure to wear and even with a medium load I can't wait to get it off my shoulders after walking an 1/8th of a mile or so. It's not very cool looking, and when it's full it's even less so. If you prefer fashion over utility, well just by the picture I imagine you skipped this pack, but it doesn't look any better in real life. It's big and gets just about every job backpack can possibly do done in a durable and mostly functional way.
Digital camera Review: A little room for improvement but overall it's a great bag
Summary: 4 Stars
I do a lot of field work so I am constantly in and out of my bag for different things. Overall I think it's a great bag.
Pros: Roominess, amt of pockets, comfort of straps, so far seems to be constructed well, good padding in computer section, bottle pouch holds a 32 oz water bottle with no problem and also has a slide lock on elastic string to secure it, price.
Cons: 1. Regarding the top handle...the strap that connects it to the bag is too long and heavy and pulls the bag down into itself when the pockets are open. 2. There is a front pocket that is only closed by two snap connectors on top (no zipper). It creates a bulge in the sides of this section that pulls the bag forward and down making it a little unstable at times. And I don't feel comfortable putting things in this pocket because I'm worried they will fall out. So in essence it's a wasted pocket. But i altered it by putting two more connectors on the side, so it makes it a little more secure.