Sunday, March 30, 2014

Briggs & Riley Verb Glide Backpack

Briggs & Riley  Verb Glide Backpack,Black,17x12.5x7 InchI've been using this Briggs & Riley backpack for a number of months now and have no complaints. I use it for my daily commute via public transit and have carried it on business trips as well.

It is very well made and designed. Looks appropriate for a business professional and not a "book bag" for a high school student. It is "classy".

It's not too big and not too small. Very comfortable to wear and it still looks brand new after months of use!

Well worth the price. I doubt if I'll need to replace it for years to come.

So I've been searching for a quality laptop backpack. I own a small business, do some traveling but not a great deal. Primary use will be to and from the office. This looked great so I ordered one. There was much I liked, but the things I didn't were too important to ignore.

First, the good stuff. The bag is beautifully made, great materials and quality construction. It's an elegant bag. If you want a pack that doesn't look like a student's backpack, this is a great choice. It really does look like a fine piece of luggage that just happens to sit on your back. I liked the organization features and the orange interior, as well. It rode reasonably comfortably on my back.

Now, the stuff I didn't like so well. First, I was very disappointed with the slot into which my laptop goes. The way it's designed, the velcro around the top does not cinch the laptop down. I have a 15" Macbook Pro and when the velcro top is fastened, there is about 4-5" of slack between the top of the laptop and the top of the strap when pulled taut. It should clasp lower down the panel than it does to create a snug fit. This is, in my opinion, a poor design. I don't want my laptop bouncing around with every step, and with this pack, it will.

Then, the zippered compartments don't unzip fully enough, so it can make it difficult to find things in the deep recesses of the bag.

I also don't like that I have to put a water bottle inside the bag itself. I'd be more comfortable with that if my laptop was completely enclosed in a separate compartment, but it's not. If the bottle leaks, Houston, we have a problem.

Also, the little feature on the front of the bag, this kind of grommeted compartment that sticks out on the front of the bag? It's made from some weird material that is a combination of stiff and flexible. With my bag, just having it at home and loading and unloading it a few times was enough to bend the top edge of that thing just enough that it was already starting to bug me, and I hadn't even used it yet.

If none of the things that bothered me bother you, you may love the bag. For me, it was just a non-starter. My top requirement is my laptop has to be held very securely, and this just didn't do it. I also felt that the padding on the sides was insufficient. If the bag fell out of an overhead compartment and landed on its side, I was not confident that the computer would not be dented.

I ended up getting a Tom Bihn Brain Bag and it's exactly what I was looking for. But it looks like a backpack. If you want something that looks like it's ready for the boardroom, but is still a backpack, this Briggs bag is a good choice if you can live with the issues above.

Buy Briggs & Riley Verb Glide Backpack Now

I have been very happy with the Verb line from B&R. I also have the Fuse 20" carry on luggage and the Move business laptop case. I love my set much more now that I have the backpack. Even though this bag is the smaller version, you can fit a 15" wide laptop easily and possibly a second smaller laptop. There is lots of room and functional storage. There are dedicated pockets for a backup drive, cell phone, cables, and extra mags/paper files. There is even a dedicated pocket at the bottom of the bag to told your laptop power supply perfectly. Inside there is a zippable pocket to hold change/money so that it doesn't fall out. Padding for the laptop is good, but could have more on the bottom. The key clip comes in very handy while travelling, even to/from the office. There is a zipper at the rear bottom of the bag, so that you can insert the backpack onto your rollable carry on luggage arm handle, so this fits perfect with my Fuse luggage. Quite honestly the best backpack I've ever owned. Construction is great, design is very well thought out. Great job B&R!

Read Best Reviews of Briggs & Riley Verb Glide Backpack Here

Very practical and with lots of space. Price a bit high but I like their warranty.

Will recommend to others.

Want Briggs & Riley Verb Glide Backpack Discount?

I have had this backpack for over a year now. I travel a great deal I and needed a functional good looking pack that I could take into a client site. For the most part this fit the bill. However, after a couple of months the B&R badge came off the front. No big deal except it leaves two holes on the front which sort of spoils the look.

The big downside I have found though is the front slide pocket that was obviously designed for your cell phone. A really GREAT idea with one glaring problem, many phones do not fit, worse yet they get stuck. I have a Samsung Galaxy II. In a case it will not fit. With the case off it slips right in, but gets caught when you try to remove it which can be very embarrassing during a meeting. I own another B&R briefcase and my phone fits in there just fine so I am not sure why they made this one so small. It also needs the quick access boarding pass pocket that resides on many of their other bags.

All in all a great bag but these minor little annoyances keep me from giving it the fives stars it deserves. So, B&R, fix the flimsy badge, make the phone pocket a inch bigger and add the boarding pass pocket and you have a PERFECT pack.

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