This is the size I've been looking for. I was in search of a bag that would fit a 13" MacBook Pro, as well as a 13" Dell Latitude. I'm not a big person and I hate big heavy bags. My previous bag was HUGE and was designed for a 15" laptop of yesteryear. The laptop slot barely held my widescreen 13" and yet the bag was enormous. I bought the old bag from LL Bean in 1998, and it held up wonderfully--but it was made for a time when a 15" laptop was bulky and we carried lots of books and folders with us.Best uses:
Professional with a 13"-14" laptop (or 15" Macbook) looking for a minimal but still useful backpack
Pros:
Small profile yet IMPRESSIVE capacity for what it is.
Lightweight
Holds TWO laptops and both power supplies (one in the padded compartment and one using a thin sleeve in the spot designed for a binder/book)
Laptop section appears to accommodate nearly all 14" laptops easily and possibly a 15" MacBook (probably not most other 15" laptops tho)
Cons:
Wish the binder/book section had more padding since I use it for an extra laptop. This would be nice for your iPad/tablet/Kindle -type devices as well
No water bottle net on the side (I've never had one but thought it was a nice feature on other backpacks I've seen)
Probably too small if you need your backpack to carry around a lot of personals, or carry your lunch, or an extra pair of shoes--it's definitely not a daypack.
Durability:
I will try to update this review if I find anything undesirable about the durability. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 since I cannot yet comment on durability.
PROS:
Slim design
Comfortable shoulder straps
Well padded laptop compartment
Velcro strap wrap
Soft, felt-like pocket for smartphones or other valuables
Spacious and well-padded front pocket organizer
Useful side pockets
Attractive appearance
Good build quality
CONS:
Side pockets too small for water bottles
DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
The Case Logic 14-inch Laptop Backpack (DLBP-114) is very attractive and is slim in design. Parts of the polyester material are matte, glossy, and quilted with accent colors on the straps and zipper. The appearance is what drew me to this backpack in the first place. All the zippers glide very smoothly and the main compartment zipper has an over-sized zipper and pull for easy opening and closing. The shoulder straps have an air mesh padding for increased comfort. Case Logic also added a neat "strap management system" in the form of a Velcro tie that keeps the excess strap tied up for a neat appearance. At the top of the backpack is a grab handle for easy handling. Aside from black, you also get red and deep grey color choices.
STORAGE & PROTECTION
The main pocket includes the integrated laptop compartment. It's padded well and has about the same amount of padding on the bottom and the back for uniform protection. It fit both my 12.1-inch Google Chrome Cr-48 and 14.1-inch Dell Inspiron laptops without a hitch. The remaining space inside the main pocket is actually rather sparse, which is part of the design. Thinking back to my college days, there would have been no way I could have fit my Biology textbook and my Calculus textbook at the same time. If you're looking for a heavy-duty, carry-all backpack, the DLBP-114 isn't it.
The large front pocket has 2 medium-sized internal pockets for a phone or mobile mouse as well as 2 pen pockets. There is also a thin, but large zippered pocket for memory cards, cables, batteries, etc. The great thing about the front pocket is that it is padded as well so you can feel safe putting your MP3 player, compact camera or phone inside this pocket.
There is also a pocket on each side of the DLBP-114. It's very useful for putting any number of items inside, but unlike the description, I found now way of putting a water bottle there. First, it doesn't unzip all the way up so a water bottle will partially hang out of the pocket. Second, the pocket is just too small. I wasn't even able to jam a standard 1/2 liter Costco bottled water inside, let alone any of my larger stainless steel water bottles.
The last pocket is on the top of the bag, located in between the large front pocket and the main pocket. It's a unique pocket not only because the zipper teeth are accented, but because it is lined with a felt-like material for protecting valuables like a watch, phone, jewelry, or glasses. It reminds me a little bit of my golf bag that has a valuables pocket so you can take off your jewelry and keep it from getting hacked up. I'd probably refrain from putting my glasses in there though since it's not padded in any way. Though the pocket entry is on the outside, the actual pocket resides inside the main compartment and I could see my glasses getting smashed inside unless I wasn't carrying anything too bulky inside the main compartment.
CONCLUSION
The Case Logic 14-inch Laptop Backpack (DLBP-114) is a very well-made laptop backpack. It won't be suitable for everyone because of the slim design and doesn't have a cavernous main compartment. Make no mistake, it is not a daypack. I see this being a good fit for the urban commuter who carries a laptop and perhaps a Kindle or iPad with accessories, some snacks and not much else. For that demographic, I think that the DLBP-114 is a great value. My hope is that Case Logic will also release a daypack version with similar design cues as the DLBP-114 as I tend to fit in the category of people who like to be able to carry as much stuff as possible.
* Review sample provided by Case Logic, Inc.
Buy Case Logic DLBP-114 14-Inch Laptop /MacBook Air / Pro Retina Display Backpack (Black) Now
This is a good choice for a small backpack. If you need to carry much more than the laptop, charger and some small accessories you may find this doesn't have the space to meet you needs. Quality is what I expect for Case Logic, very good for the price. No issues with zippers or seams, even after heavy use. Another nice feature is the textured mesh on the underside of the shoulder strap that helps keep it from slipping off your shoulder.The one and only downside is the lack of padding on the bottom of the pack. Leaving an unprotected edge for the laptop, which I discovered when the pack slipped out of my hand and landed with a thump, resulting in a dent on the corner of my laptop.I was looking for a backpack to replace a 15-year old Target/Walmart-type backpack from high school. I wanted something that I could take to/from work, was flexible enough in offering a few different types of compartments, and wasn't overly big/bulky/saggy.
This is exactly what I wanted.
We'll start with the straps. They aren't filled with gel like some packs are, so they aren't the cushiest, but they do at least have a decent amount of stuffing in them, plus they are fairly wide, and get larger as they go up towards your shoulder, so the bag doesn't feel like it's cutting into your shoulders at all. The roll-up velcro piece that holds excess strap after you're done adjusting it to your preference is quite novel, but not something you interact with every time you wear the pack, so it's not a huge deal.
The top and the lower front of the pack each have a reasonably-sized grab handle. Good for carrying into your car, or hanging on a coat hook at home.
On both the left and right lower sides are two small compartments which I've found perfect for each accomodating two electronics cables one side holds the AC power cord for my laptop and a microUSB cable for charging my phone; the other holds a 10' ethernet cable and a USB charge cable for my Zune HD. You could maybe fit a can of soda in there, or some feminine products (makeup, etc), or your car keys... but I found it great for stashing cables without overstuffing the inner compartments.
The main zippered compartment -the zipper is one of the large-teethed kind, the sort that makes a lot of noise when you operate it... but because of this, it sort of lends a feel of quality and heft to it -quite nice. Inside, against the back is a padded insert (non-removable) which accomodates your laptop. I have a Samsung Series 7 Chronos with a 15.6" screen, which is basically analogous to a Macbook Pro 15" in dimensions, due to the minimal amount of bezel around the screen. Do not expect to fit a normal 15" laptop in here without a bit of squeeze this is why they point out it can take up to a 14-inch regular laptop. There's extra space in this compartment which can hold a textbook, a tablet PC, or heck probably even another laptop. I keep a small notebook here for taking notes, etc.
Lower down the front of the pack is another zippered section which doesn't look like it hosts much space, but open it up and here's your organizational compartments --you have two wide enclosures and a few pencil holders. The enclosures are wide enough for me to fit a compact external hard drive (the 2.5" variety), and a portable mouse. At the top of the organizational insert is a zipper which contains another small pouch for your odds and ends --chewing gum, maybe another couple cables? But you can reach past all this, another 8" or so down into the bag for a deeper well of general storage space. I keep my laptop power brick down here. Adding additional items down here, instead of stuffing the organization pockets with larger bulkier items, keeps from losing the backpack's slim profile... so I'd recommend you disperse your items as such.
Up top, the red-teethed zipper leads you into a small, microfiber-type lined pouch. They say put your sunglasses in here, well I'd worry about breakage, but it is handy to keep your wallet and keys in here, since they are readily accessible without digging into the backpack proper.
The dark gray color was $10 cheaper than the black, which I would have preferred if I could have my pick... but it turns out to be an alright color. It's definitely a lighter gray than it appears in the pictures, but it's not so light that it approaches silver-gray. It's fairly unassuming... but the red-colored details are eye-catching, whether you like it or not.
It's definitely smaller than the normal-sized backpacks I used to carry throughout school, but that's just what I was looking for. Someone else commented it looks like a child's backpack...and I guess you could say that, but it also looks very concise and tidy I'm an IT contractor and have to dress up every day, and it doesn't look terribly out-of-place as part of my get-up.
I most enjoy how slim it is --it doesn't extend out far beyond your back, instead holding everything very close to you. This makes a WORLD of difference in terms of comfort. I feel no strain on my back at all, as you would with a normal pack.
Overall, highly recommend goes great with gadgets, the price is right, it's neat and tidy, and it's up to you how you'd like to use the space unlike some backpacks that pretty much make those decisions for you.
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The Case Logic DLBP-114 laptop bag is designed for transporting a 14" laptop and accessories (not much more).Pros:
It is well constructed and it has not shown any signs of wear during 6 months of ownership
The PC compartment is sized well for a 14" laptop and is adequately padded.
The small top compartment is useful for items that you want to get to quickley (earphones, phone,etc.)
The front zipped area has a section that fits/holds a passport, pens, glasses.
The main compartment is big enough to hold a few notebooks or a notebook and a text book
Cons:
The front zippered section is not as easy to access as it should be as the zipper only exposes 60% of the area.
There should be a better place to store keys in this comparment with the use of a caribiner or latch.
The side pockets are not that useful. One should be converted to a water bottle carrier.
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