Ranipak Durable Solid Flap Global Computer Backpack

The Ranipak computer backpack I bought is black. The black color is dark black, so it goes with most outfits I wear. What attracted me to this bag is the shape of the bag. It is slightly wider on top than the bottom, which is unique in that it goes with the shape of your body's torso and thereby making it fashionable. This backpack has quite a few compartments for electronic goods, but it would have been nice if they made a compartment to hold pens.

The largest compartment is the main compartment that is closest to your back (when you wear the bag). There is no zipper on this compartment, but the flap is cut and shaped in a way that the compartment is well protected from rain because the sides fold inward. The nice thing about not having the zipper is that it makes the compartment easy to access once you unbuckle the flap, and there's more space available to allow over stuffing the main compartment. I put my 15.6 inch laptop into it, and it has plenty of room to put more things into it. Inside the main compartment is a large sleeve, that is approximately half the size of the main compartment, to carry smaller devices such as an iPad/tablet or even cables (well padded by a lining that feels like the material on a wetsuit--neoprene). This sleeve also has no zipper, for easy access. The downside is to never turn this bag upside down or smaller items in the main compartment will fall out. However, all the other compartments in front of the main compartment have zippers and are well protected even if the bag is turned upside down.

The next compartment, located in front of the main compartment, is 2/3 the size of the main compartment, but it has a zipper. Within it are three pockets (large, medium, small) made of the neoprene material. The large pocket can easily carry a Kindle Fire. The medium pocket is about the size of a floppy disk and the small pocket is the size of a credit card, but large enough to hold an ID card such as those for work. Other than that, this secondary compartment can hold all the personal belongings safely. This secondary compartment is about the size of a medium sized pocket book, which would be convenient for women. For guys, this compartment is large enough to put extra books or a couple of magazines.

In front of the secondary compartment is a thin zippered sleeve that is padded to carry an external hard-drive or a 7" Kindle Fire. It's approximately 1/4 the size of the bag. Next to it is a small zippered sleeve for a telephone, but only large enough for an iPhone with its protective cover. Anything larger than an iphone will not likely fit into it. The great thing about these two compartments is that the zipper each face out to the sides under the flap. This allows you to access each of these smaller compartments without having to open the flap. So, if a phone call comes in, you just have to reach in from the side to unzip and get the iphone without unbuckling the flap. The last zippered compartment, located on the right side of the bag, is for carrying a water bottle or cables. The water bottle/cable compartment is hidden, and takes up space within the main compartment. It is probably more appropriate for cables than a water bottle because there is just a thin polyester cloth that separates this compartment from the main compartment.

This bag is the most light weight computer bag I have ever gotten, and I've expereienced many computer bags. It weighs about one to two pounds. The material is mainly water repellent 1000d twill poly/non-toxic tarpaulin with durable seatbelt nylon straps that are adjustable (according to the label). The material on this bag is not stiff, so the flexibility causes the bag to change shape based on what you put into it. The bag will bulge out if the item in the bag is round and not flat. If the item in the bag is flat, then the bag will take the flattened shape. My only issue (other than wanting a pocket for pens) is that the bottom of the bag is not cushioned, which can cause a thump when you drop the bag. So, as long as you don't drop the bag, this is a great bag for its looks, light weight, easy access to things, large size, flexible shape and good double stitching (keeps bag strong). It's very comfortable to carry because of its cushioned straps and back padding. This bag is strong enough to hold textbooks if you don't have a laptop to put in it.

It has six separate compartments to organize and store gear away, including room for a laptop, binder and Kindle/ipad tablet device, power cord pocket and phone pocket. It is built reasonably well and the stitches holding the straps to the pack appears to be middling quality (not cheapo easily ripped out stitches, but not heavy duty either), and toting it on my back fully loaded works well for the quarter mile or so I carry it daily to work. I cannot vouch for comfort on longer treks. There isn't any internal padding to protect multiple devices from one another, and not really any padding for exterior exposure either. The bottom especially could use a sheet of high density foam to soften the blow to the laptop when setting this on the floor (this is important enough that I put my own foam padding in the bottom for the laptop to rest on).

It has two design flaws that bother me and they could have been easily avoided. First, the strap is sewn onto the big flap on the back more than half way down. If the pack is less than half full or so I cannot take enough slack out of the adjustable lower strap because having the top snap so close to the bottom one will not allow for it. If the top snap was fixed in place about three inches higher up this would not be a problem. Consequently, the flap is a bit looser than I would like much of the time.

The other issue is the aesthetics of the two tone vinyl coated flap. I am sure the vinyl coating adds some water resistance, but it looks tacky. What is even more puzzling about this design decision is that it doesn't cover the top of the flap which is the area most likely to get the worst of the rainfall if you get caught outside in a storm. So, what is the point of having the vinyl at all? It looks ugly and isn't very functional.

I bought this item for 22 dollars in a lightening deal. If I had paid the regular full price of 64 dollars I would have sent it back to Amazon after inspecting it. For the money I paid, I am happy with it for carrying lots of gear and documents.

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Spacious, versatile and works both for casual and professional settings. Very pleased with its durability as I am a student and on campus all the time so I need a bag that can hold a good amount of stuff. One thing missing would be a larger water bottle compartment but other than that I am very satisfied with this purchase!

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I bought this in the daily deals section and have been happy with it, but would not pay the $65 list.

It is a comfortable backpack and right-sized for two or three books and a laptop. It has two small zippered pockets and two medium zippered ones ones. The top of the main compartment is closed by a flap and things can fall out if it gets turned upside down. The material and stitching seem to be high quality. It looks good and feels comfortable as a backpack.

Overall it works well for hauling things in and out of the SouthBayMachine school lab.

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This bag is really nice. I have a much more expensive backpack but I've ditched it for the buckle-convenience and sleek black look of this bag. I even chose it over my leather laptop bag since it's so much more comfortable (especially when carrying heavy textbooks around), it has more space available, and it not water-sensitive. I wish it had a few pen/pencil loops sewn in, as I imagine if I'm not careful I might have pen marks staining the inside, but there are still nice pouches inside to keep them in. This bag comes highly recommended from me.