Targus Grove Notebook Backpack

This backpack is simply great! I bought the Grove 4 years ago in an Office Depot, not knowing what I was buying really. Let me list the places I've gone and the things I've done with this bag:

1) To school every single day for 2 whole years.

2) I've taken this bag on intense, 3 day hikes through rain, mud, and sand.

3) Carry-on for multiple trips.

4) As a night sack when I'm invited to sleep as a guest.

To be honest, this bag has been through almost everything with me.

Pros:

1) Holds well against water.

I've only had one time when the contents were soaked and that was when I left it in the pouring rain for approximately 2.5-3 hours. Other than that, I've gone through pouring (Florida) rain for up to 5-6 minutes; I'm soaked, but my notebook is safe and dry.

2) Plenty of space for your average job.

The Grove can hold a laptop, 3 textbooks, 2 notebooks (paper), all your laptop needs (charger, mouse, usb drive), a small reading book, an iPod, a water bottle, anything. At that point, it does get bulky, but it'll hold strong.

3) The water bottle holders on the left and right pockets actually hold a 16.9 fl oz water bottle pretty well, even if running to class.

4) VERY durable exterior.

Even with four years of heavy use, the bottom of the bag is only beginning to lose it's tough plastic shell, meaning the inner material is still going strong.

5) Zippers are dependable.

I've never had a problem with the zippers. I have a colorful strap that I use to identify my bag when zipping in a hurry, I've zipped over it by accident so many times and with enough force got it unstuck the zipper is still just as smooth and dependable as when I first bought it.

6) Wide opening.

When fully unzipped, it allows for a very wide opening to place all of your belongings inside.

7) Good padding.

Even after 4 years, I can still feel the soft padding. It does not go flat like other bags.

Cons

1) The front strap buckle is cheap plastic. It broke about a year in, carrying a very heavy bag. While not such a major big deal, it does make carrying 35-45 pounds of gear less comfortable and lets the bag swing from side to side when running. I have to hold the bag with my arm when I'm running so I don't get tossed around.

2) Inside material tough, but not indestructible. As with most bags, the inside individual compartments eventually give away. I only have a tiny whole between the 1st and 2nd compartments, so it's not so major.

All in all, a great and VERY dependable bag.

EDIT:

1/30/13

So my Backpack finally broke. Everything was fine, except for the main zipper where the teeth actually detached from the body of the bag. The bag still held everything in place even though the zipper was only closed on ONE side! However, because of possible wetness issues, I decided to buy a new one. So I bought a new one yesterday and it arrived today.

A lot of changes have happened. The second compartment no longer has a zipper within it. I use to really appreciate the double space in the second compartment. The right side of the bag no longer has a zipper compartment. My old one had a zipper compartment on both sides; this one only has it on the left side. The material still feels good and it should hold up for now. I'll update further is anything else changed in quality.

Targus Grove Notebook BackpackI've had my Targus Grove backpack for many years; just a top performer. Sturdy, intelligently designed and able to take a beating without complaint. Have hauled it to work everyday, on airplanes, travel both domestically and abroad and almost everywhere I go. It holds everything I could possibly need on trip. Terrific as a carry one. Just saw someone who had the same one in Hong Kong. We both agreed what a great bag it is. Highly recommended. I'd love to get another, but this one never dies!

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Very Good!!!!! Just as described, very happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very good product Targus makes great bags it was a gift and it was very much well liked!!

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This is actually my 2nd one as I wore the first one out after about 5 years of heavy use. In that time it carried everything from laptops, electronics, and clothes to heavy groceries. When the last one died I tried several others as none of my local stores carried this backpack but they couldn't compare to the Targus so back they went. I've had the new one for around 4 months and all is good. If history repeats it self I have another 4 and a half years left of good use and knowing me it will get every bit of use possible out of it in that time.

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I have a messenger bag that I've been using for my 13" MacBook air and it works great. The only issue is that it's a small bag that doesn't accommodate much extra. I found myself wanting a larger bag, but still relatively small so that I can carry my laptop, accessories, books, ... So I selected the Grove Bag from Targus. The price for the bag was great; when I got it is was about $33 and that included shipping. Note, I've only had this bag about a month, so I can't yet review it's durability.

PROS: So far I've liked the bag.There is plenty of space for my laptop, some books and all the usual accessories. I even put my lunch bag inside the backpack. The straps are sturdy and are comfortable when wearing. The material appears sturdy as well. There's an outside pocket on the side that can fit keys, sunglasses, etc. There's mesh pocket on the other side that will fit a water bottle or a small fold-up umbrella. There's a padded laptop section and several spots inside for all your stuff.

CONS: The one thing that could be improved is the padded laptop section. There's a strap that goes over the top of the laptop and connects to the padding with velcro. That's all fine, except the way the velcro is set up assumes a larger laptop, probably 15" at least. So my smaller laptop fits in the pocket, but the velcro fastener doesn't hold the laptop tightly in place. So far, it hasn't been a real problem, but I would prefer it be improved. The other negative was that the bag wasn't offered by Amazon, so I missed out on free shipping since my order contained the bag that was from another seller and other items from Amazon. It would have been cheaper if Amazon had the bag available.

Overall, I'm happy with the bag. I switch back and forth with the messenger as needed, but this larger bag does what I need.

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