The Access Day Pack by High Sierra is one of the best Back Pack/Day Packs I have ever owned. It is VERY roomy and has plenty enough space to store just about anything. I frequently travel with 2 laptops a sizable 3 ring binder, several hand held radios and at least one camera. This means that I not only need a lot of space I need a bag that will support the weight of the gear. After 3 years of continual use only a few stitches are coming loose on the shoulder straps.
The Access Day Pack, has been great! Although it is not waterproof, it comes with its own rain coat that covers the bag just in case you get caught in undesirable weather. I thought that was a cool feature!
I also an not a big fan of pre-sized pockets and pouches as they never fit my stuff. However the pockets in this bag are really good size and can hold most cellphones or 2-way radios.
The things I would change about the bag are:
1) The top MP3 style pocket. It is big enough to hold your iPod but if you put much else in it you run out of room quickly.
2) I would add another "water bottle" holder on the left side. These pockets are always useful and having a second one would only make this bag that much better.
3) I would add a rubberized waterproof bottom to the bag. If you set it down in a wet area for very long the water will soak through.
Hope this helps...
I bought this backpack for my tour of Europe. I tour cities in bursts of 2-3 days so this pack has to hold my things for 2-3 days.
Pros:
1. It has many pockets for all kinds of gadgets or items you may have.
2. The bottle holder is far better than in any previous backpack i have owned. It has a zipper to it so you can tighten the bottle agaist the pack to hold it down.
3. It has a rain cover. I haven't needed to use it yet but im sure that day will come.
4. The laptop padding is good. I have had the pack tip over and fall on the floor. The laptop was protected each time.
5. The pack has padding for your back as well. However, there is a con here that ill explain further down.
6. The pack is spacious and wide enough for my dslr camera bag. This is a big plus for me.
Cons:
1. The padding for your shoulders and back has a tendency to cover air flow and makes you sweat. The pack is advertised to have good air flow but this is not true in my experience.
2. The wait strap is excessive and unnecessary in my opinion. My pack is never heavy enough to need it.
3. The pack is advertised to be able to hold upto 17in. laptops but i have serious doubts about that. My 15.4in widescreen laptop fits snugly and hangs out of the top of the covering a good bit. The dimensions of my laptop are the following: 14.25" x 10.55" x 1.54"
Overall a very good pack, best i've had yet.
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This is one of the most durable backpacks I have ever owned! I bought it for college, because as an engineer I carry around waaay too many thick heavy books. This bag has been great for walking long-distance with heavy books, biking with heavy books, and carrying heavy groceries home from the store. :D Could be used as a daypack for short hikes, more comfy than many bags, but probably not as comfortable as a dedicated backpacking bag. I am a skinny woman, and this bag was able to size comfortably for me, but my 6'2" husband can adjust all the straps for him too.
The hip strap is well made, and padded so that it is actually comfortable with 50+ lbs of books weighing it down. Can't emphazise how comfortable the hip strap is!
The laptop gets it's own padded compartment in the main pocket, and it is tall enough for 17" laptops. I use it for a 15", and the sides are fine, so I don't know how the sides on a 17" would be, but I expect it will fit fine. Has a nice clip to keep it from bouncing around.
The second (big) pocket out is for shorter items, but from outside is deceptively large because in fact there is a third almost hidden pocket in front of it. The third pocket has a size zip entrance, so it's not very good for books or papers. I don't use it for much except sometimes an extra shirt, or scarf and hat, things like that. If short on space though, remember it's there. The outermost pocket is great for pencils, bus schedules, combs, flat stuff. I use the mp3/cd player pocket for my laptop mouse.
The "suspension system" on the shoulder straps actually has a span of tough elastic in between shoulders and bag. I think it makes the bag ride softer on your shoulders... but also makes it a little more bouncy.
The rain fly is VERY effective, although when not using it is more heavy than you might think. I had a hard time folding it back up to fit in it's underneath pocket. Without the fly, the bag can take 1 hour of medium rain and keep your books dry. Although the laptop zipper will leak and soak the top of the bag a couple inches down, it didn't reach my laptop because the bag is tall. Fly is bright yellow, it also doubles to make you somewhat more visible when biking in the dark. (Not reflective)
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I've reviewed this pack for the Black color High Sierra Access Backpack after borrowing it from a friend for travel. I'm a large guy so I had it packed to the hilt, with 2 laptops and the gear to support, some mags and books some gifts and other stuff and the zippers worked easily no stressing.
When I returned I had about 1/3 what I took with me and it was compact like a day pack by pulling the reinforcement straps tight and its small again.
I used the rain cover when I landed in Hono cause we walked in rain to our gate. Nothing got wet. In the hotel i had to dry out the cover before I let it get packed away.
This pack is under advertised and under rated. Sellers I hope you like the photos, buyers I hope the photos answer any questions.
This pack makes EVERYONE ask about it and this pack steered me away from a THE NORTHFACE pack cause of the size, straps, padding and application of so many tasks it covers.
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So I originally bought this bag to carry my large lap top, camera, eternal hard drive and what ever else I needed to haul back and forth from work home. It has been absolutely great for that, no complaints at all. have plenty of room of many other things as well such as sandals and a sweater. The weight is distributed nicely and has been a very sturdy.
Reciently I was invited to go on a 2 day hike throught the jungle (I live in costa rica) and the only back pack I had was this one. I thought it might be two small at first but I was able to pack very comfortably:
1 fleece balket
1 mosquito net
1 large first aid kit
1 pair of sport sandels
1 poncho
1 change of clothes
extra socks and underwear
enough food for 2 days
small bag with toiletries
a flash light and 1 sweater
I walked for 8 hour the first day and my shoulders were not hurting at all, the weight was very well distributed and the shoulder straps were very comfortable. The only thing was one part of the sternum straps fell off and was lost, but that I believe was because i snagged it on something and did not notice.
every one on this trip admired my bag and said it was the perfect size. In the end I was almost disappointed it did not rain, because I really wanted to whip out the awesome rain protection this bag has which I have to say was the feature that won me over when I bought the bag.
While getting the job done to transport my iPad and other miscellaneous stuff, this bag was made of cheap material. The velcro inside ripped right off, there's a lot of loose threads that is leading eventually to holes and rips on the bag. For the price you get what you paid for, I wouldn't recommend this bag for long term use. Also the side pocket fits small bottles, nothing regular and again, is at risk to rip when you shove something in there. I'm already looking a new bag with better material and quality. Oh yeah, the iPad inside the sleeve inside wanders around and moves a lot, not secured in there. Padding on the back is decent but could damage your iPad if not careful. And the strap is one way.going from left to right on your shoulder from the back. Can't reverse it the other way, which makes getting the ipad out of your bag difficult while still attached to you. You'd have to take the whole backpack off to get to the zipper and iPad. Disappointing.
