SwissGear Wired Laptop Backpack for 17-Inch Notebook (Black) Reviews

• DOES NOT FIT 17 inch WIDESCREEN LAPTOPS

  
  By A1G5N14P69EV46 on 2007-10-11
  If not for the sizing issues, I would have liked to give this backpack a 4 or 5 Star Rating. I loved the look, functionality and quality of this backpack, and friends & family have previously owned/used other Wenger/SwissGear/Swiss Army/Victorinox products and been pleased with them. This pack is widely available at Sam's Club, as other reviewers stated, for $39.95, and I purchased it for my son who is returning to college this year, expecting it to fit his new HP Pavillion DV-9200 series model 17" widescreen laptop. It does NOT fit 17" widescreen style notebook computers. We have 3 different brands/models of new 17" widescreen laptops in the family and none of them can fit into this pack. No amount of pushing, shoving, squeezing will allow the bag's zipper to close completely with a 17" laptop inside; about 2 inches of the computer extends from the top of the bag. Also, the padded computer compartment of this backpack is tight-fitting in depth-width of the laptop as well... difficult to slip any of our 17" laptops into the padded compartment without exerting a lot of pressure, and even harder to remove; but that point is moot, considering that you cannot use this pack to carry the 17" computer anyway. Regardless of what the manufacturer's product description or store signs may state, this pack is best suited for 15" or smaller laptops.
  
  

• Great Bag

  
  By A29S49VLKP5SD9 on 2007-08-07
  I normally prefer Victorinox products, but when I saw this bag at Sam's Club for $40, I had to get it. It's heavy duty and well padded with ergonomic shoulder straps and an air ventilation system necessary for anyone who wears a backback for more than just casual toting. For example, it works well if you ride a motorcycle or even a bicycle. Air is channeled directly down the center of your back and is diffused through lightweight padding along your shoulder blades. Most important is the padded sleeve for your laptop. It only holds laptops up to 17" so if you're trying to squeeze a widescreen laptop in there it probably won't fit. But then again, if you have a 17" widescreen laptop you probably didn't buy it for its easy portability anyway. It has lots of pockets and compartments, including a padded media compartment and a headphone jack on the shoulder strap for easy plug-and-play. It even has a padded sleeve within a side zippered compartment for your favorite Swiss Army Knife. It's not as wide or cumbersome as some other laptop backpacks out there, (Targus, you know who I'm talking about), but it does have some weight to it even when empty. I suppose that's to be expected when dealing with quality materials and padded sleeves.
  
  

• A 17" Notebook will NOT fit!!!!

  
  By A36JXCWA4Y3UXP on 2007-06-17
  This is advertised to fit a 17" Notebook. The bag is much smaller than you would expect. My HP DV9000 17" Notebook will NOT fit. My son has a Dell 17" and it will not fit either. If you are looking for something to use with a 17" Notebook, don't be fooled by this one. I expected more from Wenger....!
  
  

• Nice computer backpack

  
  By A3AQRUQO1GTZLH on 2008-08-21
  I bought this at Sam's club for around 40 bucks for commuting on a motorcycle. As a previous reviewer stated, this will not fit 17" widescreen laptops, UNLESS you do what I did and simply rip the seam at the bottom of the laptop sleeve all the way across to the sides (center section first, then two short side sections along bottom of seam). Then the laptop slides right down to the bottom of the back and voila, perfect fit. I have an ECS G900 laptop that is possibly one of the largest available - it measures 15.6" W x 11.6" D x 1.75" thick. This is just slightly larger than other models I have seen listed by reviewers that won't fit without modification. Just get a $0.99 seam ripper and spend a few minutes to open it up and save a lot of $ on the bag itself. I only gave 4 stars because I had to rip the seam myself, otherwise would give this 5.
  
  

• Does not fit 17" Widescreens

  
  By AMZOPZKGCQUDF on 2007-06-23
  This might fit standard 17" laptops, but it does NOT fit widescreens. I love the quality of the swissgears that I own, so I bought this one for my new laptop. Naturally, I was pretty upset that it didn't fit.
  
  
• Excellent traveler backpack
  By A3DXJF6N9E3U70 on 2008-09-07
  I travel on business and bought this after I decided to quit hauling my laptop around in a handheld leather satchel. The compartments are well thought out for the business traveler and I liked this so much, I bought the matching Swiss Gear rolling duffel. The combination of the two are perfect for the 1-3 day trips that I take on a routine basis.
  
  The MP3 jack on the shoulder stap is a nice feature, but I really don't use it very much. Highly recommended for business travlers and students alike...
  
  
• Great Backpack for high schoolers and travelers
  By on 2008-05-26
  I got this backpack to use for my freshman year in high school and it is great. It has a lot of space, pockets, etc. It fits everything i need for school and just right at that.The back of the backpack is padded so that makes it more comfortable, and it has other ways to make the load lighter. It is also great for traveling because you can put your laptop in it, put in your mp3 player in the media pocket, and be able to fit all your carry on items in it. I love it so much and i give it an A+. I recommend it for all high schoolers and travelers.
  
  
• Honest Review
  By A3A8PZGYJ6O31D on 2007-11-09
  First of all lets just clear somethings up, one being if you care about your laptop you don't care about the weight of the bag and how hard it can be to carry it a long distance. Don't be a sissy! Second of which nothing is perfect but this bag is barking on perfections door. This laptop bag can fit most 17" laptops. I had a little issue with my hp dv9000, which is one of the widest, if not the widest 17" laptop made. Being an Industrial Designer I used a little ingenuity and brain power and fixed the problem myself, by listening to the intelligent individual who suggested cutting 3 inches of the protect sleeves bottom, to allow the bag to slide further down in the bag. This is a great fix because the entire bag has enough padding and protection to rival that of a trusty condom or Fort Knox itself. Making this incision is simple and quick, and don't worry about having that side of the computer being exposed to possible damage because the bottom has more than enough to compensate for this adjustment. Now onto the bag itself. The material is superb in durability and the zippers are super high quality so don't worry about these things breaking until long after you stop using it. This thing is built like a tank. Sweet headphone hook up on the straps and many other sweet bells and whistles. In fact the only possible downside to this bag is that you may lose possessions due to the quanity of pockets it has. Bottom line if you are looking for a high quality laptop bag look no further!
  
  PS Get it from Sam's 20 dollars or more cheaper!
  
  
• Will not fit HP dv9610us.
  By A22TC6ZQLK4DKP on 2007-12-18
  I purchased this product to get it home and find out that the laptop sticks out of it by about 2.5 inches and will not zip up. So much for finding what I thought would be a wonderful bag.
  
  
• Delivers all it promises! But not for widescreens!
  By A316L42BQ3CKLH on 2008-02-20
  I have a Sony 17" Diagonal VAIO that fits perfectly in this backpack. I can see that it does not fit widescreens. However the backpack is very rugged, well padded and delivers all it promises! Just don't buy it if you have a widescreen!
  
  
• 17" MacBook Pro fits
  By A24RUWDXL78RT6 on 2007-07-02
  I was concerned about buying this b/c of the previous 2 reviews but was pleased when my 17" widescreen MacBook Pro did fit. It is tighter than I would like but it does fit. I can see where the larger 17" widescreen notebooks would not work. Great product but should be advertised as a 15" widescreen backpack.
  
  
• UNHAPPY CUSTOMER - TOO SMALL to fit 17" MACBOOK PRO
  By A2QVWSLF3BQ9JG on 2008-03-14
  I am so upset. I just got home from purchasing this SwissGear backpack for 17" laptops. I was really excited about this purchase. The look/design is great and the compartments are the most well thought out I have seen in a laptop bag. So when I get home, I immediately fill up all the compartments - Everything is well organized and there's a home for all the gadgets and everything else I like to take when I travel. My background is in design and I was marveling at how well thought out the layout of this bag was.
  Then comes my 17" MacBook Pro....Thankfully I attempted to add this before removing the tags...Well as you may have guessed from the other reviews, it didn't fit. Checked the tags again...Sure enough, they clearly state that the bag is for 17" laptops. What gives??? The MacBook Pro is not exactly a chunky over-sized machine. I really am not happy since I now have to drive 40 minutes to return this bag.
  I give this 2 stars for the design. If the bag fit, I would have given it 5 stars. Being that the most critical part of the design is how it houses the laptop, 2 stars seems appropriate.
  
  
• Great computer backpack, 17" does fit with small alteration
  By A3AQRUQO1GTZLH on 2008-08-21
  I bought this at Sam's club for around 40 bucks for commuting on a motorcycle. As a previous reviewer stated, this will not fit 17" widescreen laptops, UNLESS you do what I did and simply rip the seam at the bottom of the laptop sleeve all the way across to the sides (center section first, then two short side sections along bottom of seam). Then the laptop slides right down to the bottom of the back and voila, perfect fit. I have an ECS G900 laptop that is possibly one of the largest available - it measures 15.6" W x 11.6" D x 1.75" thick. This is just slightly larger than other models I have seen listed by reviewers that won't fit without modification. Just get a $0.99 seam ripper and spend a few minutes to open it up and save a lot of $ on the bag itself. I only gave 4 stars because I had to rip the seam myself, otherwise would give this 5.
  
  
• All my 17" Notebooks Fit
  By A19SO8H00NB77E on 2008-09-05
  I've had my 17" Swissgear backpack for over a year now. It fit my widescreen Dell 17" laptop(9400) like a glove. Recently, I bought a Macbook Pro and I was browsing these reviews to see if there were any changes to the cases from a year ago. It fit perfectly into the Swissgear backpack that I have. I'm not sure if it is a quality control issue or a conspiracy, but I know my 2 notebooks fit. I love this backpack. It is sturdy, still looks good, and still functions perfectly.
  
  
• Great backpack for 17" laptop users!
  By A3K26Y9FOD3Q1E on 2008-09-23
  I bought mine at Sam's Club for the same price that they have it at Amazon, and I love it! It is solidly built, has plenty of organizational pockets, and it accommodates my Dell Inspiron 1740 perfectly, and I did not have to take out any seams for it to do so. I have had a hard time finding a good case for my 17" laptop ever since buying it. My initial inclination was towards a "tactical" briefcase or messenger bag, but I could not find one that would both fit and that I liked. I was staying away from backpacks, as they looked too "kiddy" for my taste, but then I tried this one. The wide, sculpted straps distribute the weight very nicely, and I don't get the neck/back aches that I got with the old creepy briefcase that I was using prior. I REALLY dig this pack. The top mounted carry handle is robust, the straps are great. The cell-phone pocket will not accommodate my BlackBerry, but, short of that, this bag is perfect. Especially for $40.
  
  
• Did not fit my 17" widescreen laptop!!!!
  By A2KXRGO8JRB8C7 on 2007-08-02
  I bought this backpack thinking that it would be perfect for my 17" widescreen laptop. I love the look, but it definately does not fit my laptop!! I was so disappointed! Don't be fooled! This was not advertised correctly! It does not fit a 17" widescreen laptop.
  
  ~SG
  
  
• It is not fitted for 17" laptop
  By AK312MQF8OI5H on 2008-10-16
  If your laptop is 15.4" it is a very good for you. The title is written for 17" laptop but it is not true. My laptop is 17" and it could not fit. Even I couldn't close the backpack when I put my laptop in the backpack!!!
  
  
• Great Bag
  By A10XU1ULYAN9V5 on 2007-09-18
  I did find this bag at Sams for $40 and I do have a HP DV9000 series wide 17" screen laptop and the laptop does fit. I tried it. :) I'll let you know how it works through some airports and across country.
  
  
• Great Quality, 17" Notebook Will not fit!
  By A302NJ2GUKR4OO on 2007-12-18
  Nice for something smaller than 17". Buy it for a 15.4 " not a 17"
  
  
• WOULD NOT FIT!!!!!!!
  By A1VYLA68EHF7YS on 2008-07-17
  After reading the other reviews, I thought that I would check it out. It got here in 1 day with standard shipping which was nice!! The backpack it self is GREAT!!! Lots of pockets for everything you would need to carry, not that heavy, and very comfortable!!! However, IT WOULD NOT FIT my 17" HP Pavilion dv9700t series laptop!!!!! The protective sleeve does not run the entire depth of the bag, so the only way to get it to fit is to cut the bottom of the sleeve:( If it wasn't for this flaw The bag would get 5 stars and get highly recommended. Bottom line.....GREAT for a 15" laptop but DO NOT BUY FOR A 17", IT WON'T FIT!!!!
  
  
• Agree with all of the 17" widescreen comments
  By AV2FDYCOEUD8F on 2007-09-16
  Everyone is correct - for the most part. The backpack will not readily fit a 17" widescreen, however, you can get one to fit, by ripping the bottom portion allowing the laptop to sit an additional 0.5" or so down which allows you to zip the top. CLEARLY not recommended, but it does work.
  
  I love the pack. It looks and feels great, but is not suited for 17" widescreen laptops as you might expect. I still use mine with the slight mod but there is no way I will let the bag be handled by anything other than me since it will not protect the laptop adequately with the super-snug fit.
  
  So close to a perfect pack.
  
  
• Excellent backpack (if you buy from the right place!)
  By A1OGM0Q0QYZIAE on 2008-07-18
  I purchased this for $39 + tax ($42 total) from Sam's Club. If you paid $70 or more, you got ripped off. If you pay $50+ for the Maxxum model, I think you're losing out too.
  
  Overall it's an extremely well-made bag w/high-quality zippers & an abundance of pockets & sections, etc. The quality is what caught my attention in the first place. After looking at several other Swissgear & Targus models online & in stores, I'm very happy with this bag.
  
  I was worried that it wouldn't be comparable to the "Maxxum" model, but after finally tracking one down at Staples ($69.99 + tax), I'm confident this bag offers more room and better organization. The Maxxum has no pen/pencil pockets, less space for books/binders/papers, and fewer internal pouches. It may have a slightly deeper laptop section, but my laptop is 12", so I don't care about that.
  
  This bag does not have the middle "open" area like the Maxxum, and the media pocket is in the large back section, separate from the black-lined "quick-access" pocket on top. The Maxxum model puts the media & quick access pockets together in a single red-lined pouch on top.
  
  The Maxxum's laptop pouch also seemed slightly sturdier w/a different clasp & perhaps a bit more padding on the back. The Wired bag has 2 padded dividers in the main section, plus a full-length zippered pouch, unlike the Maxxum's smaller pouches. Finally, the Maxxum has a 2nd handle apparently for looping over a luggage cart. The Wired bag does not have that handle. Both have the sturdy, reinforced plastic handle.
  
  The "wired" aspect of this bag is kind of a neat idea, but seems a bit superfluous. You put your music player in the media pocket & plug in the integrated headphone cord. Your headphones then plug directly into the backpack shoulder strap. You have no access to the music player (you wouldn't w/most similar models either), but if the integrated wires crap out, you're stuck unless you cut your own hole in the bag or leave the player in your pants pocket. On the plus side, you don't have to thread your headphones through each time, and your player is more protected. I noticed a little static when actively turning the integrated headphone cord back & forth, but music came through fine otherwise & didn't sound any different.
  
  The only other complaint I have is that the bag wasn't available in blue - only red & all black @ Sam's. Oh well. I'm quite happy with it.
  
  
• Perfect Bag but misleading price tags
  By A34VQH3WFTSLGP on 2008-10-05
  You can get the same bag in Sam's Club at $39.00 on a regular price. These people are misleading by showing it on a sale and regular price at $150.00.
  
  Dont be misguided and grab you piece from Sam's Club.
  
  
• Great Bag. $140 ? No !! Go to Sams.
  By A38CJJUENDYRZW on 2008-10-18
  Perfect bag !!! Great shoullder straps. Well made. Great padding for Laptop. Carries a lot of stuff. Looks great. Get it at Sams for 39.99. Why mark it at $ 140 ?
  
  
• nicely done
  By A2YO1YJLBE65Q0 on 2008-10-30
  amazingly well made and well engineered backpack. even has a place for my swiss army knife and flashlight!!!
  
  
• Great bag for the price
  By A3MAMKT7X138WO on 2008-10-30
  I really liked this bag. It is spacious and very comfortable to carry around. Its dry weight is a tad heavy though. I have a 15 inch laptop and it fits in perfectly fine. I should point out that people with 17 inch laptops may want to see other reviews because it seems that the space is not enough for a 17 inch laptop.
  
  
• SwissGear Backpack
  By A1WJIWMJBXXC3F on 2008-10-31
  It was such a pleasure receiving this quality item. Man, I love SwissGear. They think of everything. No wonder, this is the Swiss Army Knife of Backpacks.
  Thank you Amazon for having this.
  
  
• overpriced, but decent
  By AJX30GGT76NPT on 2008-11-01
  I bought this backpack in place of a purse and to carry the shenanigans required with 4 small kids, while i'm in a large cast and using crutches.
  
  Pros:
  *There are pockets everywhere, every shape and size pocket you'd want, and pockets in pockets, and pockets in pockets, in pockets.
  *Its made from heavy-duty industrial strength materials, everything is reinforced and i'm confidant that we'll have this backpack for the rest of our lives. Not even my 4 children will be able to kill this thing.
  *Straps, clips, hooks and clasps abound, so i can hook my keys onto the outside in a number of places, or attached on the interior on similar clips.
  *Some mesh pockets allow for visibilty.
  *Most pockets zipper, with dual zippers, but several pockets also are cinched at the top with heavy duty elastic - which allows me to reach around and dig into one of them and fish something out, without having to find the zipper...but the elastic is banded tightly and effectively enough that your items won't fall out unintentionally either
  *The shoulder straps are padded very, very well and its comfortable to wear, even when it choc-full and i'm hobbling on crutches.
  *Interior dividers are thickly padded too, which is overkill for most items (when i try to put loose paper in there) but nice if i slide my kids portable DVD player in, my day-timer someplace else and my laptop in another slot. That's a plus, if you're buying this for your electronics obviously.
  
  Cons:
  *Its really heavy, even before you put anything in it. surprisingly heavy.
  *Because of all the whiz-bang features and a thousand pockets, its bulky.
  *If you pay $140 for this, you're crazy. I bought it on a "Gold Box" special for $40 and everyone else seems to have gotten it other places for that cost.
  *With all those pockets, and deep dividers within pockets, within pockets; you'll inevitably find yourself digging around to find your things.
  
  
  I would buy this again, and recommend it for someone who would benefit from so many organized, divided pockets; is looking for an uber-padded bag; and is okay with hauling around a backpack a little heavier and bulkier than most.
  
  
• Well-built backpack, but doesn't fit all 17" computers
  By A23ZLOZ9G2PC2W on 2008-11-03
  I bought this backpack for the sole purpose of carrying my laptop on business trips that I take often. Initially it struck me as a great backpack for travel with plenty of pockets and an overall durable structure that Swiss Gear is well-known for. The external earphone jack for an MP3 player looked like a cool feature as well. But when I tried to put my 17" Dell Inspiron computer into the computer compartment, I found it was too wide to fit. There was no way it was getting in. So I returned this backpack to Amazon, and instead bought the Pegasus by Swiss Gear. The Pegasus has an elastic band in the notebook compartment that allows it to expand to accomodate the wider 17" computers. Overall, I would recommend the wired backpack if you don't feel your computer is too thick to fit (most Dells are thicker than their counterparts). Otherwise, go with the Pegasus or something similar.
  
  
• Swiss Gear Laptop
  By A20UT9KEIJJUDY on 2008-11-04
  This worked out great for me. I have a 15" laptop but wanted the extra space so got this larger size. Organizer section works well and lots of room for work files, newspapers etc. Very comfortable to wear with nice padding. Nice price too. very pleased with the purchase.
  
  

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