Mountain Hardwear Guardian: Update
I received the backpack from Backcountry in two days (with free shipping!) and eagerly unpacked the bag. It is built like a bunker—the material is waterproof, zippers are taped, straps are double-stitched, and the padding is ample. However, I was getting the bag to replace a backpack that’s basically a bucket (a previous version of the Timbuk2 Underground Day Pack). My main complaint with that bag is that the laptop sleeve is inside the main compartment, and that can make getting the laptop out for airport security, or class, I guess, a hassle. For some reason, I thought the Guardian had an externally accessible laptop pocket (perhaps because several sites described the bag as having “an externally accessible laptop sleeve”). It does not. Great bag, not what I needed. So the bag goes back (again, Backcountry is awesome—they accept returns at any time and provide a UPS label for return shipping. Cost to me, $7.)
Now I’m looking at the Booq Python XM (I have another bag by them. High quality, but deceptive carrying capacity. They use a hinged design so that there appears to be a lot more space than there is. But really nice bags, nonetheless.)
The question remains: are there any high quality, attractive, durable backpacks with separate laptop pockets?
