Targus Backpack, 16" Laptop Compartment, Black

very comfortable, light and easy to carry. breathable back and straps. lots of pockets inside for organisation only issue is that there is not enough padding around the laptop pocket

I would like to preface this to confirm that I am not a bot, nor paid orlinked to Targus in anyway to be impartial. With that out of the way,here are my thoughts:Price: As of 2023, and with the cost of living crisis, getting a decentdeal is on everyone's mind. I was lucky enough to not only get thisbackpack for around £26-27 pounds. Considering its normal price of £35(based off of the page), I would say that this is a decent pricefor what seems to be (at first glance) a minimal, generalist backpack.Delivery + Condition: No problems there, fulfilled by Amazon. I wouldsay the box was a little spacious and big in comparison to the bag.Nothing but air and paper. With a gentle shake (to sort of copy whatit may face in a truck or a gentle fall etc.), the bag were rattlingaround with little to no bump protection. However, since it is soft(and with no other items) it was not much of an issue.Small note: It did lack an invoice within about the purchase, whichfrom experience may or may not come with all purchases.All around, no real complaints with delivery.And now for the main event (time to rub the hands)The Bag itself:The Bag's packaging:Right out of the gate, the Targus bag featured a filmpackaging secured by two cello tape at the top, There were tags atthe top and that's it. If unboxing was a category, it would get 5 starsfrom me. Easily.Finish/ Material:The finish of the bag is a mixture of leather around the Targus sign,and a sort of fabric for the rest of the back. The inside of the partof the bag that touches your back seems decently padded with a softmesh to it. You can feel and test with a gentle pinch with your fingers.Decent so far.Compartments:The Targus Bag has two major compartments to use, alongside the meshbottle holders on the outside edges.The mesh drinking bottle holders worked surprisingly well witha robust metal drinking flask a lot larger than a typical plastic one.I think it may be elasticated to allow a little more grip, and with alittle rib in the bottle to help it out, I can see these working like acharm.The front compartment and the rear compartments seem to have a decentbit of space, with a grey sheer finish within. With a pinch test, itseems the front compartment does not have a lot of padding so be careful.They both have small pockets for keys, business cards, pencils etc. butsince they do not have elastic or a button, if moved awkwardly, theycould rattle around (but that's just me, your mileage may vary on this)However, this leads to sadly my biggest concern for such a bag and thereason I will probably be returning it. The rear compartment for theLaptop itself.While on first inspection, the Targus backpack has a pinchable, paddedouter edge to prevent the edges of a particularly large laptop fromcausing problems down the line (holes in material, poking through etc.),The padding within the inside that the Laptop itself sits in within thecompartment leaves much to be desired.It seems to be built for a slimmer, low profile laptop (e.g AppleMacbooks, Tablets etc.) and not for thicker robust Laptops (eg.Lenovo Legion, ThinkPad etc. come to mind). The KILLER is that it lacksNO ELASTIC or VELCRO STRAP at the top edge. This is vital to securethe Laptop to the Back while wearing it and and to ensure it does notrattle or move when using it. The bottom edge of the bag has minimalpadding (if any at all) too so beware of putting on the floor or dropping.Without these features, I am unsure if my laptop will be securedsafely during use. A major red flag there.The sad thing is that with a few adjustments here or there, I wouldrecommend this bag 100 percent. Some include:A little more padding is a must, with the top edge of the backpack,the bottom, and the slot within the rear compartment (separates thedevice) being key areas that need it.Some form of Elastic / Velcro strap or something to lock the devicein place. That would really help prevent it rattling around withinthe backpack during handling and usage.TL:DR. A decent minimalist bag that will not break your bank, butif you are looking for backpack with a little more protection fora device, there are questions to be asked about its safety. If its forthings like documents or non-valuables, no complaints.(Check out some of the pics I took to give an idea on what I amtalking about, they feature the overall look of the bag and thecompartments. There is also a pic of a comparison with this bagand and older one when it comes to the point of padding andstraps. The older one is propped up to get a better look atwhat I'm talking about)If you made it this far, I thank you for reading and hopefullyI gave some heads up and thoughts on this product.