Briggs & Riley ZDX Cargo Backpack

Great bag, perfect for up to 3 day business trip

Amazing bag. Read some reviews on this bag being “stiff”. Well it helps the bag and my >$3000 laptop not fall over! If you need a UL backpack made from ripstop, go buy one! I assure you those are not “stiff” and are akin to a sack. To each their own but know what you need people!

I was drawn to this backpack because I own Briggs & Riley carry on rollers that I use for work. It's unique because this ZDX collection backpack doesn't appear anywhere on their site. I like how sleek and clean looking it is while being able to use it for a professional look. The only drawback is that the band that allows it to slip over your luggage handles is thin. I wish they made it wider. Only time will tell if the thin strap will last but at least you get the lifetime warranty with the Briggs & Riley name. The main pocket is big enough to fit a weekends worth of clothes. I'm able to easily fit my 14 inch gaming laptop and two ipads in the back pocket. It is my everyday work backpack.

I really like this bag in terms of design, fit, and style. However, there are two fairly big shortcomings that aren't apparent when viewing it online. At this price point the shortcomings are unacceptable. Top Is Too Narrow I put my MB pro in and it fits. However, the top edge of the bag BARELY encloses the laptop. This means that the corners are really close to the edge of the bag, and there's no padding around those spots. Are you going to drop the bag on its top? Probably not. But you might drop it sideways, or something might get dropped on top of it, and it could damage a laptop. Not worth it at $269. Clothes/Large Section Is Top Load Only This isn't apparent when you look at it, but the only way into the larger section of the bag is from above. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, and for books it probably isn't. However, this bags core focus is "one bag" and clothes+electronics+work, and having to put all your clothes through a small top hole just doesn't work really well.

Went on a two week trip in Europe, and after much searching picked this backpack to fit under the airplane seat and accompany a carry on suitcase. It worked pretty well -- here are some of the positive and negative details. On the plus side, it has a number of internal dividers/zippered compartments, so that things like chargers, pens/small notebooks, medications, glasses, etc. are not just swimming around in a big bag. (The trick is to remember which pockets you put things in.) The zippered compartment on the very top of the bag is handy to keep things you will want in flight, like earbuds, so you don't have to pull the whole bag out from under the seat. The straps are nicely padded and the pack fit well even on my short frame, so comfort was never a problem. The compartment closest to my back is padded and can hold a laptop or iPad. It is well-cushioned, and kept my electronics safe, even after lots of loading/unloading from vehicles, and in and out of hotel rooms. I have three nits to pick, though. The "trolley strap" (the strap that allows you to slip it onto the handle of a four-wheeled suitcase) is too narrow and low down on the back. While it never tipped over, it felt precarious. A much wider strap higher up the back, or a sleeve, would be better. The bag holds its shape a bit too well. It falls a lot closer to the "stiff" rather than the "saggy" end of the scale, such that even when empty it looks like it is completely full - it doesn't shrink/collapse like other backpacks. Not a major deal, but meant that you would not want to be wearing it in a tourist knick-knack store -- you may knock things over. There is a pocket on each side that can be used to hold even a large (32 oz) water bottle; one of them also has a zipper if you want to use it for something else that is smaller. Neither pocket securely holds the bottle in, so when loading the backpack into a bus or car, the water bottle fell out -- rolling under the vehicle. Not a deal breaker, and when the water bottle was full, it stayed in the pocket when I had the pack on my back or it was standing upright. Overall, a quality product that served its purpose well. A few issues that I would want fixed in the next model, but I will be using it again.