The sheer amount of choice when buying a laptop bag is bewildering, but the BacPac Challenge stands out from the crowd. Not for looks, mind, but for the fact that it lets you carry all your stuff safely while remaining accessible. See all laptop bag reviews.
The main bag is divided into two zipped compartments, the rear one big enough to hold laptops with screens up to around 16in. A Velcro strap holds the PC in place and there’s room in front for a tablet. Two meshed pockets are ideal for power supplies and chargers. See also: Be.ez LE bag Pro review.
The other main compartment is for your other stuff – a gym kit, lunch box, bike lock or whatever else you want to carry. The compartment isn’t huge, but you’ll usually find it big enough.
There are two small zipped pockets, one on each side, which are great for keys, cables and other small items. A dedicated pouch towards the top is for your smartphone or music player as there’s a headphone outlet.
Yet another zipped compartment on the front can be used for pens and other small accessories thanks to a variety of mesh and nylon pockets – there’s even a clip-on key ring. A final zip on the front flap provides a thin pocket for small documents such as maps.
Carrying the Challenge, even when it’s full, is surprisingly comfortable thanks to both shoulder and waist straps, plus lots of thick, meshed padding. There’s also a useful handle on top of the rucksack.
There’s a decent amount of padding around the laptop sleeve and the bag looks and feels well made. Using the BacPac Challenge for commuting, we found the waist strap a bit redundant and meant there were too many hanging straps to get trodden on and caught on things.
However, the fact it’s so comfortable to carry and it’s easy to get to everything without unpacking the bag meant that convenience outweighed the downsides. Plus, at this price, it’s affordable, too.
