Arc'teryx Blade 24 Backpack

I’ve been using this bag for a few weeks now and I am having a love-hate relationship with it. I REALLY want to like it but…The Pros:- It is an incredibly well made bag.- The size is large enough to allow me to carry the essential items I need for work, yet not so large as to tempt me to overfill it and create a heavy bag that I will resent lugging around all day.- Love the external top and side handles.- Love the security pocket on the back of the bag.The Cons:- As another reviewer pointed out, the bag seems to have been designed for a person with a smaller frame than I have. I am 6.3 in. 180 lb. and find the straps to be too close together at the top of the bag (they kind of pinch) and find that I have to let them out fairly far before I can wear the bag comfortably.- The openings could be a bit larger.- The bag is rather stiff in its construction (perhaps this is a good thing) and so I find that I have to wrestle with it more that I would like to get things in and out of it.- For a laptop/commuter oriented bag, I wish that it had some internal mesh zippered pockets that would allow me to organize small items like USB thumb drives, loose change, etc.- The fleece-lined pocket (for storing a cell phone) is almost too small for my phone.- My 15.6 in. 2013 MacBook Pro barely fits into the laptop compartment—again, more bag wrestling required.- I wish it had a dedicated tablet pocket like many bags have AND one external pocket where I could stow a water bottle—or more importantly for me, a wet umbrella.In the end, I am probably going to give the bag to my (much smaller) girlfriend who carries a 13 in. laptop because it appears to meet her physical size and storage needs better than it does mine. The alternative bags I am considering are the eBags TLS Professional Slim Laptop Backpack, or the Booq Boa shift backpack.

I'll make this short. This is absolutely the best computer backpack I've ever owned. I am an IT consultant, and I travel to customer sites where I make my living, so my bag is literally my office.My previous experiences have been with Victorinox, Targa, Tumi, and Timbuktu over a 15-year period. Without exception, all of these other bags were either unnecessarily large, heavy, or jammed full of unnecessary pockets, gadgets, and stuff. Additionally, some of the bags, such as the Timbuktu Messenger Bag had a really poorly designed shoulder strap -- large and wide, yes, but without any material to keep the bag situated on my shoulder. The Victorinox weighs in excess of three pounds by itself, not to mention the cargo, and the Tumi was built like a brick outhouse, which added too much weight. Finally, the Targa -- way over-the-top complicated products with far too many small pockets, and not enough general space to carry something like a wireless mouse.The Blade 24 is PERFECTLY sized for a 15" laptop (I used a Lenovo ThinkPad T500), with just enough room to snugly fit the laptop in the compartment. There is a separate file compartment, which is used for files and paperwork -- again, a snug fit for perhaps 75 pages of material and a small tote bag with the T500 power brick. There's a modest pocket for pens and cards, and there is a generous general-purpose pocket on top for wireless mouse, laser pointer, granola bars, etc. Also, there's a small cell phone pocket on top and a hidden external pocket under the back shell where I keep important papers, such as my passport and credit cards. All of this in an well-constructed and durable shell which is easy to look at. Finally, the pack itself is very comfortable when worn and is nicely balanced, with ample straps which stay on your shoulders.If I had the ability to design a pack -- which I don't -- I would have designed the pack exactly like the Blade 24. Small, lightweight, efficient, lean and simple, durable, comfortable, and able to carry just what I want when I'm on the road -- but not so large that I'm tempted to carry everything in my physical office.Three thumbs up!*** November, 2014 Update ***Well, after nearly four years, I am happy to report that I am still using this bag regularly. I now carry my trusty MacBook Pro 15 and accessories in the Blade 24 (in a Waterfield MBP cover) as well as a smaller Waterfield Gear Bag for the power brick, mouse, and miscellaneous cables (carried inside the Blade 24). The beige color on the bag is looking a little dirtier than it was when new (likely due to the estimated 300,000 miles its seen in its lifetime, but the construction of the bag itself remains as flawless as the day I purchased it -- not even a single unraveled thread to report. My initial impression of the Blade 24 was that it was built to last, and it has absolutely lived up to that expectation. And, the small size of the pack continues to impress with its ability to fit just about anywhere with ease -- yes, including the insanely small area under seat 22B when flying.With so much time and travel on this bag, there are a couple of changes I'd like to see:1. The shoulder straps are slightly smaller than I would like (I'm 6'4" 240#) -- increasing their length by 50mm and width by perhaps 25mm would be welcome.2. The laptop sheath in the back pocket should be removable as I don't use it (deferring to the Waterfield case instead); it is sewed into the back.3. While the fabric is in near perfect condition, I have learned that a lighter colored fabric (such as what I have) will definitely start showing smudges and dirt more quickly than a darker colored fabric. This may seem obvious, but I now better appreciate what this means and how long it takes for the smudges to show up. If I had to do it all over again, I'd opt for a dark blue or black pack instead.4. The addition of some small, unobtrusive carabiner loops to the exterior would be welcome so that I could externally strap things, such as my coat, to the pack. These aren't the huge loopy mounts you'll find on other packs; I'm talking maybe four small, silicone-covered (armored) loops of 40mm diameter near the corners of the bag.So, after four years, I still stand by my initial review. This is a near-perfect computer bag for the traveling professional, and continues to deliver rock-solid and reliable performance, even though it doesn't look as fresh as it once was. I would purchase the Blade 24 again without hesitation.

I was skeptical, but it really is great; professional looking, side-opening pockets are very convenient, the laptop section is well made, there's plenty of organizational pockets, and it holds a lot more than you would expect; most importantly, it distributes weight *very* well, at least for me (6', 160 lbs, moderately broad shoulders)I do a lot of backpacking and was using a 38L Gregory pack for everyday life and work/university around Cambridge MA since I already had it for 2-4 days backpacking trips. It had more room than I needed (which encouraged keeping extra junk in it), and less organization than was ideal for my typical day, but after using good backpacking gear I wasn't happy with the build quality and weight distribution of most inexpensive "urban" bags, and didn't want to spend as much as I had on my outdoor gear or some small backpack with a laptop pocket.Well, after more than one comment around the office about looking I was going to go climb the rockies, I decided to find a more professional looking and well made urban bag, and though I blanched at the price of this one I decided to give it a try and it's one of the best purchases I've made. Functions perfectly, holds my laptop, notebooks, lunch, and gym clothes without problem, and has great organizational pockets for misc phone chargers, pencils, bike and computer repair gear, etc. And even when full it feels weightless on my back, despite no chest strap of waist belt. Looks really nice too. Only thing it's missing is a pack cover, but you can get small covers for pretty cheap