I very much enjoy having anything I may need accessible to me at all times. I carry with me many different items that I may need every day. Therefore, for most of my life, I have worn cargo shorts. Over the years, I have limited what I carry in my cargo shorts, but I never could get it down to a small enough set where I wouldn’t need the cargo pockets. After much prodding from my wife and others, as well as my own realization about the dated and unrefined look of cargo shorts, I decided to go on a mission to see if I could stop wearing cargo shorts and switch to shorts with standard pockets.
I decided that the best way was to have a bag that I brought with me everywhere with all of the things I need. This bag would have to not be too heavy as I would be wearing it all the time.
Alternatives Considered
Messenger Bag
I thought about a messenger bag, but any bag with a single strap is not an option, because if you have weight on one shoulder, you are throwing off your posture, thereby creating health problems. This is an issue for women using purses. The best you can do, if unwilling to go with a backpack, is to switch which shoulder your carry the bag with regularly. I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t have this problem, therefore I limited my search to a standard 2 shoulder strap backpack.
Jacket
I have purchased many items from SCOTTeVEST, because of their multitude of pockets. If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it. They even have clothes for women with many pockets. I wore one of their jackets, the Tropiformer, every day in many different types of weather. I even created a video review of the product that is also comedic. However, it becomes dirty quickly which makes it difficult to remove everything and wash it frequently. Also, I tend to be hot very often, so always wearing a jacket was not a great option.
Backpack Criteria
I decided I would go with a backpack. Here is the criteria I had for the bag:
- Look: Clean, mature, slim
- Padded straps
- Ergonomically designed
- Chest strap (optional)
- Quick access
- Good organization
- Needs to fit 15” MacBook Pro
- Hopefully a pocket or 2 that can be accessed while wearing it
I researched many different brands and started at a very cheap price point, but ended up finding better bags at a higher price point. I extensively searched through all the models in the following brands: Swissgear, Chrome, Thule, Herschel, Incase, and some others. In the end, I found the best combination at Incase. For a cheaper alternative, I was very much considering trying Swissgear.
Winning Brand: Incase
I knew that I liked Incase the best as it had the nicest look (my wife agreed), it met all my criteria, and I knew the quality of the brand well from other products I had bought as protection for my Apple products years ago. Next, I had to pick a model. I narrowed it down to 5. Here is my breakdown of each model:
Icon Backpack
$200
Pros
- Holds a ton of stuff
- Stands up by itself
- Has 2 side, quick-access pockets
- Separate iPad and Laptop compartments
- Chest strap
Cons
- Price
- A little too big?
- The look is good, but not fantastic
- No water bottle pocket
Icon Lite Pack
$100
Pros
- Stands up by itself
- Decent Price
Cons
- No chest strap
- The look is good, but not fantastic
- No separate laptop pocket
- No water bottle pocket
Icon Slim Backpack
$150
Pros
- Good in-between size
- Separate laptop compartment
- Has 2 side, quick-access pockets
- Stands up by itself
Cons
- The look is good, but not fantastic
- No water bottle pocket
City Backpack
$130
Pros
- Nice, clean look (in product photos)
- Good in-between size
- Separate laptop pocket
- Has 2 side, quick-access pockets
Cons
- Can’t stand up by itself
- No chest straps
City Compact Backpack
$100
Same as City Backpack except it doesn’t have a separate laptop pocket and no quick access side pockets.
Winner: Incase Icon Backpack
I ended up purchasing the Icon, the Icon Slim, and the City. I thought I would like the look of the City Backpack best, however in person it actually looked kind of dumpy, because it didn’t have much of a shape. The Icon Slim didn’t have enough organization nor space for everything I would want to carry. Therefore, I went with the Icon Backpack even though it was on the expensive side and was a bit big looking. It had the best storage and organization. I have been very happy with it and highly recommend it. The quick access pockets are the best part of the bag. I’m able to access my keys and headphones while still wearing the bag normally. I also happened to find a nice discount code on RetailMeNot and bought it from Incase directly. I was able to return the other 2 with no problems.
Good luck in your search!
Update After Purchase
I have been using the Incase Icon Backpack for quite a while now. I am still very happy with my purchase. There is one downside I wanted to point out. Even though there is a good amount of space and pockets, it is difficult to fit bulkier items like a jacket or other clothes. However, if you unzip all the way it is able to fit much more easily and is not too much of an issue for me.