Briggs & Riley @Work Large Cargo Backpack, Black

I was surprised there were no reviews of this model of bag. I usually don’t buy something like this without any reviews but I took a chance on this one and thought I would post a review so the next guy will know a little more about what they are getting here.First, let me be clear here, I am a certified “bagaholic”. I have had them all. Mostly Tumi but a number of B&R as well. I am a very frequent traveller. EXP and a 2M miler on AA so I know what a travel bag needs to have, and I am hard on them.That said I was not a fan of backpacks. I am just over 50 y/o and always felt they looked a little silly with a suit but times are a changing and I was jealous of the space, so I decided to give one a try. First, I went to TUMI. Of course, way overpriced but they are quality and the snobbery of the brand helped offset some of my concerns about a backpack. I tried them all and hated them all. The baseline Alpha was pretty good, but it looks like something right out of 1998 and the rest have odd accents, weird pockets, none of them grabbed my attention. I then tried Everki and it was pretty good but I bought the new Suite model and the dang thing didn’t have a dedicated pocket for my cell. Really? They have a built-in hard case for sunglasses and no place for your cell? Not to mention when I returned it only 3 days after the purchase with all tags still attached I had to write their customer service desk and open a ticket. Then when they agreed to the return I had to pay the full shipping cost and that cost me $20 bucks. Not the greatest approach in today’s Amazon world. Are you listening Everki?Then I got to B&R, I tried a few that I found in the store like the Verb line but they just looked a little plain and dated. I could not find the new @Work cargo packs in the store so I took a risk and ordered it here and it is a keeper. Is it perfect? No, but it is close.It has a good professional look without being too boring. IIMHO a good step in the right direction for B&R. Good quality zippers, the right size and just generally feels like a quality executive bag but like I said, it's not perfect.For one thing, no key keeper? I can buy a $20 bag at Target that has a key keeper. All of their other bags have one and they removed it from this model. I know, who carries keys anymore right? But I want a solid safe place to hook my car key fob when I traveling and this doesn’t have one.There is no quick access pocket to slide a boarding pass or whatever as you approach TSA. This is a great feature in most all TUMI and the Everki bags but they left it off here.I love the side pockets for a bottle of water, too bad a normal bottle barely fits in there. I found a skinny re-usable one that does though.It has great overall space and splits it into the notebook area and the cargo area but there are very limited separate compartments in either space. Today’s traveler has more tiny dongles than ever. I broke down and bought a separate organizer bag for them but just seems like a few pockets inside would have been a nice touch.I keep my Dell XPS13 in a separate sleeve and it slides in perfectly. I am sure a 14” notebook would as well but a 15” in going to be tight.I was happy to see they got rid of the annoying orange interior. I got the concept of it but I always thought it cheapened their look.Finally, it comes with a nice badge for your embossed initials. Problem is they give you no information as to how to get them embossed. You can bring a 20y/o TUMI bag into any TUMI store and they will slap your initials on there for free but since B&R doesn’t have dedicated stores I have no idea how to get this done. I did send a note to B&R asking how I can get this done. I will update with their reply.So, all in all it’s a dang nice bag. Just the right amount of grown-up manliness with the right touch of executive presence. It looks like you are on the way to the boardroom as opposed to the mailroom. It has well thought out organization and seems very well made.It is generally a great bag I will use diligently until the next best thing catches my eye. I am giving it 4 stars (4.5 is more accurate) but I would have gone a full 5 if it had the key keeper and quick access pocket. In the meantime, B&R, bring back the dang keykeeper!UPDATE: As I mentioned, I contacted B&R customer service about the badge and received the following response in less than 24 hours:"The promotion is for bags that are purchased on our website. As a courtesy, I will have a patch embossed for you. Please provide the initials that you would like and the color of the bag." Just the kind of reply I was hoping for!I replied with a thank you and my initial request. I also told them that speaking as a frequent traveler who has used their bags for years, the embossed badges are a great idea. It was one of the little things that TUMI always had on them. However, they might want to work on a way to let people order the badges from the website. TUMI will let you stop into any TUMI store and get the initials installed or changed for free on their bags regardless of where you purchased it for the life of the bag. A lot of people are going to buy this bag from places like Amazon and most people don't want to carry around a $300 bag with an empty initials badge on it. Most would prefer to log onto the website, register their new bag and order their badge that way.Regardless, great customer service B&R. If the badge actually shows up, and if the bag performs well during my travels the next couple of weeks I might just change it to 5 stars.UPDATE 2: Not only did the badge show up, it showed up via FedEx next day delivery! Only one problem though, the initials were wrong. I replied back to B&R customer service and not only did they FedEx out another badge, they actually sent me 2 just in case. I am impressed!I also had the chance to take the bag out on it's first cross-country trip and it performed perfectly. Again, are there a couple of things I would change, sure. However based on not only the quality of the bag but the outstanding B&R customer service, I am changing my rating to a full 5 stars.

This Briggs & Riley Large Cargo Backpack is excellent for people carrying large laptops through airports. I travel for work with one or two laptops, cords, mouse, notebook, etc. I use it for my office work at the work location. This backpack makes it possible to get through airports as painlessly as possible. I always put it under the airplane seat in front of me.I bought this one to replace the same Briggs model I bought six years ago. The old one was still good with no damage, but it was getting ragged and tired looking. The new one is better quality, unbelievably. Better materials, stitching, design. It is more than worth the price.

I feel like someone followed me around and designed this around me. I needed a carryon personal item sized piece to carry all of my necessities. I had used a briefcase up until now which was fine but not terribly comfortable to carry on my shoulder so I wanted to try a back pack. This perfectly fits 2 laptops, a iPad, a Kindle and a Remarkable. It fits my travel umbrella various cords and chargers, a couple of pairs of headphones, papers, wallet and more. It stands up so it is easy to access everything and the sections are nicely divided.

Excellent quality and good-looking. This backpack is the perfect size for work. Plenty of storage for a computer and even clothes, this backpack is lightweight, sturdy, and comes with a lifetime warranty. Definitely would recommend this backpack

I have had this pack for six years, and it has been an excellent investment (and I do mean investment...I bought and paid for it, it's not a "review" free bag). I don't actually recall if I reviewed the backpack earlier.I'm mainly writing this review to suggest and address some things I've read in other review comments.In no particular order:1. There ARE pen loops in the top front compartment. The smaller (shorter?) sleeves in the lower compartment are for flash drives, not pens.2. There IS a business card pocket (actually a double one) in the front inside edge of the RFID pocket, next to the flash drive sleeves.3. The bag is, indeed, not waterproof. However, for less than $10, there are many different rain covers available here on Amazon (I keep mine folded up in one of the water bottle pockets).For the price, I do think it would be nice if B & R included one...in fact, in a future version, they should consider adding an attached rain cover in a bottom compartment, similar to those provided on lesser bags.4. MOST IMPORTANTLY this bag (and all Briggs & Riley bags and suitcases, etc.) have a "no questions asked, no receipt necessary, LIFETIME warranty". From the B & R website:"Our exclusive lifetime guarantee covers all repairs, free of charge, on all functional damage to your Briggs & Riley luggage. Your bag is covered forever, no receipt necessary."I have several B & R bags, briefcases, suit cases, and this backpack, and have used them all hard, for years, and have never had one fail.I have also used the warranty several times when airport/taxi/random handlers have caused damage...never had the slightest difficulty with B & R service.Much like finally pitching office-supply store desk chairs, and biting the bullet to purchase an AERON (with its super warranty, as well), I stopped fiddling with lesser travel bags and packs years ago.I agree that the cost of B & R luggage is kinda high, but in the long run, it's been worth it for me.