A nice bag for travel, but not for lots of items.
I sometimes consider myself a ‘bag lady’. I love collecting bags and find myself with WAY more than any one person actually needs. That said, I do have my ‘favorites’ that I cycle in and out frequently. One of those favorites is a simple, faux-leather carry-all backpack that I used when I traveled. I doubt I’ll ever get rid of it for that reason. Unfortunately, it was designed in a time before tablets and so it’s not really made for carrying tech around — which is a part of my daily life now. So, I turned to SOLO, one of my favorite bag designers for technology. I found the Bridgehampton Ladies Backpack, which checks off most of my needs.
DETAILS
The backpack’s design was inspired by New York’s seaside retreat, the Hamptons. It has a preppy, but polished feel to it. The bag has rich textures and thoughtful details woven into its package of effortless style. The backpack can hold a 13-inch laptop inside its fully padded laptop compartment. There is also an internal tablet pocket along with two front pockets for accessories and personal items. The exterior is black with a tartan blue and tan cloth interior and gunmetal hardware. The backpack has a nontraditional drawstring closure instead of a zippered one. The bag measures 16 x 16.25 x 5.5 inches and weighs 1.85 pounds (empty).
USER EXPERIENCE
My first impressions of the bag were positive. It looks classy and has premium materials. When you hold the bag, it feels substantial. It’s got a little weight to it, but to me, that just maintains its quality build. I really like the style in which this backpack was designed. It has that East coast feel to it and really seems to be an exclusive option for those who want something a little dressier.
In my opinion, this bag isn’t really meant for heavy lifting. It has one main compartment that has space for a laptop, tablet, and not much else. I tried to fit my normal amount of items into it and the bag just felt too full and too heavy. It doesn’t carry a lot of stuff and I need to be able to carry a lot of stuff with me. I like to be prepared and that means keeping a lot of cables with me for any type of occasion. I found that with what I normally carry around, I filled up the Bridgehampton backpack rather quickly and still needed more space and pockets.
What this bag does nicely is to keep what you are able to carry organized. The two pockets on the front close with a magnetic button and it’s a solid connection. I didn’t have any issues with the flap opening up unexpectedly. Some small items did fall out here an there, but they really shouldn’t have been loose in those pockets. The flap that covers the main compartment does have a zippered closure as it is a storage pocket itself. This zipper was tough to open and close. It kept getting caught on itself.
CONCLUSION
For me, this wasn’t a good ‘daily driver’ backpack. I couldn’t fit everything into it like I wanted to and it just didn’t seem to be functional as a commuter bag for tech users. I couldn’t get my laptop and tablet in and out of the bag easily and there just wasn’t enough storage for my accessories. I would use this if I didn’t have to take my stuff out frequently. It would be nice for travel.
For more information, visit solo-ny.com
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