Finding a laptop backpack is easy. Finding one that can also comfortably house a tablet, handheld camera, textbooks, two water bottles, phablets, smartphones, utensils, and your sunglasses is a little more difficult. But look no farther than the Ogio Gambit 17 ($100, available only in black), an enormous backpack perfect for longer trips and hauling heavy loads. It’s a solid choice for a large backpack, and one you can rely on to safely carry all of your portable tech gear.

Design
The Gambit 17 has pockets for every gadget, accessory, and essential you could conceivably carry around. Measuring 19.5 by 15 by 10.5 inches (HWD), the Gambit 17 can carry up to a 17-inch laptop with room left over to hold smaller laptops and tablets. The adequately padded back panels and shoulder straps provide great back comfort if you’re carrying a serious load, which is probably most of the time if you’re carrying around the Gambit 17.

In fact, the fleeced large back pocket easily holds both a 17-inch laptop and a smaller laptop, while providing extra protection between compartments with red foam panels. The second main compartment is the widest, making it perfect for textbooks, notebooks, and small laptops. The tablet compartment has soft padding for protection and a zippered pocket space for additional accessories. The last compartment has specialized miniature pockets to hold pens, accessories, and passports.

Where the Gambit 17 really stands out is in how many side pockets this thing has for keeping your items safe and clean. The crush-proof tech vault pocket for shades contains a soft tricot liner to protect the lenses, and Velcro to hold the glasses in place. The two mesh side pockets have elastic corners to secure water bottles, which is important since they’re too large to completely fit inside the pockets. Finally, there are two additional padded side pockets for a mouse or camera, and a top compartment for holding other small accessories like smartphones or wallets.

Similar Products

4.0

Excellent

Think Tank Photo Retrospective Laptop Case 15L

$159.75

See It

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

Read Our Think Tank Photo Retrospective Laptop Case 15L Review

4.0

Excellent

ECBC Zeus Messenger Bag

$29.99

Check Stock

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

Read Our ECBC Zeus Messenger Bag Review

Comfort
Compared with the Chrome Citadel, the Gambit 17 is shorter by 1.5 inches and the arm straps are more easily adjustable, making it more suitable for smaller individuals. Also, the backpack has so many compartments and pockets that I found it easy to distribute the weight of my textbooks and devices so that it wouldn’t feel so heavy. However, when the Gambit 17 is fully loaded, it can feel very heavy, especially by the end of a long commute.

The Gambit 17’s miniature straps and pockets within pockets ensured that my items were always secure and safe, despite the craziness that I endure for daily commutes in New York. For a bag so big and efficient, $100 is a reasonable price, especially compared with the $220 Chrome Berlin that pretty much does the same thing. For a more stylish and smaller bag that can still hold 15-inch laptops, check out the Editors’ Choice Booq Mamba Daypack.