“I am currently going to school and also need a laptop bag… This backpack is AMAZING the only thing it does not have is a spot for the kitchen sink and an mp3 player pouch on the strap. It has several pockets and a hidden one inside the lower back cushion. Airflow is GREAT and while it does take some getting used to you only feel a portion of the weight!!! I would buy this thing for much more than i did!!! If you need to carry books and a laptop this is the bag! if you need just the laptop and accessories than look elsewhere. If you need more i would go with the XL. Currently I have 3 textbooks, 3 notebooks, A Wacom tablet (in it’s case), a 15.6” laptop, several accessories, a change of clothes and a hoodie in mine and it’s still comfortable!!! The only time i notice the weight is when getting on/off my bike or when putting on/removing the backpack!!!" - Amazon Customer
@MehnofLaMehncha My Targus backpack is just short of 10 years old and everything on it still in perfect working order. No broken zippers, ripped seams or torn fabric. Just a bit less than spotless from 10 years of pretty much daily use and a bit of world travel here and there.
@radi0j0hn Still in use in 1986. No chlorine gas thankfully, Tear gas (CS) was used, but in basic it was a very thick white fog and you had to remove your mask. (Saying it wasn't pleasant would be an understatement). Once at your permanent station though you'd still have to go through every year or two, but just little wisps emanating from a pot. They'd ask if anyone wanted to take their mask off.. AFAIK no one ever says yes, or is otherwise required to.
My High Sierra backpack from Costco is starting to get torn up something fierce, so this seems like a pretty decent deal... I'll probably wait until next semester, though.
A few months ago I picked up this bag's slightly smaller cousin, the Gravity, when it came up on meh. It's a very high quality bag, but there was one small problem.
The metal zipper pulls and the metal... part that actually slides back and forth on the zipper teeth (what is that part called anyway?) made a terrible clinking racket with every step. I felt like I was wearing sleigh bells when I had that bag on. I finally cut all the zipper pulls off and got some pulls made out of cord to replace them. This upgrade cost almost as much as the bag itself did, but now it's wonderfully silent and I carry it every day.
It's hard to tell from the pictures what the zipper pulls on this one are made of. If they're metal, you may have the same problem. Fortunately it's an easy fix. Just make sure you get (or make) enough replacements (there are a surprising number of zippers), and wear eye protection when you cut those noisy suckers off!
@semolina no, no, the slider is the part that engages the teeth. "zipper pull" is a reasonable term for the bit you pull on. i don't know if there's a specialized name for it.
I had a different Targus bag that fell apart at the seams. I barely used it. It was almost empty and I don't even think it lasted a year. The straps pulled out of the bag at the bottom connection point.
@RedOak No. I got another brand of bag that's been holding up perfectly ever since. I needed a bag quickly and on a budget, at the time, so I went to Target and got a Swiss Army bag. At the price point I didn't expect it to last this long, but I've been using it for about 6 years with almost zero signs of wear.
There are two people that I absolutely hate at my high school currently, the kid who wears it on one shoulder while bending to the side like his back is broken, thinking he's so suave, and the kid who carries his back back by the inner part of the second pocket, not even the handle, because he has to show off his rebellious Mexican heritage, who gets in the way by taking up double the width of a normal person and pushing people aside like he is superior to them
If this perfectly describes you I hope you know that I genuinely wish to rip your throats out
So those last backpacks they were pretty good, well except who at solo thought it was a good idea to put the cord hole facing upright so that water can funnel right into the backpack... but nothing some waterproof tape cant fix.
But... I ran into a problem... I had one piece that wouldn't fit... so I looked at bigger packs at the store and didn't wanna pay what they wanted... and then here you are with a big ol' backpack for me.
About ten years ago I bought a great back pack in Tijuana. It was a Versace. $13 . I still have it. It doesn't have waterproof bottom. But who does. Anyone who pays $80 for school bag with straps is working with significant dietary deficiency. Although Targus is a fantastic name in lunch pails. Not that I don't trust Meh, but it does seem that the laptop and the pizza don't fit. I would have felt better with few well placed baby arms. My deepest concern is the lack of loops, rings, straps, hooks or any type of tiedown, which is the main reason for a backpack to exist. This one is a negatory.
@radi0j0hn i have no reason to doubt the true providence of my Versace backpack. Sometimes my friends give me shit because it's spelled with a che. But be for real, quality control is not what it used to be. Don't let you're mistrust of our current culture cheat you of a real bargain.
1) The elastic on the bottle holder crushes styrofoam cups like they're aluminum cans in the hands of Hulk Hogan. 2) Carrying a pizza in the vertical position will cause the toppings to slip off. 3) My 17" laptop would never fit in the rear pocket.
We used to have wonderful experience with those $29/39 (currently) "Swiss Army" packs from SAMs. That was before they changed licensees. The current packs are not anywhere near the quality of the old ones.
So we're on the fence about shifting to Targus - today's packs. The features seem a bit stripped vs the SAMs packs. But if they are more durable and similar capacity, we'd be in. Does anybody have comparison-with-the-above experience?
@RedOak I previously had a Targus bag that fell apart (final straw being both straps ripping out of the bag at the bottom connection point) and I switched to Swiss Army which has held up MUCH better. But that was about 6 years ago and maybe things are different these days. (I only carried a laptop, power cord and USB mouse in my Targus that failed in less than a year)
@Cat3TRD the challenge when evaluating is to assure similar category bags. Targus appears to make both really inexpensive bags as well as mid-range bags.
Our 5+ year old Swiss Army packs (back when they had 5-year warranties... not that warranties make a solid bag since they can be a hassle to execute) are bullet proof.
Our 1-2 year old Swiss Army packs (when they switched to laptop side-load, TSA-friendly design) are failing in a year or less. Seams pulling apart.
We'd much prefer they'd just plain last rather than have to mess with warranties or the good return policies of SAMs or Costco.
Thankfully, the sellout a few minutes ago made the decision for us. Maybe next time... (And nice not to turn the VMP back on with its resulting temptations!)
@RedOak I didn't even realize you were the same person that replied to my earlier post. Ha! But yeah, the sell-out made the decision. I like other categories of Targus products, but I'm not willing to gamble on their brand anymore for bags. In a person's life, how many bags will we actually use? There's enough (decent) brands out there to not have to keep giving second chances. Although, at $25, this wasn't much of a gamble. I spent $100 more than that on my current duty bag for work. The same North Face base camp duffel that Tina Fey has in orange in the movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Mine's not orange, but so far seems to be living up to the "military grade" review. I'm a truck driver and that bag is filled to capacity and gets thrown around a lot. Still looks new after a year and a half.
@rileyper Yeah, I'm kind of bummed I missed out. Don't think the 10 bucks of difference is enough for me to wait for it to pop back up on meh, though I was looking for an excuse to make use of my VMP.
I think the 16" one would work alright for me, since I have a 12.5" laptop and not too much in the way of books. I'm just sick of the 4 year old hand me down backpack I've got. I suppose I'd at least be getting 2-day shipping at amazon.
Cool backpack! Very comfortable even when running, certainly does not compare with a backpack for running, but it is very roomy that I can even take it to a short trip
Like @MrGlass, I'm very pleased with my new bag. I'd been using a nice Swiss Gear--one of their biggest (I'm not seeing it online and I'm not sure they still make it and I don't have access to the bag at the moment; this one is closeish)--that lasted several years and that I really liked, but was showing its age and was damaged in a few places. I have to say, this Targus bag is clearly better, IMO. Honestly, I'm not convinced that it will last as long, but I might rather a bag I have to replace every few or even couple of years anyway. Here are a few things: - Both the compartment and internal pocket situations are way better than I expected. I carry a lot of shit. This has plenty of space and places to put it all (but still works well with less of it). I'll elaborate. But, for my purposes on every point re pockets, it's better than the Swiss Gear I had. - There are enough major compartments that I can put chunks of stuff I often take out (i.e., to use another bag) in one compartment. Also allows me to make better use of my Built NY cases (which I used to always confuse, because I use a few that are exactly the same). The side pockets fit my huge 24 oz. Bubbas. Couldn't do that on my Swiss Gear. - The overall capacity is probably as much as I should be allowed for my commute. Each of the three biggest compartments is bigger than either of the two big compartments on my Swiss Gear. The smaller front pocket is also bigger and more usable. - The design keeps things accessible too. Among other things, there's a small compartment right in front where I keep a backup battery and cable. Very handy. There's also a softly-lined pocket at the top that's perfect for a big phone (I have the 6s Plus), along with some other stuff. There are a few mesh pockets just inside the major ones as well. - I was also surprised at how comfortable it is to carry. Plenty of padding. Maybe it's because my old bag had aged, but the Targus wins here too. - My biggest concern, taking the thing out of the box, was that it felt and smelled like plastic. After a little bit of use, that's no longer an issue and it does actually seem tough. - The bag holds its shape nicely and stands up reasonably well even in varying degrees of fullness.
I might take some pictures. If they ever run this again (or it's on one of Mediocre's other sites), I highly recommend it. I might have paid $50 or $60 for it and still felt like I got a great deal.
Specs
Condition: New
Warranty: Limited Lifetime Targus
Estimated Delivery: 3/25 - 3/28
Shipping: $5 or free with VMP
What’s in the Box?
1x Backpack
Pictures
Backpack
Side view
Laptop
Back
Front
Pizza
Price Comparison
$79.99 List, $60.35 at Amazon (sold by Amazon, 2,020 reviews)
$57 at Amazon (fulfilled by Amazon)
Review Highlights
Find a relevant price comparison? Please share it in a comment in this thread
Estimated Delivery
Monday, January 28th - Monday, February 4th
How does a lap top go in a back(pack)- very easily I suppose!! This deal is one that should carry through quite well !!
@AttyVette Very Carefully
@AttyVette Fairly easily, actually. You just have to be willing to break the rules. We are. That's how we roll.
Last time you saw a laptop on someone's lap?
Was there ever a lapbottom?
Pack My Backpack With Five Dozen Liquor Jugs...from that first review, it might just be possible.
@AttyVette is it a pack for your back that holds you laptop or a backpack for on top of your lap
I have some from past deals they are nice but this one looks better
Packing my bags I'm out of here.
Meh
Nah
Pass
@mcemanuel +1
Targus is the good shit? My 10 year old chrome begs to differ.
@MehnofLaMehncha My Targus backpack is just short of 10 years old and everything on it still in perfect working order. No broken zippers, ripped seams or torn fabric. Just a bit less than spotless from 10 years of pretty much daily use and a bit of world travel here and there.
I like Targus stuff, but never been a backpack kinda guy, except for training in the Army. M14's anyone?
@radi0j0hn
I'm betting your drill sergeant had a blast when you called your ruck a backpack.
@MehnofLaMehncha Didn't call it a ruck or rucksack either. An ALICE pack was the standard terminology.
@MehnofLaMehncha I recall it being just called a "pack."
@ciabelle 1966 term? The good old days when you went into a chamber full of chlorine gas with no mask on and hoped yours was adjusted right?
@radi0j0hn Still in use in 1986. No chlorine gas thankfully, Tear gas (CS) was used, but in basic it was a very thick white fog and you had to remove your mask. (Saying it wasn't pleasant would be an understatement). Once at your permanent station though you'd still have to go through every year or two, but just little wisps emanating from a pot. They'd ask if anyone wanted to take their mask off.. AFAIK no one ever says yes, or is otherwise required to.
Looks like I'll get it for my ASUS ROG G750JM
Took a while to find but the laptop interior dimensions is 16.5" x 12.6" x 2.17" my ROG is 16.1 x 12.5 x 2 inches
@rileyper i have the G751J glad it'll fit. Just bought one because of your comment.
saints-and-begorrah, another lame holiday that meh missed and did not try to promote or selling anything related to the holiday!!!
Well...at least it's not speakers or headphones.
@everdown meh should have marketed it as a speaker, headphone, water bottle, speaker doc holder
My High Sierra backpack from Costco is starting to get torn up something fierce, so this seems like a pretty decent deal... I'll probably wait until next semester, though.
In October 2015, Meh.com was selling the TARGUS 17" GRAVITY BACKPACK for $15. What make this worth $10 more?
@sschong Do you have a link to the sale?
@cengland0 I do not have a link to the sale. Only a copy of the order.
TARGUS 17" GRAVITY BACKPACK
QUANTITY: 1 @ $15
@cengland0 @sschong in looks alone this one is $20 better than that one.
https://meh.com/deals/10-25-2015
@sschong gravity vs. drifter, need i say more? one is scientific, one you can just 'feel'
Oh I'm so torn. My laptop bag is still ok, but the urge to spend company money on a new one is strong..........
Backpacks? Backpacks? We* don't need no stinking backpacks.
@TRD I! The royal "we", you know, the editorial?
@TenaciousBe Careful, man, there's a beverage here.
Dora approved.
If you take the pizza out of that space-wasting box, you can fit a lot more in there.
A few months ago I picked up this bag's slightly smaller cousin, the Gravity, when it came up on meh. It's a very high quality bag, but there was one small problem.
The metal zipper pulls and the metal... part that actually slides back and forth on the zipper teeth (what is that part called anyway?) made a terrible clinking racket with every step. I felt like I was wearing sleigh bells when I had that bag on. I finally cut all the zipper pulls off and got some pulls made out of cord to replace them. This upgrade cost almost as much as the bag itself did, but now it's wonderfully silent and I carry it every day.
It's hard to tell from the pictures what the zipper pulls on this one are made of. If they're metal, you may have the same problem. Fortunately it's an easy fix. Just make sure you get (or make) enough replacements (there are a surprising number of zippers), and wear eye protection when you cut those noisy suckers off!
Oh, since someone asked for a link to that one: https://meh.com/deals/targus-17--gravity-backpack
@Jesternaut apparently it's called a "slider"
@semolina no, no, the slider is the part that engages the teeth. "zipper pull" is a reasonable term for the bit you pull on. i don't know if there's a specialized name for it.
I had a different Targus bag that fell apart at the seams. I barely used it. It was almost empty and I don't even think it lasted a year. The straps pulled out of the bag at the bottom connection point.
@Cat3TRD did you leverage the lifetime warranty?
@RedOak No. I got another brand of bag that's been holding up perfectly ever since. I needed a bag quickly and on a budget, at the time, so I went to Target and got a Swiss Army bag. At the price point I didn't expect it to last this long, but I've been using it for about 6 years with almost zero signs of wear.
There are two people that I absolutely hate at my high school currently, the kid who wears it on one shoulder while bending to the side like his back is broken, thinking he's so suave, and the kid who carries his back back by the inner part of the second pocket, not even the handle, because he has to show off his rebellious Mexican heritage, who gets in the way by taking up double the width of a normal person and pushing people aside like he is superior to them
If this perfectly describes you I hope you know that I genuinely wish to rip your throats out
opposite-idiotic-hornet (2x)
i think i don't need those 3 cheap ones i bought a whiole back, any takers?
*while back
Once again your have a backpack but don't open the ALL the pockets so we can see inside. Do you buy a car Just because of the paint job?
@dino2269 many women do.
So those last backpacks they were pretty good, well except who at solo thought it was a good idea to put the cord hole facing upright so that water can funnel right into the backpack... but nothing some waterproof tape cant fix.
But... I ran into a problem... I had one piece that wouldn't fit... so I looked at bigger packs at the store and didn't wanna pay what they wanted... and then here you are with a big ol' backpack for me.
Thanks again meh!
Actually if you fold them, you can fit a hell of a lot more than just one single pizza in there.
I have a Briggs & Riley convertible backpack.......no real need for this :)
About ten years ago I bought a great back pack in Tijuana. It was a Versace. $13 . I still have it. It doesn't have waterproof bottom. But who does. Anyone who pays $80 for school bag with straps is working with significant dietary deficiency. Although Targus is a fantastic name in lunch pails. Not that I don't trust Meh, but it does seem that the laptop and the pizza don't fit. I would have felt better with few well placed baby arms. My deepest concern is the lack of loops, rings, straps, hooks or any type of tiedown, which is the main reason for a backpack to exist. This one is a negatory.
@Bkmack I'm sure it was a genuine Versace. Like my Rolex.
@radi0j0hn i have no reason to doubt the true providence of my Versace backpack. Sometimes my friends give me shit because it's spelled with a che. But be for real, quality control is not what it used to be. Don't let you're mistrust of our current culture cheat you of a real bargain.
Does a laptop come with it?
I was expecting something green.
Happy Saint Paddy's Day.
Two critical flaws with this bag:
1) The elastic on the bottle holder crushes styrofoam cups like they're aluminum cans in the hands of Hulk Hogan.
2) Carrying a pizza in the vertical position will cause the toppings to slip off.
3) My 17" laptop would never fit in the rear pocket.
I'm out.
Our dilemma...
Our kids beat the hell out of packs.
We used to have wonderful experience with those $29/39 (currently) "Swiss Army" packs from SAMs. That was before they changed licensees. The current packs are not anywhere near the quality of the old ones.
So we're on the fence about shifting to Targus - today's packs. The features seem a bit stripped vs the SAMs packs. But if they are more durable and similar capacity, we'd be in. Does anybody have comparison-with-the-above experience?
@RedOak I previously had a Targus bag that fell apart (final straw being both straps ripping out of the bag at the bottom connection point) and I switched to Swiss Army which has held up MUCH better. But that was about 6 years ago and maybe things are different these days. (I only carried a laptop, power cord and USB mouse in my Targus that failed in less than a year)
@Cat3TRD the challenge when evaluating is to assure similar category bags. Targus appears to make both really inexpensive bags as well as mid-range bags.
Our 5+ year old Swiss Army packs (back when they had 5-year warranties... not that warranties make a solid bag since they can be a hassle to execute) are bullet proof.
Our 1-2 year old Swiss Army packs (when they switched to laptop side-load, TSA-friendly design) are failing in a year or less. Seams pulling apart.
We'd much prefer they'd just plain last rather than have to mess with warranties or the good return policies of SAMs or Costco.
Thankfully, the sellout a few minutes ago made the decision for us. Maybe next time... (And nice not to turn the VMP back on with its resulting temptations!)
@RedOak I didn't even realize you were the same person that replied to my earlier post. Ha! But yeah, the sell-out made the decision. I like other categories of Targus products, but I'm not willing to gamble on their brand anymore for bags. In a person's life, how many bags will we actually use? There's enough (decent) brands out there to not have to keep giving second chances. Although, at $25, this wasn't much of a gamble. I spent $100 more than that on my current duty bag for work. The same North Face base camp duffel that Tina Fey has in orange in the movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Mine's not orange, but so far seems to be living up to the "military grade" review. I'm a truck driver and that bag is filled to capacity and gets thrown around a lot. Still looks new after a year and a half.
Purchased!
Please bring this back - I'd love to have hit this buy
Sellout.
Was thinking about it already. Couldn't you wait?
Ok just have an attitude then.
Pretty disappointed I slept in and missed out on this deal, wish I would have just checked before bed last night.
This bag's 16" cousin is only $35 on Amazon w/Prime, anyone have any opinions of that? The Amazon reviews of it look good.
@forthe48 I don't see a 16" Targus cousin, have a link?
@rileyper
http://www.amazon.com/Targus-Drifter-Backpack-16-Inch-TSB238US/dp/B004YIFKRM
@forthe48
$25 meh 17' 20.08 inch H x 14.57 inch L x 7.87 inch W
$35 amzn 16' 17.72 inch H x 13.78 inch L x 9.10 inch W
I guess it is true, you do pay more for less... I'm talking to you 7.5 oz coke cans.
Meh could get another supply of bags. If you wait. but no guarantee.
@rileyper Yeah, I'm kind of bummed I missed out. Don't think the 10 bucks of difference is enough for me to wait for it to pop back up on meh, though I was looking for an excuse to make use of my VMP.
I think the 16" one would work alright for me, since I have a 12.5" laptop and not too much in the way of books. I'm just sick of the 4 year old hand me down backpack I've got. I suppose I'd at least be getting 2-day shipping at amazon.
No wheels? No deal. Try again.
@Chakolate http://www.instructables.com/id/Removable-wheels-for-Backpack/
But it's so....ugly
But ... but I wanted something smaller for my 11.6 inch laptop.
Cool backpack! Very comfortable even when running, certainly does not compare with a backpack for running, but it is very roomy that I can even take it to a short trip
I'm liking this bag a lot. Its got a ton of weird pockets & features, is there a guide somewhere as to what all these things are for?
@MrGlass I looked and looked before I bought and a little after. I never found anything. Hell, I didn't even find photos of all of them.
Like @MrGlass, I'm very pleased with my new bag. I'd been using a nice Swiss Gear--one of their biggest (I'm not seeing it online and I'm not sure they still make it and I don't have access to the bag at the moment; this one is closeish)--that lasted several years and that I really liked, but was showing its age and was damaged in a few places. I have to say, this Targus bag is clearly better, IMO. Honestly, I'm not convinced that it will last as long, but I might rather a bag I have to replace every few or even couple of years anyway. Here are a few things:
- Both the compartment and internal pocket situations are way better than I expected. I carry a lot of shit. This has plenty of space and places to put it all (but still works well with less of it). I'll elaborate. But, for my purposes on every point re pockets, it's better than the Swiss Gear I had.
- There are enough major compartments that I can put chunks of stuff I often take out (i.e., to use another bag) in one compartment. Also allows me to make better use of my Built NY cases (which I used to always confuse, because I use a few that are exactly the same). The side pockets fit my huge 24 oz. Bubbas. Couldn't do that on my Swiss Gear.
- The overall capacity is probably as much as I should be allowed for my commute. Each of the three biggest compartments is bigger than either of the two big compartments on my Swiss Gear. The smaller front pocket is also bigger and more usable.
- The design keeps things accessible too. Among other things, there's a small compartment right in front where I keep a backup battery and cable. Very handy. There's also a softly-lined pocket at the top that's perfect for a big phone (I have the 6s Plus), along with some other stuff. There are a few mesh pockets just inside the major ones as well.
- I was also surprised at how comfortable it is to carry. Plenty of padding. Maybe it's because my old bag had aged, but the Targus wins here too.
- My biggest concern, taking the thing out of the box, was that it felt and smelled like plastic. After a little bit of use, that's no longer an issue and it does actually seem tough.
- The bag holds its shape nicely and stands up reasonably well even in varying degrees of fullness.
I might take some pictures. If they ever run this again (or it's on one of Mediocre's other sites), I highly recommend it. I might have paid $50 or $60 for it and still felt like I got a great deal.
Love this pack. I got it because I already had the smaller one and my new notebook barely fit in it.
What I want to know is are those eyelets purely decorative or are they good for something?
They seem to lead to dead space.