Thule Crossover 32L Backpack New

E E KnightUnited States

Perfect fit for my life

I've been using this daily or near-daily for six weeks now so I believe I can give it a fair review. I spent a long time looking for an upgrade on my daily bag (an old work Osprey my wife passed on to me when she got an new one). I was looking at things like Timbuck2, Mancro, and another Osprey when I saw this on a Black Friday deal. I had some Thule accessories for a car that were great -- I had no idea they made backpacks but after looking over the pictures I took a chance on it and I'm glad I did. When I'm out for the day I do two things: work and hit the gym. Half the time I take Chicago's elevated to where I'm going, other times I walk. This bag is the perfect companion for that lifestyle. I can securely carry my 15 inch laptop (it's one of those thick gaming ones), my 12.5" x 9.5" folio, and a lot of times a tablet or a couple books in the padded "business" partition. The larger partition will hold my workout clothes and change of underwear, swimming suit, flip flops for the shower, and athletic shoes. If for some reason I need to tote more stuff I can put my shoes in the external exposed carrier (which seems designed for a bike helmet ). The little outer pocket holds my albuterol rescue inhaler, a few toiletries, hairbrush, pens, flashlight, pocket knife, the usual everyday carry stuff. The side water bottle pockets have well-designed gussets that work equally well with a straight up and down bottle (the widest I've used is a 3" diameter blender bottle) or a tapered coffee travel mug type. The hard external lockable case is big enough both sunglasses and reading glasses plus your phone. There is a divider partition in it. There's a little mini-handle at the back bottom where you could hang/clasp a safety light for nighttime biking or running. I particularly like the little storage pockets in the big partition up at the top. I keep a couple nutrition bars and some sanitizer there usually, but a small first-aid kid or a couple tins of Altoids could go there as well. There are also top pockets in the laptop side. They fit a small notebook or 3x5 index cards easily enough. The only feature that's a bit of a mystery is the zippered external pouch at the bottom. It's not big enough for much more than storing a pair of socks. But again, good place for something you maybe won't need quite so often like a leatherman, small first aid kit, small bike tire puncture repair kit, something like that. Zippers, handles and chest clasp and whatnot are top-notch. I've seen a few complaints about the stiffness of the straps and backplate. I've run with this backpack on and loaded and the stiffness isn't a problem, if anything it helps let the bag take the weight rather than your back and shoulders. My only suggestion for improvement would be a D-ring on the front straps. There are little plastic cross straps that you could use on a safety light clip or something. It's been through rain and snow and crowded rush-hour travel and still looks brand new. The fabric pattern hides a bit of dirt well. Very happy with this.

Kenneth BokorUnited States

Great bag and high-quality from Thule!

Just received this today. Excellent quality that I have grown to know from Thule. I have 2 other pieces of luggage/bags from Thule (Crossover 87L Rolling Duffle and Crossover Rolling Carry-On) and wanted a laptop Backpack to complete my set. I travel several times a year and use this often. The quality is there and none of my other items have shown any significant wear over several months of airports, planes and hotels. This backpack matches my existing set with regards to fabric and colours and I was already used to the many features (crush zone, zipper pulls and zipper quality, etc.). I was using an older backpack that was much bigger (swissgear) and wanted something a bit smaller, yet could expand if/when I needed it too. I looked at this model (217) and the replacement model (417) and searched for the 217 because I wanted the "shove and go" feature. The newer models loose this in place of a larger zippered compartment. I can see myself shoving a newspaper or light jacket, hat, etc. in the model 217 "pouch" that tightens down via cinch straps. I prefer this option. When not in use it makes the backpack slimmer. I put my 15-inch macbook pro, ipad2, few files, power adapter and many related supplies in this backpack with tons of room to spare. The straps are comfortable, however the back of the backpack although padded, is a bit hard when wearing it compared to many others I have seen. However, I don't see myself actually wearing it for very long periods of time, longest being walking thru an airport most likely. My only "pet peeve" is that even with the backpack loaded up, it still flops over as the bottom is not quite flat and slant inwards towards the front of the bag thereby making it fall over. No matter how I stuffed this bag, it still fell over. Not a huge deal but something to note. I originally put my power adapter in the bottom pocket (as shown on the video and some reviews), however I too agree that the material in this pocket is durable yet thin, and the power adapter may not be protected enough from floor bumps when putting the bad down. So instead, I put the power adapter inside the main compartment area and put some cut-out-to-fit cardboard pieces wrapped up in a couple of plastic grocery bags. My idea that I saw from another review is to add some further wet-protection to the bottom of the bag, just in case this Thule water-resistant material is not enough. All in all, a great solid backpack on the expensive side but I have many Thule products and the quality is something you pay for. Hope this review is helpful.

Mario KrollUnited States

Excellent Backpack! Deceptively roomier than it looks!

I admit, I was skeptical that this backpack would meet my needs. I tried three products including a large backpack from Crumpler and the Kitchen Sink model from Oakley. I returned both of these more expensive backpacks (~$200) in favor of this one. I travel frequently for work, usually with a laptop, sometimes with two, an ipad, sometimes my kindle, work files, a book or two, basic toiletries, sometimes a change of clothes in case my luggage gets lost, a gazillion adapters and cables. All of my previous backpacks/laptop backs either are uncomfortable when fully loaded or because of their shape just don't hold that much stuff. Some also are essentially a few big compartments and when you're looking for things you have to sift through everything. What peaked my curiosity was the video from the vendor. Thule has an excellent reputation for vehicle carriers and bike racks, etc., and I found that interesting. The video showed how much stuff this deceptively small looking backpack can hold. I love the separate iPad sleeve that's built into this and I no longer carry a separate iPad or laptop sleeve, as the backpack just nestles them so nicely. The various compartments are very well laid out, I love the little cell phone/wallet/sunglasses hardshell case on the top for flights when I hate having all that stuff in my pockets or my sunglasses getting broken because I forgot to remove them. The "accessible" compartment (not sure how else to explain it) is also great. If going into NYC, as an example, I'll fold up a light rain jacket or windbreaker there and if I need it, I can just pull it out without opening the backpack. All the compartments are roomy and accessible with a ton of compartments, net pockets, zipped pockets, there's room for a camera, headphones in (and out of) cases, etc. It also looks conservative an stylish and I wear it with sport coat many times. The padding on the back is very functional and straps are also fully adjustable, so even fully loaded it is not uncomfortable. Thus far the best bag I have ever purchased and even replaced my previous favorite, the Crumpler backpack (which is amazingly comfortable, but the single pocket design that forces digging to the bottom and the curved "camelback" shape makes it less useful for fitting bulky rectangular items such as laptops, video game consoles, and even books).

JustinUnited States

top-notch quality and design

This back pack far surpasses any pack you'll find in quality of materials, efficiency in design, and attention to seemingly every detail in making a near perfect back pack that will meet nearly, if not all, needs the buyer has. If you commute to work on a bike, the pack will carry everything you need to make it through your day at work: shoes, pants, shirt, lunch, bottled drinks, pens, sunglasses, computer and tablet, etc. There is a place for everything and everything in its place. The pack was thought out thoroughly by the engineers and designers at THULE and covers every detail and more. The weight is perfectly distributed so that it seems you are not carrying nearly as much weight that is really in it. Adjust the length of the shoulder straps slightly from out of the box when you receive the pack when riding your bike, particularly, because the top of the pack will dig into your neck if the straps are too short (dependent on person's size). The pack is very firm on the backing and straps and has solid build construction. Comfort is attained by simply loosening the shoulder straps as they are very stiff and narrow on my body type and by loosening (lengthening) them the straps will widen out, putting less pressure on your body at the edges of the straps, particularly. Besides simply adjusting the shoulder straps for better comfort, especially when cycling, the pack is perfect and has no defects. The quality is far superior to anything I've purchased in the past. I was tired of continually replacing back packs about every 2 years because of poor construction and this one seems built to last nearly a lifetime, I hope, as the 25 year warranty assures. I have previous customer loyalty and high expectations of anything THULE, as their bike racks are precision engineered and indestructible in build quality and materials. I am also a college student and I wasn't looking for a back pack particularly for school supplies alone, but the big picture, even more practical and versatile and cost efficient, for the future, cause I'm only in school for a few more years. I'm going to be working and traveling at times for the rest of my life, and this pack suits my future perfectly, an investment well spent!!!