TUMI - Alpha Bravo Search Backpack - Laptop Backpack for Men & Women - Backpack for Work & Travel - 17.0" X 14.0" X 8.3" - Black Leather

Isy HaiatUnited States

Perfect business EDC/Travel bag? 1 month review

Ok... so, I got this bag to replace my 6 years old Victorinox Lexicon Professional Bellevue 15, which is also a top-tear premium bag. In my review I'll mainly compare it to the Victorinox, and share my experience with the TUMI search so far (only EDC for a month+). General: SIZE - Similar size, but slightly bigger than the Victorinox - As I never tried the TUMI Search before buying, I had only pictures as a reference... The Search looks bigger in pics than in real life which was my main concern. But it truly isn't that big, and not much bigger than the Victorinox. Materials: Fabric - although the Search has TUMI's ballistic nylon, also the Victorinox has a very durable ballistic nylon which seems a little thicker. Only time will tell if the Search will hold on "as new" like the Victorinox (hopefully). Zippers - Search has "lighter" and much more easy to open (easily one handed) than the Victorinox which has more "heavy duty" zippers, but harder to manipulate. I hope that the Search zippers will hold on years ahead like the Victorinox. Organization - TUMI's Search is much much better in the pocket layout than the Victorinox, more traditional but much more practical and spacious (at least 5 liters more than the Victorinox) - it has more inside pockets for organization, significantly bigger side pockets and overall larger space for storage. For my needs the Search is just perfect in this term. Also the inside fabric material in the Tumi is nicer. Weight distribution - I had both bags with the same equipment (Dell XPS 13 laptop, iPad mini, mouse, USB hub, cables pouch, wallet, business cards, several key chains, sunglasses in a case) and the Search weight distribution is better, and more convenient to carry. Looks & Design - its a very subjective matter, and I like both. But the Search is more conservative and clean looking, while the Victorinox is more "innovative" / different. The Victorinox has leather handles and accents which I like and whish the Search also had. The Search external top pocket has no structure support which is a con, so I kept the original TUMI packing material and still had spare space to store items internally, but this should be changed in the future model design. Delivery & Packing - One of the quickest deliveries overseas I had from Amazon (Zappos), and the packing was top level. The bag arrived in 100% condition in a large box (no gift box, just a regular box). Unfortunately I didn't have the option to personalize it on purchase process via Amazon which could be great. To summarize my review - Pros: - Beautiful clean design - Excellent organization layout - Spacious - Great weight distribution and carrying convenience - Perfect size for EDC ( much to spare) and probably for travel (haven't tested it yet) - Smooth and easy to use zippers (durability yet to be proven years ahead) - Excellent packing and extremely quick delivery overseas (Amazon via Zappos) Cons: - Ballistic nylon - thinner than expected and compared to my Victorinox bag - but durability yet to be proven years to come (and may prove not to be a con) - No option for personalization at purchase process on Amazon Bottom line: Highly recommended !

W. CruzUnited States

Expe

I have a lot of backpacks as I use them quite a bit. My recent go to for work was my Oakley Mechanism bag that was already 10-12 years old but it eventually developed a whole. I was going to patch it but I really needed something a little nicer as the mechanism had seen better days. I already had 2 Yeti backpacks, a number of 5.11, 2 eberlestock and a goruck gr1. I went with the GR1 but for work it was a little inconvenient as it doesn’t have that much interior storage and the zippers were designed to hold Godzilla out. While I was searching my wife suggested the Tumi Alpha Bravo Search as it’s her go to for work travel. My first impression was that it was too small and expensive for what it is so I kept searching. Not long after she purchased me on here as a graduation gift. I reluctantly started using it but after just a few days I realized it was literally perfect. Plenty of room for my work pc and my tablet. I can carry power cables for my phone, PC, external HDD enclosures as well as my headphones. I have a small front pocket for id badges for work and plenty of compartments for pens, calculators, work tools, etc. not only is their plenty of space but the space is throughout very locally like the bag was built around usability and layout vs having a big bag with pockets. The integrated suitcase holder deal is also really convenient and the bag stands up straight when it’s just sitting there so the form factory is still maintained even when it’s not full. Quality: this bag isn’t cheap but the build quality is extremely high. The zippers don’t get stuck or fail, it’s easy to clean and it still looks good even after using it everyday. If I could do it again I would absolutely buy this bag now that I know what I know. I’m not sure there is a better bag for work and travel. As of today this is the best bag I’ve had and is worth the price in my opinion.

JCUnited States

Solid travel backpack with thoughtful design and features

The Search is the best all around travel-focused backpack I've come across in a long time. It is capacious enough for fully stuffed Peak Design Medium + Small packing cubes, toiletries bag, laptop, water bottle, umbrella and a few other items. The main compartment has its own volume and isn't impacted by the side or front pockets coming in to steal space. As with other Tumi bags, it has really durable construction and zippers that are slide easily to manipulate with one hand, yet are durable and don't snag. There are lots of small design features that frequent travelers would appreciate. For example there is a hidden magnetic snap pocket at the top that is perfect for sliding in your phone before walking through airport security. It has a luggage handle pass-through, and I also love how the backpack can stand up by itself too, which is handy and the bag is empty or fully loaded. I've been a long time Tumi customer, and having used their suitcases, shoulder bags and other backpacks for over 20 years, I can confidently say this is my favorite piece. There is no denying that for $550, it is expensive, and it's not a purchase to take lightly. Given that this bag can be used for EDC work plus travel, I would consider it a decent value and should last for many years.

gu-koGermany

Super !

Habe insgesamt 14 Rucksäcke (ja, echt) für je nach Situation, kurze, mittel, lange Geschäftsreise. Der hier ist ideal für eine 1-Tages, evtl. 2-Tages Reise. Bin sehr zufrieden. Die TUMI Qualität ist top, Gewicht auch, sieht gut und ‚neutral‘ aus (keine Marken, Logos o.Ä.), hat genügend Taschen innen/außen und die Reißverschlüsse halten viel aus. Superding, sehr zu empfehlen, vor allem bei dem Preis hier, nämlich um einiges günstiger als der offizielle TUMI Preis. Der Händler war auch fix, zwei/drei Tage und der Rucksack, aus Italien, war in Deutschland da.