Bag Friday: Booq Taipan Backpack

A short-series of reviews of some of the latest bags I’m toting.

After returning from Macworld I vowed to wear a backpack whenever I have to bring my MacBook with me for long periods of time. While messenger bags may look cooler, they simply aren't ergonomic enough for long days when you need to access them a lot and they can get painful, especially of you're carrying a lot of gear and/or have back issues.

The Booq Taipan Pack ($130) is a laptop backpack that fits 13 through 17-inch MacBooks in style. The built-in notebook sleeve cradles your MacBook in a thickly padded, rich, velour compartment. Next to it is a sizeable (without being massive) main compartment where you can store adapters, cables, books and even a short stack of clothes for the weekend.

The rear padding of the Taipan Pack is ergonomic and super comfortable on the back, even when loaded down with a sizable amount of gear. My only gripe is that the shoulder straps could be a little wider at the top, they're a little thin for me. A true backpack requires a waist strap in order to balance your load on your hips (instead of on your shoulders) and the Taipan Pack has you covered in that department. The waist strap tucks away for hipsters that want to pop in and out of meetings, classrooms and coffee shops without the extra buckling.

My favorite feature is the external net pockets. There's one on each side that stretch out enough to hold a 1 liter Nalgene bottle and the front one provides quick access to your book or boarding pass. All around well-made and a quality product.

Are you more of a backpack, messenger or shoulder bag person?