Heading back to work or school after the circuit breaker period? You might want to get a new laptop backpack such as Targus' new Cypress EcoSmart Hero Backpack (available on Amazon, Lazada and Shopee) to carry your daily essentials.
For a start, you would be making an eco-friendly choice. Each Cypress EcoSmart Hero backpack is made from woven fabric spun out of 26 plastic water bottles and certified by the Global Recycled Standard - an international product recycling standard that aims to reduce the number of plastic bottles destined for landfills.
But you would not notice anything out of the ordinary with this utilitarian-looking backpack, which comes in grey (version tested) and navy blue colours.
It has three main compartments. At the back of the backpack is a padded laptop compartment with a laptop sleeve pocket, which can fit both my personal 16-inch MacBook Pro (MBP) and office 13-inch Lenovo laptop together.
At the middle of the backpack is a compartment that includes a net pocket and a standard sleeve pocket. The net pocket offers a great way to store your cables while the sleeve pocket can hold a tablet as big as a 12.9-inch iPad Pro (along with its keyboard cover). You can also stuff a set of workout clothes (nicely folded, of course), along with a laptop charger, a Nintendo Switch handheld console, a pair of folded over-ear headphones and a battery pack into this spacious compartment.
At the front of the backpack is the smallest compartment. It has a variety of pockets, including a small net pocket designed to hold small items and accessories like pens, note books, name cards and memory cards.
In front of this compartment is a zippered pocket to hold frequently-used items like a smartphone, wallet or passport.
Finally, there are two side pockets to hold items that require quick accessibility, such as a water bottle or umbrella.
A trolley strap at the rear lets you place the backpack on top of your luggage when you can travel again.
At the bottom of the backpack is a thick leather-like layer, which means you can put the backpack on any surfaces without qualms. A handle at the top makes lifting it off the floor easy.
I find the backpack's build solid and durable, despite it being relatively lightweight (1kg without load). I also like the ergonomic shoulder straps and the mesh padded rear panel, which let me carry the backpack comfortably.
At $149, the Cypress EcoSmart Hero is a wee bit expensive.
A search for laptop backpacks in Lazada or Shopee yielded plenty of models that cost between $35 and $70, though they do not include brands such as Samsonite or Porsche Design.
Still, I think it is a good price to pay for an eco-friendly product that is super functional.
FOR
- Eco-friendly
- Plenty of pockets and compartments
- Great build
- Comfortable to carry
AGAINST
- Utilitarian design
- A bit expensive
TECH SPECS
Price: $149
Capacity: 20 litres
Weight: 1.05kg
RATING
Design: 4/5
Performance: 4/5
Value for money: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
