OspreyProxima Laptop Commuter Backpack, Black

I LOVE this backpack! I finally couldn’t stand the new pocket style of Northface backpacks and took a chance with a new brand, as I’ve been a Northface girl for many years. My complaint with Northface is that the organizer pocket is only half the depth of the backpack. As such, the backpack becomes front/top heavy AND if it’s full (like when I’m traveling) it makes getting stuff down into the main compartment extremely difficult and inconvenient and it seems like Northface is going to that style in all their models!?!Osprey did not disappoint! I wanted a good, solid made backpack, versatile enough for daily use, but also and most importantly, multi-use for travel. I like pockets and sections for organization and this backpack has them, with an organizer pocket that extends the full length of the backpack! Yay!It fits a lot for what it looks like and the quality is top notch. I can fit more in it than in my Northface borealis even though they’re technically the same size, which tells me the design is superior in the Osprey. Just did a quick hop to Hawaii and back and I am so happy! I might just be an Osprey girl now!

My 11year old loves this backpack for school and for hiking. We love all the pockets to keep her things organized, the great water bottle holder holds her 18oz yeti, and that it has great back support and a chest strap.

I got this bag to replace out a North Face bag that ended up being too small for my day to day needs. I work full time, go to school full time, and I use a motorcycle as my daily driver. The sturdiness of this bag and surprising ability to fit so much is perfect. I no longer have to clip things to my bag or leave things behind in order to make it all work on my bike. The breathability of the straps and back also make summer riding and walking to classes so much more bearable.

I wasn’t sold on Osprey. Backpacks always upset me because of the compromises they may for being “light weight”. The materials are always leave a lot to be desired.Over the last few years I’ve amassed a few backpacks in an effort to find one that works for me. This one works. Perfectly. The materials feel very nice. Stitching and what not are very well done. The materials chosen are very practical. The layout is great. It really is an awesome bag. At 30L I feel like I have more space here than my trusty Classic XL, which is another 30L bag. This one just works much better and is thoughtfully laid out.One thing I wish all backpack manufacturers would adopt are hard bottoms. Not on all packs, I understand that adds weight. But there should be an option to have a hard bottom. Veto does this the best, but the warranty isn’t as good as Osprey and the bag holds less. I suspect the Veto (which I don’t own) is better built for ruggedness, but the Osprey hits the marks spot on. Love the pack.

One week before I was scheduled to leave for Peru, I got an email from the airline informing me that my internal flights (booked by my tour group) had a lower weight limit for checked bags than my external flights had. I was going to Machu Picchu and the Rainbow Mountain, which necessitated cold weather and some trekking gear, and the Amazon, which needed trekking and paddling gear as well as gadgets to overcome the lack of electricity. There was no way I could reduce the amount of stuff that I was bringing. I needed to find another way. Enter the proxima backpack. I did like 12 hours of research. I did not want to pay a ton of money for a bag, but apparently, even little kid backpacks are super expensive now, and the differences between a bag that was $20 cheaper and this one were immense. Cheaper backpacks had the same capacity, but inferior materials, including zippers which was the #1 complaint for those bags. The proxima also had the exceptionally padded straps and the airscape system, which was a lifesaver. I stuffed this thing with easily 35lbs worth of stuff and as long as it was settled onto my shoulders, I never felt it. It also fit way more stuff than I ever expected it to and the laptop section can double as a security zipper as it is very hard to detect the existence of that zipper. I also used the front compression connectors to carry my hiking boots strapped to my bag and my bush hat dangling from them. Overall, I have zero complaints. Oh, also, this bag survived desert, jungle, cities, seven plane rides, trekking, two trains, and innumerable buses without so much as a scratch and it still looks brand new. I definitely feel like I got the best deal on a bag.