Home > Consumer Reviews > Case Logic 16-Inch Security-Friendly Laptop Backpack (CLBS-116)

The only problem I have with this backpack is that it is a little dorky looking. Very plain looking, all black with matte silver zippers. Other then that, this is a great backpack!

As someone who lugs around a decent sized widescreen laptop, this is exactly the kind of laptop you would like to have. The rear portion of the backpack contains a padded area for you to store your laptop. Padded as to not damage the computer and to not cause you any discomfort also the lining of this pocket is soft as to not scratch any of the surfaces of your laptop.

The bag features a zipper that basically allows you to split the backpack in half and lay it down flat for scanning through the x-ray machine at airports. This of course is nice since you aren't pulling out your laptop and tossing it in one of those dirty gray bins and getting it scratched, etc..

The front half of the bag contains three other pockets, a smaller one on the front, a slightly larger one behind that which contains smaller pockets for pens, business cards and other small items, then you have one larger pocket which has room for things like power adapters, Cd's, etc..

A couple of other nice features:
The bag is designed to hold it's shape and stand up right when set down. The shoulder straps are padded and curved, making them very easy and comfortable to use. And a nice little touch the adjustable straps that normally dangle after you adjust them, these straps have nifty little Velcro pieces that allow you to roll them up and keep them from getting dirty when you have the bag on the ground or getting caught on stuff as you walk around.

Suffice to say, the bag may not be the coolest looking backpack out there, but you can tell that a lot of thought was put into it design, the designers remembered the little things that annoy you about backpacks that you wished you could fix. Glad I have it!

This is my second Case Logic "security friendly" piece of luggage, and like the CLCS-116 over-the-shoulder messenger type bag, the CLBS-116 backpack has a lot of nice features but seems to be missing a lot of the every day features you expect with most laptop bags.

Of the many laptop backpacks I've owned, the OGIO Metro Backpack and discontinued Samsonite Rafter are my top two favorite, so I use them as a baseline for comparison purposes. Compared to those two bags, this Case Logic is firmly planted on the "Spartan" side of the fence. It's very low on features, but what it does, it does well. Most of what I said in my Case Logic 16-Inch Full-Size Security Friendly Laptop Case (CLCS-116) can be repeated here for much of the pro's and con's carry through to this backpack model - with a few changes.

Pros:
- Non-laptop half of the bag has lots of good segmented and non-segmented compartments. Good for holding gadgets like Blackberries, phones, MP3 players, power cords, pens, books, etc...
- Small semi-hidden "wallet" hole for hiding cash.
- Zipper sliders are metal, not plastic (a big plus in my book). Zipper teeth are mostly plastic with the exception of the front zipper which is metal. All zippers on my bag pulled nice and smooth.
- Holds my 15.4" laptop like a champ - lots of padding, plenty of room.
- Put my Inspiron 1720 17" laptop in, just to see if it'd fit. "Kind of" would be a good description - the laptop fit, but only because I removed the battery (Dell laptops have gone to a configuration where the battery hangs off the back end). The 17" laptop is pushing at the seams of the compartment, so not a whole lot of padding left at the sides. Not bad for a backpack that advertises itself as a 16" laptop backpack.
- Secondary "stuff" pocket is full sized, extending wide enough to hold a hefty 3-4" phonebook-sized item.
- Relatively light for a backpack at 3lbs.
- Nice "pass-through" feature which lets you thread the pull bar of rolling luggage through allowing for piggy-backing of the pack.

Cons:
- No headphones hole - thought that was odd for Case Logic.
- Very little padding in non-laptop half of the case - careful with your gadgets!
- No side pockets, mostly because you have to open it up for the security screening.
- Not a whole lot of extension allowance - if your items don't fit, they won't fit. The stitch is stiff nylon so there's not a lot of give.
- The straps are attached by way of two Z-stitches at the top and a double-stitch to an extension at the bottom - if you overload your backpacks a lot like I do, these stitches probably won't last very long. However if you're just hauling a laptop, a book, and a few gadgets, this should last a lifetime.

Conclusion:
Since this backpack is a "Generation 1" of these security bags, I'm hoping that the future will bring more cost-effective and feature rich bags. The cost itself is probably prohibitive enough to bring this backpack out of the reach of most students, and honestly if the only benefit that you're getting is that you don't have to put the laptop in the scanning device, it's probably not enough for most people to purchase this backpack. However if you're the consultant type who takes semi-daily business trips, being able to fly through the security checkpoint with just your backpack and shoes removed is probably enough of an incentive to grab this bag. Plus the design is clean enough to look professional.

The Case Logic 16Inch TSA friendly laptop backpack is fantastic! It has 3 separate storage areas (laptop, center/paperwork, front/gadgets & pens) plus a zipper front panel for items such as receipts and boarding passes. The laptop compartment works great and is roomy, as there is enough space for my 15" Dell laptop plus the power supply when placed across the top of the laptop. There's two improvements that could be considered: 1) in the pens/pencils area there are 3 pre-stitched pockets about the width of credit cards but slightly deeper. It would have been better to to have at least one or more of these 3 larger-sized both width and depth (not necessarily length) because their capacity is fairly limited. 2) improve the side zippers that open the butterfly-like backpack for TSA screening frequently zip open themselves if you carry the backpack using only one shoulder strap.

In the center storage area, there is a front and back pocket that slightly expands so that many papers can be held. There is a half-height zippered pocket in-between the two pockets that is large enough for a rectangular mousepad. This wasn't described in the website marketing specs and was a pleasant surprise to find. The bag is tall enough that many times I can put my quart-size ziploc bag with the liquids that airlines require you to screen separately above the paperwork which is very convenient for space.

I've flown several airline trip legs with this bag and many TSA screeners aren't familiar that it's TSA compliant and tell me to take the laptop out. After I tell them it's TSA compliant, they usually don't persist but they do pat it down to check if there are any other pockets that would hinder x-ray viewing. But so far they've never sent it through a second x-ray screening or manual search process.

When fully loaded, the bag may barely fit under the plane seat for height, but not oversize by not very much which is good. If oversize it may be possible to turn the bag sideways under the seat so the top doesn't protrude into the foot walkway area inbetween seat rows. The width of the bag is just about the maximum possible and fit underneath an aisle seat when inserted bottom or top-first where the seat support leg frame is narrower than the middle seat's and that is good, too.

I pack quite a bit of papers, electronic cables, food, and the computer too. I am curious if the straps will ever break their stitching but for most people the bag should be very durable. I would consider buying this bag again if there ever was a need to do so and recommend it highly to others. It works better than the traditional briefcase-like single should-strap computer bags and really does have more space than I expected. I've flown for business since the 1980's and this is the best designed backpack bag I've ever seen - until now I've always decided against the style and had used the traditional shoulder strap briefcase-like bags. This backpack computer bag is a keeper.

This bag is compact yet roomy. It's very well made and very well designed. It easily fits a 15" Macbook Pro and seems very protective. Its comfortable to wear and great to use.

I've found some Caselogic designs a little quirky in the past but this one is a real winner. There are lots of nice touches like pen, business card, digital media holders, a reasonable number of small pouches (with soft lining) and compartments and a few larger ones in addition to the main laptop pouch.

The backpack zips into two main parts with a hinge at the top. The laptop compartment is well padded at the rear, and all the other compartments are at the front. It will meet the TSA's rules for leaving your laptop in the bag while running it through the xray machine if you keep the laptop by itself in the rear compartment.

Great bag.

Caselogic's 16-Inch Security Friendly Laptop Backpack is a handsome-looking, sturdily built backpack that is designed for maximum convenience in and out of the airport, with a layout that is smart, efficient and accessible.

If I have one caveat with this backpack, it is that I would have preferred more pockets... but nitpicking aside, this is well worth picking up, particularly for travelers and students, and especially at Amazon.com's current price point. Highly Recommended.