Everki Advance Laptop Briefcase 18.4 Inch - Business Briefcase for Men & Women, Ideal Lap Top Computer Bag for Travel, Heavy Duty Laptop Bag, Lap Top Messenger Carrying Case, (EKB407NCH18) Black

I can't begin to tell you how many hours I spent looking for a bag that would hold at laptop this large. I could not find any backpack that I trruly felt was a guaranteed fit. Let's face it, laptops with 18.4+ screens really are desk-top replacement computers (DTRs). My machine really won't be hauled around very much simply because it is so large, I have a 15" laptop for trips, but I did still need a carry case.The Everki Advance is nothing fancy to look at. Rather plain in fact, but you really don't want to advertise that you are carrying an expensive computer in what could easily pass as a canvas briefcase.The laptop compartment is top loading. The case does NOT open up clam shell style. The opening is sufficiently wide enough that it is easy to access. Unless you laptop is grossly thick, there is also room in that compartment for papers or folders but there is not a separator such as a nylon barrier that would keep any additional items from rubbing against your laptop. The zipper is high quality with adequately sized metal sliders with built in locking loop. This compartment is sufficienty padded, but I wish computer bag makers would put double padding across the bottom and the near bottom sides of bags. Come on, that's where the impact will most likely happen. I will probably find some dense foam and create my own extra layer of bottom cushion.One side of the case has a zip open storage compartment that has five pockets for organizing small items as well as two pen slots. This compartment could be used for USB drives, external storage devices, power brick, etc. It opens up very wide, not access problems at all.Then on the front side of the storage compartment there is a scoop slot pouch with a partial velcro closure that would be used for rapid access items. Perhaps a cell phone, car keys, passport, plane ticket, etc. The opening alone for this pocket is 9-1/2 inches wide, but the usable interior dimensions of this slot pocket are 12 inches deep and 15 inches wide. Everki did not waste space with this Advance Laptop Bag.The interior and compartments are lined with an orangish nylon. It's not neon orange, but rather a brick-orange. I don't find this annoying, rather in dim lighting the orange coloring helps me find thinks that otherwise might be difficult - like trying to find a small black USB drive in the bottom of an all black lined compartment.The carry handles are a soft point. While they are strongly attached, the bridge of the handles are too soft and flexible. A more rigid design would actually be more comfortable to hand carry.But when fully loaded, few people I would think will actually hand carry a heavy 18.+ laptop and all their gear. Thus the shoulder strap. The shoulder strap anchor points on the bag itself are strongly anchored, in fact rivited, and the fixtures are solid metal - NOT plastic. Thank you Everki for the metal parts. The shoulder strap clips and hardware are also solid metal with a great feel and they don't appear as if they would accidentally be unclipped when attached. Not difficult to operate, but certainly secure. The strap is wide enough to match the bag and be able to carry the load and across the shoulder area itself is a curved ergonomic shoulder pad, another nice touch. I loaded up the bag and walked around for half an hour and yes it was heavy, but not uncomfortable.Lastly, on the back side of the bag, opposite the accessory compartments, Everki has cleverly installed a sturdy 1-1/2 strip of straping with a 10 inch gap centered. That gap is for sliding the handle of wheeled luggage through. When not is use, the gap strap is held down with a 2 inch piece of velcro. Nice touch! Fits perfect on top of my American Tourister rolling carryon.Overall, I am glad I found this bag. I set high standards and I like to project a quality image about myself, and this bag does nothing to reduce my image even as it really is pretty much simple and utilitarian. If you're in the 18.+ screen laptop arena, you're choices of bags are currently limited. I can recommend this one with no reservations.5-Stars, October 2011

Hey! Nice bag. Sharp looking and designed well. Fits my oversized 18 inch gaming laptop. What a deal!

I was looking for a way to carry the Framework 16 that would protect it against bumps and drops since it has a lot of moving parts and isn't cheap. Originally I was just going to get the Pelican 1095 case but after seeing a few people with failed shoulder straps I was second guessing that choice. It also wouldn't have any room to carry a charger or other accessories due to the size of the FW16. After seeing what other FW16 owners were using to carry their laptops I stumbled on this bag, and the dimensions of the laptop pocket mean that the 1095 would just barely fit. I went ahead and purchased both since I could return them if my idea didn't work out. This bag arrived first and it was as large as it seems from the pictures, I could easily fit my old Targus laptop bag in the laptop compartment with room to spare. The included shoulder strap is one of the most robust I've seen for any laptop bag and it has plenty of padding for carrying around heavy laptops. There isn't a lot of padding in the laptop compartment, especially in the corners, but for how I planned to use it I wasn't concerned. For anyone using only this bag to carry their laptop it's something to keep in mind that other options will offer more protection. It took a while longer before the Pelican 1095 arrived but when it did I tried it with this bag right away. Sure enough it fit in the laptop compartment and the zipper was able to close without straining though it was a tight fit. There was still plenty of room in the front pocket to carry accessories even though the laptop compartment was completely filled. I'm a lot more comfortable using my FW16 as my main laptop now since I don't have to worry about damaging it by bumping or dropping it when travelling between places. If you've got a huge laptop or want to go overkill protecting your laptop like I did this is one of the best options you can find especially at this price point.