Tred Expandable Backpack for 15-inch Laptops

The backpack is of good quality and is well padded for the laptop. There is plenty of room for other things. The small padded pocket on top is a nice touch and is good for sunglasses or anything you wouldn't want to get scratched. For the money you can't do better then the Brenthaven 2071102. There are only three things I don't like:1. The chest strap doesn't come off. These are only useful if you are riding a bike otherwise it just gets in the way. For some reason Brenthaven sewed the straps together so the only way to remove the chest strap is to cut if off. I am almost to that point.2. The handle presses against my neck. The top handle for this bag connects the shoulder straps about an inch down. It's not painful and doesn't rub, but it is annoying.3. The iPod pouch sits against your back. I knew this when I bought it thanks to the photos, so it wasn't an unpleasant surprise like the chest strap and handle. I do think it was a stupid design decision. If you need to change anything you have to take off the backpack to get to the iPod. It works fine if you have a long playlist and you don't plan on touching the device until you have reached your destination. Otherwise it is just a wasted feature, inferior to the pants pocket.EDIT Nov. 2015.I have been using this backpack nearly everyday for 5 years now and it still looks new. No damage, no wear, no broken zippers. Better yet, no damage to my laptops. The quality of this product is excellent. I did end up cutting off the chest strap. I no longer notice the handle pressing on my neck. Given its quality I have raised it from 4 to 5 stars.

We bought this backpack for my high school aged son based on my experience with a Brenthaven pack bought seven years ago. My son likes the styling, I like the durability and clear quality. He routinely overloads it with what seems like every book that he owns, and the Brenthaven Trek has nary a stretched seam. In addition to being built like a tank, the Brenthaven is well designed, with a well-placed pocket it for every device needed by today's student.The only feature lacking from the Brenthaven is a waist belt to take some of the load off the user's shoulders. My son informs me that he would never use such a device-so, I guess it's a moot pointSo, here are the pros and consPros: quality construction, good styling, designed to protect phones, iPods, a laptop or iPad.Cons: it's not light, the expandability is a bit of a gimmick. It really does not add that much expansion space.Is it worth the money- we think so, especially considering the incredible warranty offered by Brenthaven.

Bought this to replace a 12+ year old Brenthaven model where the zipper fabric and one seam finally wore out. It has the same basic outline, including exterior side pockets, as its predecessor with a well padded laptop slot in the main section which is roomy enough to also hold a water bottle, poncho, windbreaker, etc. It has the same expandable middle section, with the extra gusset tucked inside available when you need 2" more pack space. The outermost section, compared to its predecessor, lacks 2 external access zippers pockets on the lower left and right. These L and R pockets in the predecessor model were very convenient for eyeglass hardcase and toothbrush+toothpaste, which now get mixed in with other things in the outer section. One final difference is my old Brenthaven would stand up on the floor, whether loaded, or the laptop removed. The Tred wants to roll back, to a straps-up position, with the same load-out.

My initial review was 5 stars. I love this backpack. I bought this almost 3 years ago. I used it for 3 months and LOVED it. It is really a great bag. Then my job changed and I switched it a different bag until about 3 months ago. I remembered how good this was.Today I noticed a seam pulling out. It is in the upper section near the left shoulder strap, where there isn't much force on the seam. Having built bags in Cordura and ballistic nylon before, I immediately knew this was a problem of not allowing enough fabric past the seam. The fabric has unwoven around the thread. (If this was wear and tear, the gray fabric in the photo would not look perfectly new.) http://i.imgur.com/c5S1rV7.jpgI filed a repair request and upload a photo so they can see the unraveling. I was told that on a backpack which shows almost no other wear, that this defective seam is due to wear and tear. (This is on a section that isn't even stressed with force on the shoulder strap, as the force is tangential to that seam.) They will give me 30% off of something on their site. So it will be only 10-15% more than a bag on Amazon (how do you put in a rolled eyes icon here?)I responded with a question of why I would want another of their bags when they don't stand behind it. And I cancelled the Metrolite BP-XP I just ordered, to use while I figured this would be sent in for repair.Well they have agreed to send a good bag to replace it. And I'm reordering the Metrolite BP-XP. I was in a 1-star mood when I thought that the customer service wasn't what everyone says. I'm happy that a little prodding and they do what they promise. I debated about between 4 and 5 stars, but I think this gets 5 stars again, just because it was a good experience. Products have problems, but how the company deals with them is the difference.The replacement bag they sent out is different than the bag I purchased in 2012, so I can talk to what has improved and what I miss.The side saddle pockets are about the same size, but there is no longer elastic mesh pockets on them and they have switched from grey to black. I like this improvement, as I think it makes the pack look a little more professional with the all black and I never used the external pockets, as I didn't trust them to keep items. Advantage: New designThe helmet or jacket holding elastic cords on the back go into loops, rather than clipping onto fiberglass rods. This looks a little cleaner. They removed the pocket in the bottom and the ability to remove that and stow it. That makes less of a zipper and structure, so I'm sure it lightens the bag. However, you cannot detach it. On the flip side, it is much less obtrusive than the previous version. If you were sure you would NEVER use it, removing the elastic end and unthreading the elastic would be fairly trivial. Advantage: Tie if you don't use it, New design if you do.Gone are the vertical zippered compartments on the black triangle wedge, right next to the bungee straps. These were not large, but I will miss them. Well, I will miss one of them. It was an odd pocket and most people probably didn't use it. I always kept a decent LED flashlight in one of them. It was accessible very quickly from the outside and never got lost inside. However, the other side pocket never got used. This is another robustness and weight saving move, that I can accept in trade off. Advantage: Old Design, but understandable that most won't use this pocket.The small U zipper compartment is unchanged from what I can tell. This is the compartment sharing a plane with the outside touching the bungee. It has nice organization inside, with no difference between versions. I love the pen pockets and included with the small horizontal pocket are the two storage things I miss on the Metrolite BP XF bag that I have been using.The next pocket up has a rugged external zip with a lighter zipper internal baffle. This allows you to temporarily expand this pocket. It is fully open with no organization inside. I can't see any differences between the two versions. Advantage: TieBefore we get to the laptop compartment, there is a small horizontal pocket. This was two thirds up the section between the last compartment and the laptop compartment. The new design has the zipper almost even with the laptop compartment zipper. This is a visual improvement. They have also addressed something that bugged me with this pocket, once loaded. It would tend to pull the open laptop compartment flap down. It now has a velcro tab at the bottom that gives some support from the bottom of the pocket and spreads the load down. The pocket is still nicely lined for protecting cell phone screen. Advantage: New Design.Other than the associated changes with the horizontal pocket support, I'm not seeing any differences in the laptop compartment. Still has the same combo of nylon and mesh set of 4 pockets at the away from laptop side. And the laptop section has the same velcro retainer.The straps are basically the same. They eliminated the D rings at the middle of the strap. I've never found those useful, as I hate things swinging from there in a pack. Advantage: Potentially Old Design. For me it is a tie.My verdict: I think the new design is an improvement. The visuals and improved horizontal pocket outweight the lost of the one vertical pocket I used. It is the same comfortable pack that amazed me when I originally purchased it in 2012. I carried twice the weight in more comfort than the Swissgear pack I had previously used. The new design is just as comfortable.

Awesome bag, so many compartments and it's super sturdy! Perfect for my MacBook. I would recommend to any one who needs a laptop rucksack.

Seems okay overall. Padded laptop protection and build quality.4 stars because it doesn't fit a 15.6 laptop properly as its title suggests. It looks like it would properly fit a 13 inch tablet. Returning this product, but I hope they have a larger bag.

Brenthaven have an outstanding reputation particularly in the USA. I'd also read several glowing online reviews so had high expectations.The backpack is well made, with great finish and materials on the outside and has good quality zips. However, I found the quality of the inner lining only average. There were no defects but the material looked and felt cheap (compared to my current HP/Samsonite DL616A backpack).So for the price, I personally did not think it was good value for money and have returned it now. I'm going to try some of the Swissgear stuff now...

item as described, good quality and value for money, delivered before due time.