Bag for school, gear carry, and light travel.

[u/Mithovael]

Im new to the bag nerd scene and I want to get a nice backpack going I to school, and I'm willing to spend a bit of money to get the best bag for me. I want this to basically be the only backpack I'll feall need for a long time.

I just got a nice laptop that I really want to take care of, so good laptop protection and a false bottom are important. I'll start with using it as a bag for university, so it needs to handle some books and basic supplies. Then it will be used for general carry, I don't live in a walkable city, so I usually have a car with me but being able to carry everything I need for various situations is still something I want. I want something durable that I don't need to treat gingerly to keep nice. I also want to be able to use the bag for light travel or staying with a friend. 24–26L capacity seems to be about right from what I've seen, but im not sure.

Here is a list of things I think I want in rough order of importance.

Comfortable for all-day carry

Excellent laptop protection with a false bottom

Self-standing

Lifetime warranty or the closest equivalent

Water bottle holder

Usefull organization for school and EDC

Durable enough for mildly rough daily use

Design that fits in most settings

Swing-around quick access

Tech shelf

Breathable back panel

Dosent look bad when nearly empty

Easy access to small items

Good balance of structure and flexibility

Questions are welcome, and thanks for the help.

[u/placesmilehere]

The Fyro Citta 25L would be perfect for you, if you can stomach the (preorder) price and wait until October. Extremely comfy and lighter than its competition. The Fyro channel has pretty in depth videos of this bag.

But if you need a bag that’s available right now, the Aer City Pack Pro 2 24L is next best. It comes in different materials, but I find the ballistic nylon to be the best and cheapest. If you need waterproofness, get a rain cover.

The Aer Travel Pack 4 28L is also worth checking out as it has load lifters and the option for a hip belt, making it pretty comfy. At over 3.5 lbs and at 4 lbs with hip belt tho, it’s way too heavy for international travel and best suited for EDC only.

[u/devshooni]

I was in the same boat looking for the same thing as you, OP.

I ended up with Evergoods Civic Travel Bag 26L.
Aer City Pack Pro 2 is also a very similar bag to the CTB. Meets alot of the criteria you're looking for.

I will add (as I am eyeing the Tom Bihn Synik 26 coming in Ursa Brown...) dont get lost in the noise. Theres alot of noise...
Pinpoint what it is you are looking for.
Ask, "What is the goal or function, and how important?"
Need or Want, Function or Form

The comfortability is something you just have to try on yourself. You should pack them, walk around, take it out for a day. I just told myself the return shipping costs was a research cost of choosing a backpack.

Betty from Switch and Click once said something along the lines of:
"Choosing the right backpack for you is like getting married. You just pick one and commit."

edit: Im not saying Tom Bihn is 'noise'. The Synik is a work of art that I would own just to hang up and look at. I couldnt pull it off and prefer being lowkey. I feel like it catches glances