As part of my never-ending quest for the best laptop backpack, I traveled last week with Mobile Edge's new ScanFast (list price $100).
The backpack is part of Mobile Edge's new line of checkpoint-friendly laptop bags, designed so you don't have to remove your laptop as you pass through an airport security checkpoint.
I prefer to use a backpack for my carry-on bag. I'd rather carry the weight of a laptop and other stuff on my back than on my shoulders or in my hands. The Mobile Edge backpack appears to be one of the few of its kind on the market.
It's not a thing of beauty, however, lacking the class of a Tumi or Briggs & Riley bag. But it's also less expensive than typical bags from those companies. I wish Mobile Edge had found a way to add an exterior water bottle pocket. A strap for securing the backpack over the telescoping handle of a wheeled bag would be nice, too. But the designers of checkpoint-friendly bags face more constraints than those of traditional laptop bags, so these omissions are understandable.
In its favor, the ScanFast backpack has plenty of pockets. It's affordable. And it eliminated one step--having to remove my laptop--during the security screening process, which I appreciate. Overall, I recommend the backpack for frequent flyers who'd like a new laptop backpack.

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