Provided by: www.MobileEdge.com
MSRP: $69.99

Written by: Daniel W. 

A short while ago, I reviewed a uniquely designed super secure backpack called the SecurePack by Mobile Edge.  While that bag certainly has its advantages, for those that have no need for such a secure backpack would certainly be put off by the SecurePack's inconveniences. 

Luckily for Mobile Edge, the SecurePack is not the only backpack they offer.  For this review, I will be examining one of the more traditional bags in their backpack lineup - the G-Pak.  Just how is this bag designed and is it worth your consideration?  Read on and find out.

Features

·        Padded Computer Sleeve accommodates up to 15.4" notebooks

·        Roomy Interior with pockets for CDs, a power supply, files, work papers, pens, and two pockets for a cell phone and/or personal items

·        Dedicated Media Pocket designed to carry an iPod or MP3 player featuring our SoundPort pass-through for the headphone cord

·        Quick Access Pockets for Cell Phone and Water Bottles

·        Cool-Mesh Ventilated Back Panel for Superior Comfort

·        Heavy-Duty Duraflex fittings

·        Made of durable ballistic nylon

·        Proceeds to benefit the Boomer Esiason Foundation to fight cystic fibrosis

·        Lifetime Warranty

Specifications:

·       Exterior Dimensions: 20" x 16" x 8.5"

·      Laptop Compartment Dimensions: 13.2” x 11.7” x 1.19”

·      Weight: 2.7lbs

·    Main Interior Dimensions: 18.5" x 14" x 7" 

External Design:

The Mobile Edge G-Pak is made up of a mix of durable nylon, mesh, and a rubber cloth like material.  It is available in a variety of colored accents and trims. 

The G-Pak features a stylish "lean" design.  Whereas most backpacks sport a "pear" design – piling external compartments towards the bottom of the bag - the G-Pak has its external compartments on the sides and towards the top of the bag.  The G-Pak’s insignia is located on the outside of media pocket. 

That media pocket is one of five externally accessible compartments the bag has.  As its name implies, the media pocket is meant to hold media players as evident by its round shape (to support CD players) and a SoundPort headphone wire pass through hole. 

The media pocket is mounted on top of the main compartment’s flap.  The main compartment is doubled zippered and can be unzipped down the two sides all the way to the base. 

Two tall wing compartments are located on the sides of the G-Pak.  These zippered compartments are ventilated with partial open mesh.  Because of that, whatever is stored in these compartments are likely to be visible and be susceptible to weather.  Attached to the right wing compartment is a smaller separately zippered compartment.  This smaller compartment houses a mesh water bottle holder. 

The back of the Mobile Edge G-Pak very well padded in key areas; mainly down the sides and in the lower back.  The padding is covered with mesh for breathability.  The undersides of the shoulder straps are also well padded and meshed.  The end of the left strap has a mesh cell phone pocket. 

At the top of the G-Pak is a flat rubber handle.  The base of the bag is made up of the aforementioned rubber-cloth material which certainly looks durable.  Each of the bag’s external zippers have nylon zipper cords with big molded tips. 

Internal Design:

The inside of the Mobile Edge G-Pak’s main compartment is a perfect demonstration of no space wasted.  The two main internal walls (the in-side of the main compartment’s flap and the out-side of the laptop compartment) are filled with various accessory pockets and holders.  There are two zippered mesh pockets (one round and one rectangular), two rectangular Velcro flapped pockets, four CD slot pockets, a big open slot pocket, and three pen/pencil holders. 

Though the main compartment’s flap can be unzipped all the way down the two sides, two small nylon restraints prevent the flap from falling open ALL the way (and having everything in the compartment spill out). 

At the back of the main compartment is a very roomy notebook computer compartment.  This compartment is tapered wider at the top and is topped off with an elastic Velcro strap to hold in your notebook. 

As mentioned earlier, the small compartment on the right of the bag contains a mesh water bottle holder.  The media pocket at the top of the bag has a mesh pocket inside. 

Usage:

The Mobile Edge G-Pak is a very comfortable bag to wear.  The padded shoulder straps and strategically padded back panel makes the bag easy on the shoulders and back even when the bag is heavily loaded.  The mesh covering on said padding help minimize perspiration when wearing the bag for long periods of time in warm temperatures. 

Being that the notebook compartment is located at the back of the main compartment, I initially thought it would be difficult to insert and remove a notebook computer (because of my experiences with other backpacks with similarly located notebook compartments).  However, the tapered design of the G-Pak’s notebook compartment really countered my concerns as the abnormally wide entrance to the compartment made inserting and removing a notebook computer really easy. 

The notebook compartment is very roomy and can easily accommodate computers up 15” screens (thick or thin, wide or standard).  I almost want to say that the bag can even handle certain 17” notebooks though I do not have one on hand to try.  In my actual experience, the compartment easily accommodated, separately, a 15” Dell Inspiron 8600 as well as a 14” Compaq Presario 2000 with an extended battery.  Though the compartment is quite wide, the elastic Velcro strap does help keep the enclosed computer secure. 

The rest of the G-Pak’s main compartment is fairly roomy.  It can easily accommodate thick textbooks, binders, folders, and/or light sweatshirts and jackets.  However, this bag is not “hiking backpack” sized; it cannot handle heavy jackets, multiple thick textbooks, and other really large items.

The various accessory pockets in the main compartment work well holding various computer related accessories such as a power adapter and a mouse as well as CDs and flash drives.

The two wing compartments are quite roomy for side pockets.  These compartments are nearly as tall as the main compartment.  They can easily accommodate long items such as a compact umbrella.  For all you in-line skaters out there, they can even fit fairly flat shoes in them (one per compartment)!

The hidden water bottle holder design is a nice touch as it helps keep the bag’s streamline look when the holder is not needed but is there when it is needed.  The holder can hold standard half liter water/soda bottles as well as canned drinks.  Any substantially bigger bottles would need to be placed in one of the bigger wing compartments.

The media pocket compartment is roomy enough to hold a CD player or even multiple iPods and other portable media players.  The location of this pocket is really well placed.  Being high on the bag means less cable needs to feed out of the pocket.

The cell phone pocket on the left shoulder strap is convenient – if your phone can fit into this long but narrow pocket.  It does alternatively function well as an accessories pocket for frequently accessed things such as pens, flash drives, keys, and change.

What’s In a Name:

It is not uncommon for the name of a product to be nothing more than the result of a brainstorming session among marketing personnel with no significant meaning attached.  The Mobile Edge G-Pak however is no such case.  The G-Pak is named after Gunnar Esiason – the son of former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason - and is a part of a series of Mobile Edge bags that are especially designed to support the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF).  The BEF is an organization whose goal is to find a cure for cystic fibrosis – a respiratory and digestive system related disease of which Gunnar and over 30,000 Americans has.  For every G-Pak sold, Mobile Edge donates 10% of the proceeds to the BEF.

Conclusion:

The Mobile Edge G-Pak overall is a wonderfully designed backpack.  Its construction is top notch with really no detail overlooked.  It is heavily padded in just about all the right places making the bag very comfortable to wear.  The main compartment offers plenty of room for large sized items as well as more than enough pockets to keep smaller items organized.  The tapered notebook computer compartment offers great protection for laptops and is very easy to access.  Two roomy wing compartments supplements with bag with additional storage capacity.  A media pocket provides a convenient place to store while still enjoying your portable audio players.  Lastly, a hideaway water bottle holder provides both style (when not in use) and function (when in us).  For students (or anyone else) looking for a good backpack to carry their notebook computer and other daily loads, the Mobile Edge G-Pak is a great choice that will not disappoint.

Pros:

Stylish streamline look

Durable construction

Strategically padded, comfortable to wear

Easy to access laptop compartment

Well organized interior

Cons:

Not appropriate for any looking for a bag with huge internal capacity