Targus Groove Backpack Case Designed for 16" Inch Laptops CVR600 (Black)
by Targus
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List Price: Our Price: $24.99 You Save: $12.00 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Targus Groove Backpack Case Designed for 16" Inch Laptops CVR600 (Black)
Customer Review: Excellent Laptop Backpack for the Price
Summary: 4 Stars
After ordering a new iBook G4 for attending school this upcoming semester, i realized i would need a way to shuttle it back and forth from school, to work, back home, and everywhere else i would need to do homework. Being that i am a backpack sort of guy i immediately rejected all ideas for laptop-folio things and those oversized purse looking bags for something more convenient to carry other supplies and books in. After looking around at all the backpacks i could find, i found this one on amazon, read the reviews, and thought "At 30 dollars shipped, i can afford to trash or sell this thing if i dont like it." After using it for a month now, i dont think i would sell it for twice what i paid for it. Simply stated, this bag is amazing! It has one large compartment with a laptop sleeve, and paper pouches on opposing sides, a medium sized compartment with a zippered mesh pocket inside it, and a smaller "cd player" compartment with several smaller pockets inside it. One pocket which holds my iPod mini like a glove. This compartment also comes with a headphone port on the top that is rubberized and has a flap underneath the port itself which i assume make it reasonably water tight, but i won't be risking my new Pod to find out. More about the laptop carring abilities of this backpack; The laptop sleeve is well designed, sewn to the side of the bag directly against the wearers back, and suspended slightly above the floor of the large compartment, giving it a bit of "suspension" incase of a vertical drop. The placement of the laptop sleeve is this bags only downside. When being worn it is directly against the back, nothing wrong there, but say you have books in the bag directly behind the laptop. Now say you take the bag off, and set it down. Now say it falls over, and your books are squishing your precious laptop. So if you do decide on this bag, be weary to not carry to heavy a load behind your laptop or lay the bag horizontally. The size of the sleeve is great. It is made to fit a 15 inch laptop slid in on its side, and i assume is plenty deep enough for a 15 inch wide screen. The 12 inch iBook that i have fits like a glove when inserted to lay on its BACK instead of its SIDE. I would recommend anyone wanting this bag to check the outside dimensions of their laptop and compare them to the internal dimensions of the sleeve, i got lucky and it fits perfectly. So. Plusses. Great looking back, plenty of pockets, very slim profile, comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Minus(es). Placement of the laptop sleeve is not quite ideal. But for the price i paid, i couldn't have asked for a better bag.Customer Review: Targus Groove BACKPACK
Summary: 5 Stars
I got tired of "trying to be a cute grad student" and set out to replace my painful messenger bag with a laptop carrying case that possessed the following:
(1) padded protection for a 14" wide screen laptop (Dell XPS m140) and its relatively small charger,
(2) space to accommodate at LEAST a 1.5" binder (and 1" text book, if at all possible)
(3) multiple compartments to store pens, graphing calculator, organizer, cell phone, and other small what-nots
(4) padded dual shoulder comfort/ superior durability
(5) in giving up the messenger back I knew I had to compromise some style but I really wanted something that wasn't terribly bulky, colorful or dramatic in overall design
(6) and most importantly- on a college student budget I refused to pay the $50+ price tag of many popular models...
So, I came across this backpack after a thorough search for something compatible. The Targus Groove Backpack met all of my criteria! Please note, I have not had it long enough to comment on durability but it is made very well (thick, tight stitching, smooth zippering, reinforced bottom, etc). It is a BIG book bag but it makes up for that in the modestly coordinated black nylon with gray logos and its non-bulky exterior. Additionally, the laptop pocket fits my Dell m140 perfectly (13x9x1.5") and it still has breathing room for thickness and height with a small Velcro strap to go over the top exposed portion of the laptop. The pocket padding is very sufficient, but I still keep mine in a thin protective sleeve to keep the case scratch free. I was ecstatic to find that it could house my overstuffed 1.5" binder, charger, cell, calculator, pen/pencil zipping case, organizer, AND a 2" text book with more room to boot!! Of course I had to put it on for a test of comfort and found the shoulder padding EXCELLENT. (I am small framed so I hope this will prove true for larger statures as well.) And BEST of all, I caught it on sale at CompUSA for $29.99 with a $10 rebate for overall $19.99 +tax!!! I really wouldn't change anything about this bag except maybe add lower lumbar support or a massage mechanism (kidding). Oh yeah, the bag itself is relatively lightweight, which I found to be a problem with some other models.
All in all, it seems to have been a GREAT buy and I would highly recommend the Targus Groove Backpack to anyone looking for a lightweight, comfortable, non-tacky, compartment friendly, inexpensive and spacious laptop backpack.
Customer Review: A nice little college backpack.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is my fourth Targus item, I've purchased over the past five years.
Targus is usually pretty good about keeping your laptops safe.
The backpack is nice, but a little small.
Also, the padding for back support is a little thin when you have a hard laptop or sharp edged book in the back compartment.
The handle on the top is a little cheap compared to the more expensive models.
But honestly this model, dollar for dollar value, probably surpasses its more expensive brothers.
From what I've seen from my other Targus backpacks, is that they have a heavy-duty use (aka regular college experience) lifetime of about one year or so. Then after a year, the seams by the zippers of backpack will start to rip & what not. I have not had this happen yet with my model, & I've been using it for about three months so far. But I've had it happen to every other Targus Backpack I've purchased.
This backpack will comfortable hold 3-4 textbooks plus a laptop computer or 4-5 textbooks san a laptop.
There are three major pocket areas that can hold calculators, writing utensils, & other college peripherals.
Over all I really like this backpack for the money.
I've purchased the more the expensive Targus Models, they are very nice, but you have a tendency to loose more items in your backpack then store. (and the only have a shelf live of a year anyway.)
This is a good deal.
Update: (Aug 18, 2007 Year One with the backpack)
Wow, it's been a year since I've purchased this backpack, I've taken it camping, across country, across the Ocean and it's as durable & shiny as it was a month or so after purchase. (I'm very rough with my backpacks, this should be in tatters.)
No signs of wear and tear. Zipper is still fully functional. I'm very pleased with this backpack.
This is the best Targus bag I've ever purchased. Also, it's the cheapest Targus bag I've every purchase.
I still insist this is a great deal.
Update: July 30, 2008 (Year Two)
Wow, this backback is still going strong, no rips, no tears, and all of my zippers are still functional. (This is an awesome backpack.)
Customer Review: Great backpack for the price
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this notebook backpack to carry my laptop and work stuff - I didn't want to spend too much money but still have good quality and durability.
It is sturdy and roomy enough that I can carry a full sized Dell laptop AND a 15 " Mac Powerbook and both power adapters plus any folders, papers, etc and much more. There are two small zippered compartments I use for my ipod and flash drives, pens, business cards, USB cables etc... Then there is a large compartment for your notebook (1 padded built in sleeve for the notebook) and a large area for other stuff, big enough to put papers, folders, etc without bending them. Then there is a medium sized zippered compartment - big enough to stow a lot of stuff like cables, power adapters, digital cameras, snacks, etc - but not wide enough for papers or folders.
I even took it on a business trip to Asia and it worked nicely - I carried my digital camera and cables and stowed a light jacket in it along with snacks and my purchases made in the markets and it all fit, you can really pack a lot of stuff in it.
The only drawback for air travel is that the zippers will not allow you to completely open and lay the backpack flat which means you will have to remove your laptop when going through security. If you are a frequent air traveler, go for a different backpack that will completely zip open and lay flat.
Some more expensive notebook backpacks have more zippered compartments so if that is important you might want to consider a different one. That is not a problem for me - there is plenty of space in this backpack even though different things have to share the same compartment.
The other negative about this is that it is not waterproof. I have not gotten caught in the rain with it yet and carry an umbrella if I know rain is called for so hope that is never a problem. If waterproofing is important to you, consider a different backpack. Or consider a can of scotchguard - that might do the trick too.
If you need a good solid roomy notebook backpack on the cheap I would definitely recommend this one - it's working great for me.
Customer Review: UNBELIEVABLE value-would be a good purchase at 4x the price
Summary: 5 Stars
Saw a recommendation for this bag on a tech site and decided to try it. It's the real deal. I agree with the other poster that it looks a lot better in person than in the Amazon product shot. It doesn't look "expensive" in person (not a great idea for a bag containing a $1,500 machine anyway), but the picture makes it look cheesy, and that's not the reality.
Further, the Amazon sales copy above is erroneous -- I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this bag actually has many more features than are listed. One example: The copy says "Side Pocket for Extra Storage and Water Bottle Transport." In fact, there's not one side pocket; there are four: each side has its own zippered compartment, each covered by a discrete mesh water-bottle pouch. And there are other pockets inside that aren't mentioned. This is a great benefit to me, as my previous computer backpack had a few big compartments, rather than separate pockets -- everything would get tangled, and then spill out in a heap once opened. That won't happen with this bag. I'm not sure why Amazon is underplaying the features of this bag -- perhaps to protect the more expensive models?
A minor negative: the zippers feel like they're of medium (not high) quality. (It's a failed zipper on my old Jansport that has me searching for a new backpack. After 12 years of rough use I have no quibbles with the Jansport's quality -- but it was five times the price of this Targus.)
The only real caveat I would point out is visible in the product shot: it's that Targus has prominently embroidered their name on it. Anyone who would be looking to rip off a laptop would know that Targus makes computer accessories, so this seems a bonehead move -- why not just go all the way and sew "Steal This Laptop" in the same place? Oh, well -- if you can get past that, at this price (and more so with the rebate), this purchase is a no-brainer. Grab one before the price goes up, or before Targus figures out that this model is cannibalizing the sales of their more expensive units.