Booq Cobra Brief, Black

The quality of the bag is good, however, the outside pockets do not zip up, and if it rains things in theses pockets will get wet. Didn't like this bag. Returned for refund.

BOOQ COBRA bags have been around long enough for consumers to build a trust in them – well made with fine material and smart looking – but the additional aspect this company keeps in mind is specificity. Everyone makes briefcases – expensive, luxurious, all manner of leather assortments, and spacious containers for business needs. But Booq Cobra briefcase takes that a step further and provides a safe carrying case that protects your expensive laptop, tablets, iPads, smartphones etc.Made of very durable and waterproof nylon with professional heavy-duty zipper closures, the bag is first and foremost impressive in the compartment designed for the laptop. Once unzipped that compartment shows a fully padded space into which the laptop fits comfortably and safely. According to the label the safety compartment fits a 15 or 17-inch MacBook, up to 16.4-inch PC laptop, with easily accessed exterior pockets perfectly dimensioned for iPad, a main compartment outfitted with a large-format zippered pocket and leather-trimmed open pockets for iPad charger, iPhone, wallet or pens, this highly functional bag offers just the right balance of capacity and compact size.In other words, everything your devices require has special compartments, assuring safety even on trips where things get thrown around. And of course there is plenty of space for books, papers, binders etc. he handle (or shoulder strap if your prefer carrying it that way) are well designed and comfortable. Using this new brief it is difficult to find a problem with any aspect.This sort of expertise in design and manufacturing it tough to match. It is just that fine! And one last bit of applause, Once registered, the Booq Terralinq service may help reunite you with your lost and found bag! Grady Harp, April 16This product was sent gratis for an unbiased review.

Great professional appearance, sturdy, protective, well-worth getting.Background: This is my second Booq laptop bag, and it is being used in my role as a young medical professional. Many other laptop bags are pretty boring or downright ugly, but Booq has figured out how to make their bags not only durable, protective, and with good organization, but also with a good sense of style that fits well the needs of professionals. I have used this bag now for over a month and here is my detailed review.Build quality, body/outside: The Booq Cobra Brief is arguably the best-looking laptop brief they make. The contrasting steel zippers on black nylon make the bag really stand out visually. It has a very high-quality, sophisticated look. Even though it has lots of room inside, this bag is still narrower by an inch in depth compared to the smaller Boa Saddle. It accomplishes this by being a taller and wider. Overall, I prefer the taller, wider, thinner equation of the Cobra Brief because you still get lots of room, but with less bulk. The body is high-denier nylon for durability, and is also water repellent to keep your stuff from getting soaked in a surprise downpour. Stiffener panels are used in the body of the bag to help add rigidity while also helping protect the contents from impacts. The handles are wrapped in leather, which gives a nice padding and confident grip. Even with my bag heavily loaded, the handles make it comfortable to carry. The removable shoulder strap also works great, is fully adjustable in length, and has a nice removable shoulder pad. Like on other Booq bags, the underside of the shoulder pad is made of a very soft material, which should keep suit jackets and other fine clothing from suffering wear and tear. The bottom of the bag is also trimmed in a strip of leather as an accent, with ballistic nylon for the base of the bag.A word about stability: The bag has a nice wide, flat bottom and good supporting structure throughout, so it does a great job of not falling over, even when standing on its own without any support. You can have the main compartment wide open to get to things easily and not have to worry that the bag is going to dump everything on the floor. It’s the most stable bag I have.Lining material: The contrast lining in dark orange makes it easy to find your stuff inside. Just like the contrast zippers, this bold interior color helps set the bag apart with a splash of color.Front pocket: The Booq Cobra Brief has a large, thin front zipper pocket which is great for things like tickets, other small paper items, or even an iPad.Quick access device pocket: This is one of the stars of this bag. There is a hidden pocket between the front pocket and main compartment that is lined with a smooth, almost furry feeling fabric, perfect to keep from scratching phone and tablet screens. There are two vertical pockets inside, one sized for a regular smartphone, the other for a phablet or small tablet. A full iPad can also fit in the main section of this compartment as well. Because there is no zipper, it’s very quick to get your devices in and out of this pocket.Main compartment: The main pocket in this bag is well thought out, with some great details. First off, the zipper has two pulls, and you can unzip this compartment just at the top, or all the way to the bottom. If you open the compartment fully, the bag will not spill out in half, instead, there are gussets that hold it open at a set maximum angle, allowing you to get things in and out easily without having worry about stuff falling out.On the front side of the compartment are a few cool features. At the very top, just below the zipper, are two unique wide spandex loops meant to hold another couple pens right near the top opening of the bag. A Terralinq security tag is also up there, and importantly is inside the bag on this model. This really helps keep the external design pure, because if someone finds your lost bag, they are probably going to open it no matter what, and they will still find the tag. Briefly, the tag is like a VIN plate in a car: it is metal, has an alphanumeric code, and is designed to be tamper-resistent as its riveted to the body of the bag. If you lose your bag, there is a website printed on this tag, and the person who finds the bag can enter your code at that site and supply their contact info. The website then sends you their info because you previously registered your contact info with the same Booq Terralinq website when you first get your bag. It’s a great idea that really emphasizes how well-designed these bags are. Further down on this panel is a full-width zipper pocket for securing large, thin objects like important papers.In the middle of the compartment is a couple of inches in depth of free space, big enough for a large textbook or equivalent.Moving on to the back panel, there are three large pen slots that could accommodate two ballpoint pens each, or one large fountain pen or highlighter. Flanking the pen silos are two large leather-trimmed interior pockets that can hold all the other miscellaneous small items, like flash drives, earbuds, chargers, etc. One pocket can be used to hold most water bottles, if you want to carry water with you. Just behind this is a full-width leather-trimmed non-zipper dedicated document pocket. This is a great design, and a highlight of the compartment. I always am carrying some kind of documents or files with me, and this is the perfect place for them. There’s no zipper to get in the way, and the leather trim helps to give the pocket opening some form. Finally, there is also a detachable key-chain that is anchored to the upper corner of the bag, making it easy to keep your keys secure and quick to access.Laptop compartment: This compartment is lined with a very smooth cushioned fabric that will not mar your laptop, and make it easy to quickly get in and out. Padding should be sufficient to protect from routine bumps.Back compartment: This non-zipper open-top compartment rides closest to you, and is great for throwing last minute items in. It also works great to stash the entire shoulder strap in without having to undo anything. This quickly transforms the shoulder brief into a handle-carried brief, for those times when you need the shoulder strap to not get in the way.Back panel: There is a nice luggage passthrough, so you can easily dock this brief to your luggage handle while traveling.Negatives: The only potential downside to having metal zippers is that they could theoretically scratch, so you would want to be careful putting a phone or iPad in the front pocket, especially. I did not find the main compartment’s metal zipper to be an issue at all, due to the wider opening, it tends to stay out of the way.Secret hidden stuff: Both brief handles emerge from open-top pockets, so it’s easy to stuff both back into their respective pockets. This creates the appearance of a bag without handles in an instant. Also, each of the main compartment spandex pen holders is actually made of two pieces of spandex bands. This lets you either put a pen through only the outer band for less grip, or through both bands for a very secure grip.Summary: This is a high-end, stylish bag. It looks it, and it also has the smart functionality to match.Disclaimer: I was provided a sample of this product. My above opinions are expressly my own, and I have freely shared my thoughts without any interference.