CallawayCallaway International Gambit Pack, Graphite

After 8 years of use both nationally and internationally, it was finally time to retire my Tumi backpack. I literally spent a couple of weeks researching laptop backpacks at price points ranging from $30 up to $200 and finally settled on the Ogio Gambit. Not only is this backpack cool looking, its quality is better than I expected.There's plenty of storage space with lots of pockets. FYI, this is not a small backpack. However, not as large as its big brother the Ogio Renegade.I work in the IT field so I carry two laptops, various cables, power supplies, external hard drives, mouse, notepad, pens, post-it's, etc. Because of its many pockets, every thing is neatly stored. Within the "laptop" compartment there is a pocket labeled "small", this will accommodate a tablet (in my case a Surface Pro 3), 8 inches wide, while the main section should fit a slim 17inch laptop, I have a 15inch HP Elitebook 840 G3 and it fits with room to spare. So within the "Laptop" compartment I'm storing my HP AND Surface Pro3.Below the "Laptop" compartment there is a small pocket which Ogio says is for a digital camera or mouse. Within this compartment there are 2 additional small pockets. Yes, this backpack has a lot of pockets!The "Main" compartment is large, again keeping with the same no such thing as to many pockets theme, and has two pockets that are the width of the backpack. Gym cloths and a pair of shoes are easily accommodated within this section.Below the "main" compartment is another zippered compartment with... you guessed it MORE pockets! On of which is labeled "Tablet" while the opposite pocket is a zippered enclosure. I actually use this section to hold the various cables and portable hard drives I carry.Finally, there's the front most and smallest (don't be fooled by the word "smallest") compartment. This sections is pocket paradise! There are 5 dedicated pen holders, 2 open pockets, and 1 zippered pocket.On the top and sides of the backpack there are 5 more pockets! The top pocket is called the "Tech Vault", which is a rigid and zippered, great for sunglasses or anything you don't want smashed. The 2 top side pockets are also zippered and are of good size, I store my mouse in one of them. The 2 bottom side pockets are also zippered, Ogio claims these are "Dual side water bottle/accessory holders". The bottom pocket on the left (if facing the front of the backpack) has an adjustable elastic cord which can be used to secure a water bottle. The bottom pocket on the right does not, though it does contain an elastic strap. However, it's NOT adjustable.The shoulder straps are padded, but not overly so. I'd actually prefer a little more padding, I was spoiled by my Tumi backpack. lol Additionally, there is a luggage pass-through which is a nice touch. Oh I almost forgot, the chest strap is adjustable, another nice touch.Bottom line, this is an awesome backpack for the price and I do recommend it to my fellow organizational, slightly excessive compulsive road warriors. :)

This is a large versatile pack. That was my target and it works. For the money, be certain you want a pack of this size and versatility. I can use it for my work with room left over. I can travel with it. I can camp with it, fish with it. It simply adapts to what I need with margin for extras. When my wife borrows it, she isn't as big of a fan. She loves when we travel but for her typical use it is overkill and with so many compartments she finds herself guessing what is where. I have a smaller simpler leather pack that she prefers to use. My only complaint would be I get tired of black as the choice of better packs. I do wish there was a liner or even light built in that would allow contrast, it is so large it does feel a bit like a black hole. What can I carry with room to spare? Large laptop (15 inch) Water bottles, phone, charging battery for phone and iPad, iPad, pack jacket, note books, books, glasses and sunglasses, keys, wallet, pens, a puppy or 2 kittens, pocket knife, snacks, gum, AA batteries, small flashlight, leatherman, spare shirt, baseball hat, wife's stuff, and still have room for more. It fits well with proper adjustment, adjustments stay in place even with heavier load and it is easy to readjust for next load. I have never had a "cool" (temperature) pack but I have had hot ones. This one has been as cool as my coolest (temperature) pack that it replaced. Seams, stitching and zippers all hold up well, zippers stay zipped and are easy to open when I want them to. I don't know if the manufacturer is ok with this but it washes well in the washer when I put it in with jeans or towels and dries out very easily afterwards. I don't think I'd call it water proof, but it has had a dunk and kept stuff dry and been in heavy rain and shed the rain off better than I expected. It never absorbed water in either situation which I was grateful for. But, I may have just been lucky as well. It does become less stiff and more comfortable after a week or two of use.

This is my third Ogio backpack in 6 years. The first one had a minor fault after about 11 months and Ogio replaced it at no cost to me (awesome customer service). The second lasted almost 5 years through riding motorcycles, travel to foreign countries, and more motorcycles. It had to be retired due to fabric starting to tear and stitches coming out.With that being said, this backpack will be a perfect replacement for my old one. Firstly, there's something like 11 pockets that can be opened from the outside! That may seem like a lot, but they're placed well and all come with heavy duty zippers. I like having a dedicated pocket for a laptop (I have a Surface tablet that I use daily) that is between my back and the main compartment for 2 reasons: 1. It prevents me from feeling lumpy objects in the main compartment, and 2. If I'm on the bike and I have to ride in the rain, there's a lower chance of it getting wet.The materials seem to be made of a heavier duty fabric than my last backpack, which gives me hope that it will last longer than it's predecessor.Another great feature is the padded pockets for tablet and laptop, as well as the moulded and padded pocket for glasses.I have enough room to carry a change of clothing, a small emergency first aid kit, battery pack for charging devices, as well as a few small survival items.This is basically a perfect bug-out bag, but still small enough to be carried every day and have extra room to spare.The shoulder straps are very comfortable and seem as though I won't have any issues wearing this for long periods.At the end of the day, Ogio has yet to disappoint me in the almost 10 years I've been buying their products (I have other things from that far back too). I'm glad to see the quality of their products has stood the test of time.