The old saying - out of sight, out of mind could not be more true when it comes to deterrents! Making things hard to get does discourage someone from taking your valuables but, it is even better if your valuables are hidden in plan sight so, nobody is any the wiser.
Samsonite's SECURIPAK takes the latter approach of hiding all zippers in plain sight so well that even the most determined individual will be baffled trying to find their way in! There are four zipper compartments, three of which are located on the rear of the SECURIPAK.
The largest rear compartment provides access into the bag's main compartment where the tablet and laptop are stored.
SECURIPAK's rear compartment zipper seam has a recessed construction so, the zipper seam has been sewn inwards, creating a 4cm wide raised edge around the rear of the bag. With the SECURIPAK flush on your backside, the rear panel zipper seam cannot be seen by anyone from the back or the sides.
Another advantage of having this raised lip around the perimeter of the bag is that it protects the zipper seam from water ingress when placing the backpack on a wet surface. The rear compartment dual zippers unzip all the way down to the bottom, opening up horizontally in two halves like a clamshell.
The rear compartment integrates detachable fabric hinges, which are detached by unfastening the snap button and velcro strip built-in to each hinge. The combination of snap fasting and velcro has been designed for the purpose of adjusting the hinge opening of the rear compartment so, you can unfasten the snap button without completely detaching the hinge. This is useful when you only need to reach into the bag to retrieve your laptop or tablet.
The laptop and table sleeves are secured via a nifty retractable velcro fastener which extends and retrieves elastically out of the way.
As mentioned earlier, the laptop/tablet sleeves are very well protected. They have foam padding all around, including the sides and bottom of the sleeves to prevent damage when dropping the bag on the ground. The back of the laptop/table sleeve is protected by the rear panel backside padding.
The rear panel padding is extremely comfortable and spans the entire length and width of the SECURIPAK (40cm high and 26cm wide), providing adequate lumbar support. The rear panel padding is stitched into two square sections, which creates long grooves for air to flow and minimize sweatiness. The rear panel also integrates a pass-through trolley sleeve made of thin nylon webbing, measuring 20cm long and 4cm wide.
On the rear panel side, there are two well padded sleeves for storing a laptop and tablet. The dimensions for the laptop sleeve are 30cm tall and 26cm wide; while the dimensions for the tablet are 24cm tall and 20cm wide.
SECURIPAK's main compartment has a 17 liter volume capacity with 4-inch depth from the rear panel to the front of the bag. You won't be able to store very bulky items other than tech gadgets, charging cords and power banks. When empty, the Samsonite SECURIPAK weighs just 700 grams and, because it's very compact, you can easily store it inside a travel suitcase to use as a daybag for short sightseeing trips.
The Samsonite SECURIPAK also works superbly for commuting to work and/or taking tech gear back and forth from an office. There is a USB female port pass-through from the top of the bag into the main compartment. The USB port pass-through is connected to a 2 feet long cable that terminates into a USB-A male connector so, you can connect it to a power bank.
The USB port pass-through on the SECURIPAK is protected by a rubber flap, which is thoughtful since most USB charging ports on backpacks are exposed. The USB charging port on the SECURIPAK is also built-in flush to the bag rather than protruding outward on the bag like most do. This makes the USB charging port on the SECURIPAK highly unlikely to get damaged prematurely.
The main compartment features two elastic pen holders, a zippered pocket (measures 19cm high and 19cm wide), two open pockets (measure 10cm high and 10cm wide) and two elastic mesh pockets which double as handy internal side pockets for storing two small water bottles.
There are also four tiny little black pockets. The smallest pocket measures 3cm high and 5cm wide. The other three tiny pockets measure 6cm high and 6cm wide.
The Samsonite SECURIPAK also features a secret pocket on top of the bag, which is perfect as a quick-stash pocket. The secret pocket is cleverly hidden by the fold over of the shoulder strap; hence it is virtually inaccessible and unnoticeable while wearing the backpack. This quick-stash secret pocket measures 13cm high and has a narrow top (15cm wide) and a wider bottom (20cm wide).
The shoulder straps are slightly curved outwards and measure 35cm long. The width of the shoulder straps is slightly wider at the top (7cm) and narrower towards the bottom end (5cm). The shoulder straps have 5mm thick firm springy foam padding covered with breathable mesh on the underside. The shoulder straps are extremely comfortable and have a wide 12cm long spacing so, the shoulder straps don't rub against the side of the neck.
There is no sternum strap but the top grab handle has been cleverly sewn to the shoulder straps, keeping the shoulder straps together. The top grab handle measures 16cm long and 2cm wide. Just beneath the top grab handle, there is also a small nylon webbing loop.
The zippered pockets alongside the rear panel measure 25cm high and 17cm deep/wide. One of those pockets has an RFID shield (oil-like material), making this pocket very useful as a RFID-blocking pouch to prevent anyone from by an RFID reader
All zippers have rubber pull tabs, which add the finishing touches to the SECURIPAK. The rear panel pull tabs are made of soft rubber and have Samsonite embossed branding on them. The rear pull tabs are long and thin, measuring 5cm long and 0.5cm wide and are connected to metal zippers via tiny hinges, which allow the pull tabs to fold up and down.
Samsonite SECURIPAK has quality stitching throughout, it is secure and well constructed. It is a 17 litre backpack so it is small and compact. The bag's outershell polyester fabric is made of 100% recycled PET plastic bottles.
According to the price tag, 11 plastic bottles were used for the making of the bag, making the Samsonite SECURIPAK a more eco-friendly backpack than a backpack that uses virgin polyester.
Being made of polyester, the Samsonite SECURIPAK is naturally water resistant. There is no special DWR coating on the bag but, should you get caught under a rain downpour the Samsonite SECURIPAK will perform better under the rain than most regular bags, thanks to the hidden zipper design.
There is cut resistant fabric material lining the inside. The grey strip running across the front of the bag is a reflective strip that reflects light shone into it. Midaway along the reflective grey strip, there is a rubber tag with Samsonite branded on it. You can buy the SECURIPAK 17 liter backpack from Amazon or Samsonite. Check out the PARADIVER duffle bag, the Samsonite Midtown backpack, the Magnum Eco rolling suitcase and the Samsonite Litepoint backpack