review

American Tourister At Work Review Blue Melange Backpack Nazca-Inspired

Wednesday, October 07, 2020

Bags have been around since the dawn of age used by pedlars and pilgrims for holding and carrying provisions! Today, most of us use bags for practically the same purpose, along with our beloved gadgets we cannot live without!
Newly released on the market, the American Tourister At Work laptop backpack is a hardwearing bag that you can rely on to accommodate all your things, including a two laptops and a couple of tablets. Decorating the front of the front-facing zip compartment is eye-catchy Nazca-inspired fabric print, which is made of 100% Polyester. 
Traditional Nazca fabric is 100% cotton made made by Peruvian tailors who are said to take their inspiration from the famous ancient Nazca Lines located in the Nazca Desert of southern Peru. Right above the Nazca-like print, there is some branding - a 3D text logo of American Tourister, which is not etched or embroidered but made with individually raised rubber letters, using a heat transfer press machine. The logo is 5cm long and 1cm wide.
Backpacks typically come with embroidering (stitching) or heat transfer printing such as 3D lettering or ink printed heat transfer pressed on to the fabric. Heat transfer is probably the most popular method since it's easier, cheaper and more versatile than stitching onto fabric, which is obviously more time consuming.
The Nazca-inspired front facing compartment of the At Work laptop backpack measures 29cm high and has a beveled design; hence it is narrower at the top (approx 20cm wide) and wider towards the bottom (25cm wide). This compartment opens half-way via a single reverse coil zip, which doesn't show the teeth, making this compartment slightly more water resistant than regular coil zips. This said, while the teeth don't show there isn't any PVC or rubber coating on the actual seam of the zip; hence the compartment isn't waterproof.
Just above the Nazca-inspired front compartment, there is a small secret pocket that is fastened via a blue reverse coil zip. The secret pocket has fabric guards over the zip, which do a good of concealing the zip and the pull tab out of sight. The secret compartment measures 16cm long and 9cm high. 
Just above the secret compartment, the American Tourister At Work laptop backpack features a tablet compartment, which is the second largest compartment of the bag and opens up half-way via a double slider zip with regular coil teeth. The tablet compartment features two pen holders and three sleeve pockets, one of which is large enough for storing a couple of tablets. The tablet sleeve pocket measures 27cm high and 29cm wide. The other two sleeve pockets measure 11cm high and approx. 12cm wide. The pen holders measure 11cm high and have the diameter of a finger.
The tablet compartment is lined with thinner polyester material and measures 38cm high and it's also beveled; hence it is wider at the bottom (32cm) and progressively narrower towards the top (26cm). When keeping stuff in the tablet compartment, bear in mind that the bag's compartments run all the way down to the base of the bag, although there is sufficient foam padding to absorb some shock should you accidentally drop the bag. The front and back of the tablet sleeve pocket is made of thicker padding.
The main compartment is also front facing; hence the American Tourister At Work laptop backpack does not have rear facing compartments, which are typically found with anti-theft backpacks. If you prefer a rear-facing main compartment, check out the Securipak. 

The At Work laptop backpack main compartment (laptop compartment) measures 45cm high and, just like the other compartments it is beveled; hence it is wider at the bottom (35cm wide) and narrower at the top where it measures 33cm wide. The laptop compartment has a dedicated and thick padded sleeve, which is wide and can expand up to 3 inches out for storing any large bulky items other than a laptop. You will be able to fit any thickness of laptop as long as the laptop is not longer than 17 inches (43cm). 

The measurements of the laptop sleeve pocket are actually 35cm wide and 33cm (13 inches) long. When storing a larger laptop, it will stick out of the compartment, although there is an elastic velcro strap sewn to the outside to keep the laptop inside the pocket. While the elastic velcro strap is nice, it isn't as useful for smaller laptops because the velcro material is small so, you cannot shorten the length to strap down the laptop more snugly. 
Aside from the laptop sleeve, there is a large open space for storing other things like a pair of trainers, lunch work, small tripod, etc. There isn't any other type of compartmentalization inside of this compartment; hence everything stored in there will be lumped together. Total volume capacity is 25 litres. The bag weighs 600 grams when empty, making it a good size bag to keep inside a larger bag for day trips.
Moving on to the exterior, the American Tourister At Work laptop backpack has a thickly padded grab handle at the top, which is reinforced with thick stitching at the ends. The grab handle measures 20cm long, 3.5cm wide and 0.5cm thick. The underside of the grab handle is lined with spandex-like material, which feels soft to the touch and minimizes a sweaty hand.
The American Tourister At Work laptop backpack has side pockets too, on either side, measuring 18cm long. The side pockets are made of breathable mesh fabric, which is non-stretchable but the pocket does have an elastic section at the top for cinching larger items.
There are two other grab handles located on the rear of the back, just behind the main grab handle. One of those grab handles is made of thin melange fabric material that is sewn to the sides of the bag and measures 24cm and 2.5cm wide. The other grab handle is a standard black webbing loop that you typically find in most backpacks. The loop handle has a 13cm circumference.
The American Tourister At Work laptop backpack has an external height of 45cm, while the rear panel which rests on the back measures 42cm high. The width of the rear panel has an interesting hexagon design; hence it is wider at the centre (33cm wide) and narrower at the ends where it measures 29cm wide. 
The rear panel has sublime rear padding, which is split into two sections, allowing a large gap in between for air to flow. Ventilation is excellent on this bag. The rear form padding also has an irregular shape, being wider at the top (10cm wide) and progressively narrower towards the bottom (5cm). The thickness of the rear padding is 2cm.
The American Tourister At Work laptop backpack has very comfortable shoulder straps too, which have a uniform s-curve design, measuring 43cm long and 7cm wide. The foam padding on the shoulder straps measures 1cm thick and is covered with breathable mesh fabric.
The spacing between the shoulder straps is 6.5cm, which comfortably accommodates a 16-inch neck. If your neck is thicker, the fabric of the shoulder straps may rub against the sides of your neck, which is mostly a problem if you wear the bag with a collar-less shirt or sweater, which exposes the neck. The shoulder straps buckles are made of hard plastic.
All the zips in the American Tourister At Work laptop backpack are made with plastic teeth, while the pull tabs are all made of black anodized metal. The stitching is sound throughout the bag with a well thought out shoulder strap design, which is practically unlikely to break apart because the shoulder strap and rear padding are actually one single continuous piece, which is stitched at the top with a thick webbing strap.
More webbing straps can be found on the front of the shoulder straps - a total of two webbing loops on each strap for passing through or hooking small items like a pair of sunglasses. The American Tourister At Work laptop backpack is entirely made of 100% polyester, using melange thread and cross dyed to give the fabric a denim-like look. 
The American Tourister At Work laptop bag is available to buy from American Tourister and amazon in different colorways. If you do a lot business/weekend trips or simply want a larger bag, check out the Paradiver - a duffle bag with rolling wheels. Check out the review of the Samsonite Midtown backpack, the Gregory Nano 20 backpack.

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