Everki is apparently a company that takes their laptop bags seriously. We recently had a chance to review their Beacon backpack, which they graciously provided to us for the purpose of this review.
Where the bag shines is in the amount of space and organization it provides. It comes with a wide variety of padded compartments allowing you to neatly organize your gadgets and gear without piling them all into a messy heap. To test the bag out, I was able to fit in an Asus U52F laptop, an LG Rumor Touch, an iPad, an iPod touch, a pair of flash drives, an assortment of cords, SD cards, keys, wallet, a digital camera and a water bottle with room for even more stuff. I didn't feel weighed down by all the stuff i was carrying thanks to the bag's design.
At first glance, the Beacon might sound like a lot of other high quality backpacks on the market, especially those produced by Targus. However, unlike those backpacks, the Beacon manages to stand out with its game console sleeve, which is specially designed to let you carry your PS3, Xbox 360 in your travels, with easily accessible side pockets for your wallet, phone, and other gear.
This review would be amiss if I failed to mention the bag's bright orange lining, which lets both the bag (and you) stand out (if only a little) when you're on a bike. It's never safe to be invisible in traffic. The contrast of colors is eye-catching without being painful to look at. Needless to say, the Beacon looks tasteful in its black and orange color scheme.
The Beacon is large neough to fit an 18" laptop with ease, and comes with a padded compartment with soft felt lining for this exact purpose. You might want to consider getting one of these if your like lugging your gaming laptop with you.
Additional features of the bag include a mesh underside to keep your back cool, and a waterproof cover that can be pulled out to cover the bag, which is especially necessary when you need to brave the weather.
There are really no drawbacks to the Beacon. From what I can see, the bag is made from solid, durable materials. If you're looking for a backpack to keep your items neat and well organized then your really can't go wrong with Everki's Beacon backpack. With several compartments and features it includes. the backpack should definitely be on top of anyone's list for choice bags.
The Beacon retails at a price of $129.99, and you can pick one up at http://www.everki.com
Full disclosure: Everki provided us with a Beacon backpack to review.
