Swerve Laptop Backpack, Black, One Size

Purchased this bag almost 8 years ago and it’s still holding up! It got me through all of my schooling and then some. The straps have a nice padding so it’s comfortable on my shoulders and back. It’s really durable and has carried heavy textbooks, notebooks, laptops, and so much more over the years. There’s so much space and storage compartments. I can definitely see myself using this bag for many years to come.

I needed a computer pack for daily use as well as for occasional travel. I bought this just before taking a 10-day trip that involved travel by plane, train and bus. The pack went through numerous security checks as well as being stored in all manner of locations including under seats, in overhead bins and under other bags. So far, the bag has held up very well. I do see some slight signs of wear, but under the circumstances, I am not concerned. As for the usefulness of the pack itself, it's pretty well organized in terms of compartments. The laptop area is sufficient, I would suspect for laptops up to 17", but probably not larger. My 17" fits just fine, though it is just on the snug side. There are plenty of access flaps to various compartments, though I do have one beef with the design. In the rearmost compartment, it is divided into 3 separate 'pockets' of space - one for a laptop and 2 more for binders, paper, etc. You can access all 3 from the back flap, right above the laptop pocket, or from the next zippered opening in front of that pocket. It makes it appear like there are 2 separate storage areas, when it's really 2 openings to the same space. To me, I just don't see the need to add the additional opening, but that's just my preference. I like the small pouch at the top of the bag when traveling - when it's time to hit a security checkpoint, I pull any metal I may have - change, keys, etc. out of my pocket and put them in that pouch. They are easy to retrieve after clearing security. The front pouch has the usual little pockets for misc. items, plus pen/pencil holders. Two water bottle pouches on either side of the bag can handle up to 1 liter bottles of water, though a slightly smaller bottle is a better fit. The bag is fairly spacious, but not over-sized. I've used this for a day pack while taking walking trips and packing food, jackets, a camera and other misc. stuff. It's capable of holding more than it would appear to hold at first glance.Fully loaded, the pack is comfortable enough for me to carry all day. The straps are well padded and the breathable mesh on the back of the pack as well as the straps make for a more comfortable fit. Also, I'm a big guy - 6'1". I sometimes have trouble finding packs that have sufficient strap length for someone my size - that's no problem here. My wife, at almost a foot shorter, could easily adjust the pack to fit her if needed. Even fully loaded, this was comfortable to carry - assuming you're not carrying lead bricks. There is a handle at the top of the pack that makes grab and go or retrieval from a luggage bin much easier. Build quality is great. It's not water-proof or even water resistant as far as I can tell, but it's a good sturdy material that should hold up for awhile. The zippers seem to be heavy duty and good quality - having dealt with faulty zippers in the past, that's one of the first things that catch my attention. The pack looks nice, which is always a bonus. Overall, this is one of the better packs of this type I've ever owned. I'm considering buying a second just to make sure I have it if this one ever wears out. 5 stars for me.

So I've owned this backpack for 4 years now. I bought it originally for my sophomore year of high school. I was an advanced placement student so I needed a backpack that would fit about 3 large textbooks in it and my all the notebooks, folders, and other such things such as novels, my phone, headphones, gum, pencils etc. And it worked great. It was always packed to the brim however, so for after school sports I wouldn't have much room for that gear save for a pair of shorts and another t shirt. If you're like me however and needed to bring around your baseball equipment or your wrestling shoes just bring another bag, this bag isn't big enough for school AND sports gear. For a high schooler, itll be awesome for your schools supplies but bring another bag for your sports equipment. Fast forward to now where I am currently in college and let me just say...wow. 4 years later and it's still holding up extremely well. I am finding no signs of damage or fraying. all the zippers are still intact zipping fine. Currently the back pack has a 15.6 inch laptop in it with 3 textbooks (all paperback thank god), a 300 page novel, 5 notebooks and folders, as well as pencils, pens, my sony MDR-XB950BT headphones, a 1.5L water bottle, my laptop charger, a mouse, a portable phone charger, a graphing calculator, deodarant, and still has a tiny bit of space for maybe 2 smaller notebooks. I even use the side straps to carry a lunch box around campus. As you can imagine, the bag is pretty full, but it's still relatively easy to take stuff in and out of the bag quickly without too much hassle. I've even taken this on trips hiking in California and chicago. I love taking this bag on planes because of how much you can cram into it. It's also super easy at security checks because of the laptop access sleve that you open that lets you slide your laptop in and out without any hassle. Now it's not the best hiking backpack, I only used it because I didn't have my actual hiking bag on me and I was offered to go on a short 15 mile hiking trip in the mountains. It held up very well holding water, some snacks, and some other random supplies that I didn't feel like taking out of my bag. Would have been nice to have a chest or waist strap. Wouldn't reccommend it for longer hikes but for short hikes it's actually not half bad. All in all great, durable bag for you college students, high schoolers, or even people who like to travel on planes. Very sturdy, spacious, and good looking. Well worth the $30 spent. TL:DR Pros: -Lots of room for textbooks and a laptop -durable -padded back/straps -side straps to tighten bag/make it smaller -Very durable -Low profile -4 main compartments plus an easy access laptop compartment zipper thing -Easy access valuables pouch. -Really slick looking Cons: -No waist/chest strap -Tough time holding water bottles more than 1 liter -Wearing for long periods of time (30 min plus) the straps tend to dig into your sides making it very uncomforable. Only when loaded to the brim mind you

This is by far my favorite backpack of any I have owned. I bought it December 2014 primarily to take a days worth of snacks for 3 kids to Disneyland. It had enough sections to keep snacks, water bottles, jackets, etc. organized. It has excelled in every setting since, and has become my preferred bag for any kind of travel. I can take everything I need for a few days to anywhere. The top handle is padded and sturdy, feels great in the hand when the bag is heavy. The zippers are among the best I have ever seen. It fits under an airline seat when full. The side mesh pockets are great for water bottles or umbrellas. It is well made and has held up perfectly over the years, today still looks almost like new. I plan to use it for many years into the future. If I could design a perfect backpack, I would start with this one and change only a few things. I don't care about USB charging ports, you can push your charging cable through the headphones port on the front pocket - keeping your battery charger in one of the smaller dividers. I do wish it had a luggage strap on the back, but there are other ways to strap a bag on top of a wheeled carryon. I personally don't travel with a laptop so I have no use for the lay-flat rear laptop zippered section that other backpacks have. I like the way this has a zipper above the padded computer sleeve in the back, for easy access to whatever you have in that section. A "hidden" pocket on the back would be nice, for passports or money. I have always been a little puzzled at the two zippers that access the same main rear pocket, it would make more sense if the laptop section was completely separate since it has its own zipper. Overall it's a well made, comfortable, versatile backpack. I expect it to perform well for many years to come.

This is a pretty good backpack and it is pretty good for everyday moderately heavy use. The inside holds a lot of stuff it can be full and still be comfortable to wear. However, after some use the water bottle strap on the side has torn a little bit. I don't know if it got cut somehow or it was just faulty. Otherwise, the backpack is really good.

If you’re looking for a durable backpack with tons of storage space, look no further! This backpack is perfect for high school and college students, as well as adults. As a college student myself, I have worn through several backpacks over the years and several of my peers credited their High Sierra backpacks for their long lifespan and dependability. I finally caved and bought the Swerve last November and have absolutely loved using it ever since. My major criteria for selecting a new backpack were: (1) durability, (2) storage space, (3) affordability, and (4) adequate protection for electronic devices such as a personal computer. When comparing brands, High Sierra met all of my criteria, while its competitors were lacking in some areas. My Swerve looks brand new yet, has room to store all of the supplies I need for school and spare workout clothing, and was well within my price range (compare to previous backpack purchases of $80 and $110). Additionally, High Sierra boasts a fully padded computer sleeve fitting up to 17” laptops. My 3-year old MacBook Pro has notoriously had its hard drive cable replaced seven times. Hard drive cables on laptops are often worn from being carried inside a backpack and pushed up against books inside and that had been a constant problem with my past backpacks. Since switching to the Swerve, I haven’t had any problems with my laptop’s hard drive! My only major complaint about this product is that everyone seems to have a black High Sierra backpack – sometimes it’s hard to tell yours apart from others. My boyfriend actually had the Access backpack in black as well and even though the designs are different, it is difficult to tell at first glance. I have also heard that the zippers are poor quality, but I have yet to experience any difficulties or problems with mine. If anything I mentioned in my review as a positive characteristic for my top criteria matches up with your own, strongly consider the Swerve as your next backpack purchase. It’s an excellent, versatile product that will not disappoint and can meet just about any need or purpose you decide to use it for.

Best backpack ever for working folks! I had one for at least 5 years and it constantly was dirty and put through the wringer. When it finally broke I knew I needed to order another one. Ever since I’ve had it it’s been amazing and durable for hard work and it’s easy to clean. Whenever someone needs a work backpack I suggest this one. The style is cool as well. The have a good range of colors as well.

The backpack quality is really nice and worth it. The material, storage capacity, and size are better than expected.

High Sierra is the only go to bag for high quality, solid zips, lots of storage, and overall a fantastic bag. I use this on the plane every week and it is yet to fail me.

Finest backpack used so far. Light , compact , fulfills requirement , easy to carry and manage. Great storage, wonderful size, brilliant look. Excellent quality material and zips . a sure recommendation to one and all 😊

Good 👍

I carry a lot of stuff around with me every day, a lot of heavy stuff, and before I got this backpack I was going through a new backpack every few months. I've had this backpack now for two years and have really used and abused it during that time. It's held up better than I ever expected to: no rips, no holes, no bursting seams, no frayed straps or broken zippers. The only damage is that some of the bottom piping is just now starting to rub off where the bag has sat on the ground or floor. There are so many other things to love about the backpack (and High Sierra in general) beyond the quality of the construction: -- Pockets. So many pockets and pouches and sections that you'll be spoiled for choice and wonder how you got along without so many options. The padded laptop section in the main pocket fits -- and more importantly protects -- my laptop really well, though I use it mostly for holding larger books and folders of paper. (My only gripe about the many pockets is that the bag gets a little front heavy if you put as much into the front pockets as they will hold so you'll be forever pulling the bag upright again, but it's a small gripe.) -- The suspension system on the straps is fantastic. Most backpacks are fairly uncomfortable to carry after awhile if you carry a lot of stuff. The High Sierra suspension system has more give, making the weight easier to bear. (It also helps extend the life of the straps because there is less stress where the straps attach to the bag body when you pick up the bag.) The fact that both the inside of the straps and the back of the bag are padded make this probably the most comfortable backpack I've ever used. I honestly can't recommend this backpack enough.

I have had the very same model for 11 years, from 2014 up to one week ago (Sep 2025), in blue. I used it every day, and it lasted eleven years with no problem whatsoever. This one (black) looks slightly better, and I am looking forward for another decade of everyday use. Highly recommended!