Booq Boa Flow XL, Black-Red Backpack for 17" laptops

 

 

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The Booq Boa Flow XL is an excellent, well designed backpack for carrying a lot of IT equipment, books, papers, cameras, headphones, etc - almost anything you will need. The materials are high quality - 1680D water repellant coated ballistic nylon. It is a semi-hard shell meaning that it keeps it's shape and protection properties. Wearing it all day, I found this to be the most comfortable backpack I have ever worn - despite having packed it full. Summing up its qualities in a few words - large capacity, extremely well protected laptop / camera areas and very comfortable / well balanced to wear. It wears lighter that it really is and looks proportionally to be the right size for people 5'10" and taller. It feels fine in every day usage and is good as a carry-on. It is easy to safely pull your laptop out for the security screening - no need for the bulkier TSA friendly split the bag in half setup.

The laptop compartment has a generous amount of space so really large laptops can fit in there. More importantly, I am impressed with the laptop protection it provides:
1) Separate laptop compartment to keep it from being scratched / damaged by whatever else in in the bag. It is lined with non-scratchy soft materials
2) Laptop compartment is at the back - good as it keeps the laptop in a naturally flat part of the bag and away from objects that could impact it
3) Padding is thick with much more dense foam than you normally find - excellent for drop protection. It feels like thick cardboard that slowly compresses when pushed - it's that rigid
4) Exterior backpack air flow padding is very thick - at least an inch thick. This provides even more protection
5) Firmly padded "lip" around the laptop compartment ensures no scratches from zippers and provides all around semi-hard protection from side impacts - side impact protection is something
missing in a lot of laptop bags, much less all around the bag
6) Bottom edges have a plastic piece inside the fabric to protect the laptop from corner impacts - another key form of protection often missing in laptop bags
7) Semi-hard shell of ballistic nylon provides even further protection from drops / impacts

There is room in the laptop section to put your laptop in a fairly thick sleeve (I use a Lacie Cozy EVA / ballistic nylon hard case). Also, the other main compartment has a lot of space to put another laptop if you need to carry 2 or more.

What is also unique about this bag is the large, well-padded pouch at the bottom of the bag. You can put a fair sized DSLR with medium sized lens or full sized headphones in this expandable section. You can collapse it down with built in Velcro straps when not in use and serves as extra padding at the bottom of the bag. As this pouch is at the bottom, you may feel it would be easy to break the camera inside but I wound just add a camera cover.

While the backpack looks large, it actually looks "right-sized" on me - I am 5'11", medium build and broad shouldered. I have worn it while bicycling and seen it on motorcyclists and the shape seems to lend itself well and looks aerodynamic.

As with all Booq products, there are so many pockets. Finding them is one thing (I think I found them all), remembering what you put in them is another - they are that well integrated into the form of the bag. I count about 18 pockets in 6 compartments. This bag is one of the heavier backpacks but all ballistic nylon bag are heavy due to its nature (2 or more strands weaved together and a 1680D weighting). As I mentioned before, it is comfortable to wear and I, surprisingly, do not feel the weight because of its well designed and balanced Shoulder Strap system. The straps as well padded, there is an adjustable Sternum Strap and a removable waist straps with these amazingly comfortable padded "wings" - one on each side. I actually find the backpack seems to help my posture.

Finally, I just wanted to mention a few interesting features I found:
1) Both sides have an integrated water bottle or umbrella holder covered with a zippered neoprene cover when not in use. There is also a pocket in there as well.
2) There is small pocket just in front of the main compartment near the top of the bag under the nylon overhang. This can be used to put your Iphone, Blackberry, etc.
It is protected from rain / impacts by a neoprene cover and that ballistic nylon fabric overhang
3) Look for pockets in the interior side walls of the main compartment
4) Compartments open in such a way as to prevent items falling out
5) Terralink service to help recover your bag if it goes missing
6) Solid but soft Carry Handle

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