I want to preface this review by saying that prior to purchasing the Swiss Gear Synergy, I owned a Swiss Gear Maxxum pack for about two and a half years (see my review of that pack as well). I wore the Maxxum about 6 days a week, with a consistently very full and heavy load and was extremely satisfied. But, after 2.5 years, the shoulder straps started to show their age, and I decided it was time for a replacement. I knew before I began my search that my next bag would also be a Swiss Gear, and perhaps another Maxxum.
I visited a local store that had 5 models of Swiss Gear packs in stock (but sadly, not a Maxxum) and gave them all a good looking over for features and construction as well as a check for personal fit. I was quickly able to eliminate a few of the smaller models as they simply didn't have the raw storage volume I require for my daily load. The final three in contention were the Cobalt, Pegasus, and Synergy. I next eliminated the Swiss Gear Pegasus (a great looking bag) from consideration, for while it was clearly designed for carrying very large laptops (17"), aside from the computer, this bag was obviously meant to hold generally flat things. While I gladly would have paid the higher price for the Pegasus, it simply would not accept the larger and roughly cube-ish, cylinder-ish or sphere-ish shapes I often need to carry (camera bag, lunch, water, soup thermos and more).
In the end, I selected the Synergy, and I'm VERY glad I did.
DECIDING FACTORS
VOLUME AND SPACE USABILITY - Of the bags I was considering, the Synergy has both the largest volume as well as the best configuration of that volume for my real world uses. Additionally, while several of the bags I was looking at had side zip water pockets, only the Synergy's felt generous enough to entirely contain a reasonably sized bottle when completely zipped. The total cubic capacity of this bag seems very similar to that of the Maxxum, but the pack has a more vertical and usable orientation of that volume. While the compartments of the Maxxum get shorter the further you move from the packplane of the pack, the Synergy takes very similarly sized compartments and arranges them such that they are in a taller, more back hugging overall shape. The Maxxum really sticks out quite a way when it's fully loaded, while the Synergy hugs your body more closely. I find this a great improvement.
BACK PAD VENTILATION - Having humped the Maxxum around for the better part of three years, I know how well the design of the back pad moves air around your back. The Synergy has the same back pad as the Maxxum, and to me, that's a big plus. I've carried this pack, fully and heavily loaded for very long periods, both standing and walking, and it's always been comfortable, even on warm days.
DURABILITY - The Maxxum and Synergy are very similarly constructed, and I can tell you that my Maxxum held up to very rough treatment for the full span of the two and a half years I had it. These are very tough bags, inside and out.
STRAPS - while the straps were the first part of the Maxxum to "fail", I have to admit, with the load I put in mine, I fully expected the straps to have given out after about a year ... but they didn't. Not even after two years. Even at two and a half years, they hadn't exactly failed, they were looking pretty rough, and I decided to play it safe. I never weighed my pack full, but those who tried packing it often remarked 'What do you put IN this thing, bricks?' Well, a very heavy laptop + very heavy adapter + very heavy spare battery make up the worst of the load. Add in a camera, voice recorder, notepads, books, wireless mouse, lunch, assorted papers, vitamins, address book, keys, umbrella and more, and the bag gets very heavy. This size bag holds a lot, and if the straps aren't super strong, all that weight would rip them out by the roots (which has happened to me before with lesser bags). But not these straps. They're tough. As for those of you who prefer a waist strap, I've tried packs with them before and didn't like them for myself at all. This pack keeps the load right where I want it and keeps it comfortable for long stretches of time.
POCKETS - After volume, durability and fit, it's all about the pockets for me. Like the Maxxum, the Synergy has a truly brilliant combination of pockets for those of us who have to carry a mobile production studio on our back. If all you have is a laptop and some flat notebooks, the Pegasus looks like an awesome pack, but if you need to stuff in gloves, hats, cameras, accessories, food, water and more, the Synergy is the pack to get. How many pockets? Oy ... let's count.
PC COMPARTMENT (closest to your back)
1) Main padded PC pocket(red) with securing Velcro strap. NOTE: When you open the compartment nearest your back, the PC pocket is located away from your back. This provides more buffer between back of pack and the PC ... I like that.)
2) Netted accessories pocket next to PC pocket
3) Open center area within PC compartment for papers or notebooks (against your back, providing potentially more padding)
SIDE COMPARTMENT LEFT
4) Zipper close compartment for water bottle
5) Netted open top stretch pocket, wrapping around zipper pocket
SIDE COMPARTMENT RIGHT
6) Zipper close compartment for water bottle
7) Netted open top stretch pocket, wrapping around zipper pocket (not for nuts ... the squirrels WILL find them and eat through the net :) )
Now, moving to the front of the pack and working our way back toward the PC pocket.
FRONT MOST POCKET
8) Small zip pocket could hold CD/DVD player, wallet, address book, calendar or similar sized object. Good for quick access items.
PERSONAL ACCESSORIES COMPARTMENT (2ND from front)
This area is designed to hold small personal items like pocket cameras, keys, business cards, pocket knife, loose small items, pens, pencils, etc. Red liner makes it easier to find small stuff when in low light.
9) Large zipper "pencil" pouch (a pack of 12 highlighters fits in there well)
10) Elastic Netted "camera" pocket (for pocket camera)
11) Velcro flap cover "Pocket knife" sleeve
12-16) 5 card/cardstack pockets
17) Key ring clip
18) Open area in front of smaller pockets for larger calendar, papers, etc.
SHIELD POCKET COMPARTMENT (3rd from front, with Swiss Gear shield facing front)
19) This single medium/large sized compartment is perfectly sized to hold my winter gloves, sunglasses in case, warm hat, hairbrush and umbrella - accessories that I don't always need but REALLY want handy when the weather turns against me. Or in hot weather, this could hold a sun hat, shorts, t-shirt, flip flops etc. This compartment is tall, wide but not very deep, so it wouldn't work for a soup thermos, cubical lunch container, camera bag, etc., but for assorted flatter things 2-3" deep, about 10" wide and over a foot tall, it's perfect.
MAIN HIGH CUBE STORAGE (4th from front)
20)The main storage area within the 4th zip from the front is cavernous. I could easily fit my camera bag, lunch and a bunch of other stuff in here. Over a foot tall, about 4"to6" deep (depending on what you put in adjacent compartments), close to a foot wide, I also use it for spare clothes, jackets, towels or other bulky objects that need some serious room. This compartment allows this pack to be a really usable weekender, as it can hold spare clothes and personal accessories, while other compartments store the PC and tech gear.
21) Zipper net pocket - good for small important things you don't want flopping around in this BIG main compartment. Easily holds 5"x7" sized papers/cards, wallet, small notebooks, etc.
22) Folder Pocket - along the back plane of this large compartment, against the neighboring PC compartment, is a large open top pocket for papers or folders. If you need to keep something flat and the laptop area is full, this gives you another option.
TOP QUICK ACCESS POCKET - RED LINED
23) One of my favorite features of this bag and the Maxxum is the top mounted quick access pocket, lined in bright red, which makes it easier to find small stuff in dim light. Great for small electronics, keys, cables, USB thumb drives, memory cards, or anything small that isn't sharp. The lining of this pocket is softer than some and I wouldn't put anything pointy in there. Keys, pens and mechanical pencils are OK, but nothing sharper.
24) Inner Velcro flapped pocket for MP3 player, cellphone or other small device. This pocket within a pocket keeps delicate electronics both secure and protected from metal items that might scratch them. I think this pocket is just a touch larger than in the Maxxum, probably to accomodate smart phones not just MP3 players.
NOTE: There's a grommet in the side of this pocket that allows headphone/earbud cables to extend out of a specially marked rubberized opening on the top/side of the pack.
That's 24 pockets/pouches/clips in all, which makes this backpack a real workhorse. One note of caution: Filled, this bag can be VERY heavy. The bag can take it, and I find the straps and back pad distribute the load very well and keep it comfortable for me. But I have read where some users were a bit overpowered by the weight this bag can hold. Keep that in mind when loading it up.
BOTTOM PROTECTION FROM WATER - I spend a fair amount of time waiting for buses at bus stops in the Pacific Northwest, where the pavement is quite frequently wet. While most Swiss Gear bags do a nice job sitting up by themselves, of the ones I was considering, the Synergy had the best bottom protection against the wet. Some of the bags were only partially rubberized on the bottom, while one can safely place the Synergy on wet pavement and have total peace of mind.
When my wife and I are heading out for a day or weekend of creativity in the field, this kind of pack is a life saver ... PC, adapter, spare battery, 2 cameras, web access, digital voice/music recorder, notepads, markers, cables, snacks, water, cold or warm weather accessories, spare clothes/shoes and lots of small stuff all fit nicely into one pack that really distributes weight well and never digs or rubs in uncomfortable ways. A truly awesome pack I can highly recommend. SwissGear Computer Backpack - Computer Backpack - Laptop Bag - Swissgear - Backpacking'
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