****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
WOW! This is an absolutely FANTASTIC bag. I had never heard of Everki before, and certainly not the Atlas backpack. However, on a recent flight (as a traveling consultant, planes are my second home), I happened to be standing behind a guy with an Everki pack. As a long-time Arcteryx fan -- smart, bomb-proof packs with great styling -- I admired the pack this gent was wearing as it looked just as solid as my beloved Arcteryx Blade 24.Fast forward a few months, and I find myself in a situation where I need to commute with two separate laptops. As much as I love the Arcteryx Blade, it just wasn't big enough to accommodate two laptops and all of the sundry gear that goes with them. So, I did some quick searches out on the interwebs for a purpose-built, multi-computer bag, and Everki kept coming up, and with high ratings. So, with some fresh travel coming up, I decided that now was the time to take the plunge and give the Atlas a try. I just received the bag a couple of days ago.I had high expectations of the Everki (having seen one in the wild before), but I was absolutely blown away by the build quality of the Atlas. This thing is industrial and built to take a beating. You can just feel the quality on this thing. Top quality materials are used in its construction, and there is heavy use of Cordura, parachute material, rivets, and heavy stitching. The zippers are large -- kind of similar to the oversized zippers used on Ogio bags -- and they open and close without a hint of snagging. Like my beloved Arcteryx, I wasn't able to find a single loose stitch or fray, and the attention to detail, fit, and finish is obvious from the moment you heft it. I say that because this is not a light bag. It is designed to carry a lot of equipment, and to do so safely.But the real surprise was just how well laid-out this bag is with a simply ridiculous amount of pockets and storage. I was able to fit both the 15" MacBook Pro and my Dell 15", along with two satchels, each with power bricks, cords, etc., AS WELL AS my Epson projector AND two O'Reilly reference books. And I still had room for extra power strips, international power converter, and even my sunglasses case. And there is extra room to spare. I am a huge fan of minimalist solutions, which is why the Arcteryx appealed so much to me. And, despite the crazy amount of pockets and storage space in the Atlas, it is so well designed that all of it doesn't seem excessive, and it still has a general feeling of minimalism and still maintains a reasonably small profile when all zipped up.I spend a great deal of time and perform a great deal of research on gear that I purchase as I like to make the purchase only once. I buy only the highest quality gear that I can afford, regardless of the price, and I have very high expectations for products that I've purchased. I can say unequivocally that the Everki Atlas has far exceed my expectations in all regards. It is with bittersweet feelings that I relinquish my Arcteryx Blade 24 to my daughter, who does quite a bit of business travel, too, and I plan on staying the Everki course from this point forward, as long as they continue to deliver top quality products such as this.Absolutely five stars!*** 2nd Trip Update ***So, I've taken this bag on two trips now and have a much better understanding of how well it works with my "office in a bag" concept, including working with the airlines. The bag is absolutely the perfect bag for traveling with two laptops. Plenty of storage space, very well organized and sorted, and just plain easy to use. One thing I really appreciated about the bag on these trips were the very wide and well-designed shoulder straps. I'm guessing that my bag comes in at over 20 lbs, and I found the wide straps to be completely comfortable and perfectly positioned and designed. I also appreciate that the bag is designed to stand on its own, which makes loading and unloading very easy. I remain so very thrilled with this purchase. Also, absolutely no problems with the bag as of this time -- no sticking zippers, no unraveling threads or stitches, or anything of the sort. I think I've finally found, "The One". I'll give a six-month review, just to provide some insight into how the bag wears over the long-run. Reiterate: 5-stars, well earned.
