The ‘Book Mystique Review - SLAPPA V2 Velocity SPYDER Laptop Backpack For Back To School or Work
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
by Charles W. Moore
Here we are in the middle of August. I love this time of year, when we have our most pleasant and dependable weather here in Nova Scotia, the possibility of hurricanes notwithstanding. The Oriental Taoist philosophers posit a “fifth season” slotted between Summer and Fall, and that certainly applies in this part of the world.
According to the Taoists, Late Summer, which begins around mid-August and ends in early October. is a time of filling, completion, and maturity - a watershed where the growth and expansion of Spring and Summer evolve into the contracting energies of Autumn and Winter - the centre-point that anchors the other four seasonal phases. Late Summer has an ambience of unification, connectedness, and harmony - of location in time and space. It’s a mellow and compassionate season that cushions us from Autumn’s descent into the cold, white, stillness of Winter, at least in these latitudes.
Late Summer is a time for slowing down and gathering in By mid-August we begin winding down toward September’s return to the routines that dominate nine or 10 months of the year for most of us, and with the school year just three weeks away, if you’re off to college it’s definitely time to be thinking about the logistics of packing your notebook and other stuff around campus.
During her four years at university, my daughter found that a laptop backpack proved the most useful and convenient mode for transporting her PowerBooks and iBook, as well as textbooks, papers, and incidentals - in her case an STM Sports unit from Australia that stood up splendidly despite being over-stuffed with Classics and Philosophy tomes as well as the laptops.
Computer backpacks come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, and one of the newest contenders is the SLAPPA V2 Velocity SPYDER Laptop Backpack which impresses both for its strikingly unique styling and for its sheer volume of internal capacity, not just for large notebooks like a 17” MacBook Pro or PowerBook, but also for as much other stuff as you’re likely to want to carry. One of the advantages of a high-capacity backpack is that you will likely be able to consolidate everything you need to take with you in one package.
I’ve reviewed a lot of computer backpacks, but the V2 Velocity SPYDER is definitely the biggest so far, and rivals and the large size Waterfield Cargo bag for sheer interior volume. The V2 Velocity SPYDER Laptop Backpack can accommodate a 17-inch MacBook Pro or PowerBook with plenty of room to spare, so we can safely say it will happily accommodate any Apple notebook in its “Super Padded” soft jersey lined computer sleeve. I have long arms, and can make mine disappear up to the elbow in the internal computer sleeve which features a padded security flap with Velcro closure.
The V2 Velocity SPYDER features SLAPPA’s patented CORE3 protection, which utilizes a thick rubber exoskeleton + hydro-repellant and puncture proof BuckBlast suede + Xtreme internal padding.
The V2 Velocity SPYDER’s outermost layer is a molded rubber exo-skeleton that provides protection from bumps while also maintaining the bag’s structural integrity. Layer #2 is the puncture-proof BuckBlast z-suede with an inner layer of extra thick shock padding.
BuckBlast suede is a rugged PVC-based material that is both rainproof and puncture-proof, thus providing secure protection for all of your gear in transit. It is easy to care for and can be easily cleaned with water and a soft cloth.
“Our new V2 Velocity SPYDER Backpacks went into development as soon as customers started feeding us ideas on how to improve the original SPYDER backpacks” says SLAPPA Product Development Manager Bartho Sui. “We love working together with our customers to engineer the ultimate gear, and this new V2 Velocity SPYDER features exactly what people asked us for; 17” laptop capability, more protective padding, and a strap system that provides toughness and comfort.”
Exploring the SLAPPA V2 Velocity SPYDER starting at the outside front and working our way in, the backpack’s front panel is faced with a rubbery molded EXO Skeleton appliqué, and has a central pocket with a vertical, double-zipper opening. As with all save one of the rest of this bag’s internal compartments, the pocket is lined with a sumptuously soft jersey fabric that will be very kind to your computer and other stuff.
There are also two elastic-closure, quick access pockets flanking the front panel.
Immediately behind the front panel pocket is the first of, count ‘em - four - full-depth gear compartments. This frontmost of the four unzips on three sides with one internal zipper-closure pocket on the back side of the front panel, another on the compartment’s rear bulkhead, plus Velcro-closure expander pockets and a handy swivel key fob sewed to the case with nylon webbing. Oh yes, there are a couple of convenient pen/pencil sleeves as well.
The middle compartment has no zip or Velcro closure pockets, and indeed just one small, open net pocket toward the bottom of the yawning cavern. This is the compartment for your largest, bulkiest stuff, and there is even plenty of space (and then some) in there to carry a second laptop if necessary.
The third compartment has the previously-described “Super Padded” computer sleeve, plus another full-depth cavern that looks like a bottomless pit. It really is a long reach to the bottom. “Roomy” isn’t really adequate to describe it.
And for good measure, there is yet one more full-depth compartment accessed in this case through a zipper closure at the top of the SLAPPA V2 Velocity SPYDER Backpack’s back panel. Unlike the others, this compartment is lined with a STAY COOL inner lining for storing cold goods, rather than the soft jersey fabric.
On the back outside panel is a foam pad that contacts the small of your back molded in the shape of SLAPPA’s stylized open-hand logo. Different and striking, which is a comment that can apply to this entire backpack.
But we’re not quite finished with pockets yet. There is one more small external compartment that fastens to the front of the right-hand shoulder strap and is sized to fit an iPod or cell phone. It has a Velcro-closure flap that allows an iPod earphone cord to be connected with the ‘Pod in situ and the flap fastened. The pocket is lined with more soft Jersey.
The shoulder straps are robust (rated for fifty pounds pack weight), comfortably padded with foam and faced with nylon mesh on their contact surfaces. Oddly, there is no belly strap, but the shoulder straps can be adjusted snugly, and the sheer length of this backpack stabilizes it.
Another thoughtful touch is a carry handle with a rubber comfort handgrip sewn to the top of the bag for easy one-handed carriage without resorting to the shoulder straps. The bag’s zippers all have a reassuring feel, and the metal zipper pull-tabs are generously-sized and have both the look and feel of quality.
While my description probably makes the SLAPPA V2 Velocity SPYDER Laptop Backpack sound enormous and and ungainly, it is actually surprisingly light in weight at a modest 3.9 pounds, and despite its voluminous capacity doesn’t give the impression of great bulk outside.
Overall this backpack is an impressive piece of work, with the flamboyance of its unusual styling balanced by its subdued charcoal color. It manages to be attractive and classy-looking without being garish or overstated, and the quality of materials and workmanship appear to be first rate.
At a list price of $119.99 (currently on sale for $107.99 with free shipping), the SLAPPA V2 Velocity SPYDER Laptop Backpack isn’t cheap, but I’ve not encountered anything quite like it, and especially if you need a computer backpack that can comfortably swallow a 17-inch notebook along with a lot of other gear, this is one you should really have on your short list.
V2 Velocity SPYDER features:
* Patented CORE3 Protection:
(Molded rubber EXO Skeleton + Puncture Proof and Hydro-Repellant BuckBlast material +Xtra-Dense Internal Padding)
* Xtreme Padded, Comfort - collar backpack straps tested to 80lbs.
* Large padded inner laptop sleeve able to accommodate laptops with screens up to 17”
* SLAPPA padded back support
* 4 large storage areas lined with scratch-proof soft jersey material + 1 large storage area with “stay cool” lining for drinks
* Super padded main pocket for laptop and papers
* 2 Hard Plastic runners on the outer bottom of laptop sleeve section
* mid pocket with inner compartments for electronics and accessories
* e.z. reach front pocket
* Rear pocket features STAY COOL inner lining to store cold goods
* Removable phone/MP3 case with stainless steel belt clip
* Etched alloy zipper pullers with locking zipper heads and Zipper Caps for tear protection
* Backpack dimensions (lying flat): 16” (w), 21”(h), 3.25”(d)
* Inner laptop sleeve dimensions: 14” (w), 16” (h), 2.5 ” (d)
* Weight: 3.9 lb.
* Ideal for standard-sized laptops up to 17”
For more information on the new V2 Velocity SPYDER Backpacksí visit
http://www.slappa.com/site/velocity.html
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