Solo New York Duane Hybrid Briefcase

***UPDATE*** 6 years with this bag and, even with another laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme), It's still holding strong and I love it! The plastic straps for the shoulder strap--which I was initially worried about--lasted without any issue. I wouldn't trade it for any other laptop bag. I've even bought the Solo Ludlow Tablet bag for my Surface Pro 7. Excellent bag! I will definitely continue to use Solo New York for any laptop/tablet bag I need from now on!Original Post:This is a beautiful and spacious laptop bag that also become a backpack. Solo is known for making quality bags, and this one is no different. I was in the market for another bag, so I decided to choose this bag because it can also become a backpack--this was the selling point that made me get this one.The sides of bag and the inside sleeves are well insulated and cushioned to protect my laptop and tablet (there's a tablet sleeve that'll fit a 7-to-8-inch tablet on top of the laptop sleeve). The main compartment easily fits my HP ENVY 15 and has room to add a couple of notebooks/magazines inside. I carry an engineering pad, a folder, and a 1 subject notebook inside of this bag with room to spare. The main front pocket has 3 small and relatively shallow but useful pockets, with another pocket that can hold an external hard drive and two more that can hold pens, pencils, or styli. The space of this front pocket can easily hold my bulky laptop charger and mouse without looking bulging within the pocket. The other two front pockets are great for miscellaneous stuff such as wires, calculators, cell phones, etc. I hold a calculator, assorted wires, a mini stapler with a case of staples, and a compass.If I had one thing to worry about with this bag, it would be the plastic clips that are used for the shoulder strap and backpack straps. This isn't about any Solo product, but I've had issues with plastic clips with other laptop cases before. These seem sturdy, but only time will tell.I'm overall very satisfied with this hybrid bag/backpack, and I look forward to keeping this bag for years to come. As with any of my reviews, I'll be updating this one as time passes. If you're looking for a good bag, this one may be the choice for you!

I've had many briefcases in my career. I really love this briefcase, backpack hybrid. A laptop sleeve is highly recommended as it's not made with bulky padding. I combined an Amazon Basics laptop sleeve with this and it works great. The briefcase fabric is somewhat stiff so it keeps a nice corporate briefcase shape and quite a nice look even when I'm wearing my business suits and just as sporty looking on casual days. I love that there is the back pack option, I only use one strap over my back when in that mode. I also like the top side handle that is great for grabbing the bag out of the car in addition to the standard briefcase mode handle with magnetic snaps that are wonderfully quick to get separated and put back in place. The bottom of the briefcase is a reinforced durable material for protection from the floor. I also cary a scale ruler, several pencils and pens, calculator, usb drives, back up hard drive, my laptop, a binder and about 6 files of work routinely and the bag does not look over stuffed at all. The outside pouches easily hold my charger cable, my phone, wallet, check book, well, yes, my entire life is in this thing, so I'm glad I can use the backpack mode and never feel like I have to set it down at all. I keep it comfortably slung over my shoulder. Kind of makes me feel young like in college again. My wife remarked at how much she likes the look of my briefcase and how smart the material looks. For the price I feel like buying another one because anything this good usually ends up getting discontinued and can't be found by the time I've worn this one out and want another one. I guess my only suggestion would be a few more pencil pen holder loops but there are several internal pockets that holds all of my mechanical pencils. I really think this is the best briefcase I've ever owned.

As a frequent business traveler, I've been looking for a replacement for my leather Mcklein brief which could barely fit my dell XPS 15 and its charger without looking overstuffed.My requirements where:1. Formal enough for the office and no black nylon2. Big enough for a laptop, charger, notepad, water bottle and miscellaneous items3. Ideally converts into a backpack for when I want to free up my hands or walk long distanceI'm so glad I found this briefcase on Amazon because I was prepared to shell out WAY more.The grey canvas exterior is classy enough for the office and casual enough to serve as a travel backpack. It stands out against the black leather and nylon bags that everyone uses. I've gotten complements on it's look as well as "wows" when I turn it into a backpack when we enter the subway.The interior has a padded laptop pocket that fits my laptop and a notepad with room to spare. The main compartment can fit a power brick and even a blanket without looking "stuffed." The smaller side pouch is ideal for a water bottle or small collapsible umbrella, and the larger front zip-pouch can fit any of those things and contains small pockets ideal for cash, cards, and a passport.While I haven't done weekend traveling with it yet, it will easily fit a change of clothing, a light jacket, a camera and other items. I have used the straps and they are surprisingly comfortable. I'm 5 foot 8 in and the height of the bag in backpack mode is just right for me: not too big or too small.While some have complained about the plastic hardware, I think SOLO made the right call. The black plastic is lighter than equivalent metal buckles and goes better with the grey aesthetic.The only thing I wish this bag had was an exterior water bottle pouch, but I get why the went with the enclosed zipper pouches- so when you turn it from a brief into a backpack nothing falls out!Overall I'm very happy with this bag as it's replaced at least 2 bags in my travel inventory: by business briefcase and my regular backpack!