The fūl Brooklyn 2-in-1 iPad Case & Backpack is a combination backpack with detachable tablet case made from quality Cordura and plenty of padding, yes I like to call them tablets instead of the Apple label of iPad.
Ease of Use/Performance: 23/25
Convenience/Storage 23/25
Appearance/Design 21/25
How much I enjoy 21/25
Total: 88/100
The fūl Brooklyn backpack is a full size pack with a padded laptop pouch and a detachable iPad case, I prefer to use the term tablet though. I just hate when every tablet product centers on the Apple iPad when other tablets will work just as well even if they aren’t as numerous as the #1 selling tablet.
The fūl Brooklyn backpack is well designed with a padded pouch sewn into the back side of the pack with padding between your back and the laptop pouch. This pouch when you open the zippered compartment is easily accessed because the pack opens out into a “V” shape when fully unzipped.
The front removable pouch for a tablet or small eBook is a nice feature that allows you to take only the needed things with you if all you need is the tablet section. The pouches and other pockets make a nicely rounded backpack with one pocket that unfolds to create a water bottle holder.
The front has the removable tablet pouch that has an inner padded pocket for your tablet and a zippered pocket opposite the padded tablet pocket with two pockets on top of the zippered pocket. The iPad case has a handle on top and loops for a removable shoulder strap for easy carrying of the pouch with your tablet and other smaller items.
The main pack on the outside has two padded pockets for things like an mp3 player, phone or even a bus schedule like my son has in his, there is also a zippered pocket on the right shoulder strap. The right shoulder strap also has a plastic pouch on the inside toward the bottom of the shoulder strap that has the tendency to allow the strap to slide off the shoulder a bit.
My son, a college student, uses the pack daily and said this was his only concern or problem with the pack but I gave him a solution. I cut the pouch off which is about four inches tall and two inches wide from the shoulder strap using a pair of scissors so it would no longer slide off his shoulder.
The pouch has a 1/4 inch wide edging of a fabric and then the rest of the pouch is a plastic material that is partially clear, I carefully cut along the seams and it came off easily.
The pack has a unique center chest strap that slides along a vinyl covered plastic zipper type holder so you can move the chest strap up or down for the most comfortable position. This works great for a wider variety of people so the chest strap is adjustable at the most comfortable position for each user.
If you don’t use the chest strap you can simply tuck the strap end of the chest strap under the loop on that strap if you don’t to keep it out of the way. The other end of the chest strap only has the clip buckle on it so it does not get in the way all that much, this is on the same shoulder strap as the zippered pocket.
This zippered pocket on the strap has a grommet hole near the top for passing a cable through it for an MP3 player or smartphone so you can wear headphones and keep the player in a convenient pocket. Both shoulder straps have a mesh cover inside for about three quarters of the shoulder strap from the top were the straps attach to the pack down to the buckle.
The shoulder straps attach on the top to the pack with a piece of inch and a half webbing that is stitched to the bag extensively and runs from one side of the pack to the other. The bottom of the straps end in a buckle and have an inch wide strap that attaches to the pack sides near the bottom with a folded over webbing that is sewn into the sides of the packs main seam.
The back of the pack has some contoured inch thick pads for comfort while wearing and carrying a heavier load like several college books and a laptop. My son has not complained at all about the comfort and has said the pack works very well except for the plastic on the shoulder strap.
The top of the pack has a handle on it that is padded and about an inch square with the underlying plastic strap and webbing surrounded by some Cordura material. The handle is attached to the pack with both stitching and two rivets through the packs material, reinforcing material and a plastic piece of material used inside the packs material as another reinforcement.
All the packs shoulder straps and handle are well reinforced and are holding up very well to the constant use my son is putting it through. The pack shows no signs of tearing or seams breaking like we have seen in cheaper back packs purchased for school in the past.
The main area of the book bag has the padded pocket for the laptop and the pockets for storing other goodies like pens and pencils, papers and snacks. There is a zippered pocket and a non-zippered pouch toward the front of the pack and stacked on these are two smaller pockets and a pen pocket.
The bottom of the pack is also padded with one material inside that feels like the same Cordura 600D material used in the rest of the pack. The bottom outside is a leather like material with a smooth face while the rest of the pack is the Cordura 600D material which is a tough polyester used in bags, luggage and backpacks.
When setting the pack down and opening the main compartment your books will sit toward the front as the rest of the pack and the sides will open with a bend in the front portion. This makes the backpack open up naturally and rest with the front part leaning over slightly and the laptop and back part sitting pretty much in a “V” formation.
This makes setting the pack down and getting books and the laptop out easily as both are readily available from the widely open pack. The pack work very well and with this resting open design the pack works a lot better than ones I have seen were the packs design makes removing things or seeing inside the pack more of a hassle.
The fūl backpack is holding up well and the only complaint my son had is the plastic pouch on the strap but we took care of that easily. While I have tried out the pack both empty and full of his college books from time to time to check out the weight and comfort of the pack I think the real recommendation can be pretty easy.
My son has said that the fūl backpack is a really nice pack and he has no real complaint about it now that the plastic pouch is gone, the real test of a back pack like this is a college student. I have found that purchasing a better backpack really does make a huge difference in the quality of the pack and how long it is going to last.
Cheap back packs we have bought in the past for our sons during school never lasted more than a few months, the more expensive packs have always outlasted the others easily by more than a year or two at least. The fūl Brooklyn 2-in-1 iPad Case and Backpack does have the unique feature of the removable iPad case and the other nice features as well.
I highly recommend the fūl Brooklyn for an excellent backpack and tablet case that easily stands up to the everyday wear that a full time college student puts it through.
