Osprey Bitstream Laptop Backpack

The pack has a really nice back shape and great straps. The chest straps you can move up and down in a wide range, which is nice for females who need it set higher. The quality of the material was great and not cheap looking, very sturdy.One thing to note is the color. The black color appears to be a sort of heathered black in the first main photo, but the photo with the person that has the pack on, is a flat black color. I received the flat black color, though I was wanting the heathered black look. I think these might be different year packs, and the color is not differentiated.The inside color is a bright lime green, it does actually make it easier to see in the pack.Size, it has a lot of space. The bottom compartment with the extra cord bag is a bit awkward to zip up due to how the material covers the zipper and its at the bottom of the pack, though it is a great space for that stuff. Note the bottom of the pack is more narrow than the top, which is a little odd but while its on the back you don't notice it, just for packing up the bag a little odd to fit stuff in. Nothing that would stop me from using it though.

I don’t review very many items, but I thought I’d give the time to review this pack. I’ll start with what I like about the bag, then with what I dislike about the bag. I’ll then go into what I wish the bag included and end with comments on what common complaints about the bag.What I like about the bag:The secret pocket is great to put something in there that you don’t need readily accessible. I’ve put my cell phone and wallet in there when I didn’t want them in my pocket. I’ve also put my car keys in there when I didn’t want to lose them. It’s a really great little pocket.The document holders! This was really some kind of crazy innovation on Ospreys end. Inside the main pocket are three slots where you can put various documents or notebooks. I keep a magazine in one of the pockets and a composition notebook in another.The laptop compartment!!!! Wow, do I love this. It’s so very convenient to unzip the side and take out my laptop.The organizer pouch with it’s own pocket is an absolute relief. It can easily hold a laptop charger, a cell phone charger (with wall block), a pair of ear buds, and a smart card reader, with room for more! It’s so nice to have a designated place to put all my cordsThe way the main pocket opens. I forget what they call it…a bucket opening? Either way, I was surprised at how convenient it is to open the top of the backpack with this style of opening.Finally, the build of the bag is very sturdy. I expect this bag to last me quite a while.What I dislike about the bag:The side water bottle holders are kind of small. With my Talon 33, I was able to use both of them to fit decent sized bottles in each. With this, I really cant. They’re perfect for really small bottles, but don’t expect to fit a 24oz bottle in there comfortably.What I wish the bag included:More pockets! We get the one main pocket, a rather small organizer pocket, and the bottom pocket which fits the organizer. I would have preferred a medium sized pocket on the front instead of that small organizer pocket, but that’s just me – I enjoy keeping some things separate and multiple functional pockets help with this.My thoughts on common complaints:A lot of people said the inside was smaller than it looked. I disagree with this. I often have a binder, a folder, and two books in there with plenty of room for more. You’ll also hear a lot of people say that the main packet gets more narrow towards the bottom. This is true, and it’s not ideal, but it’s still a very large space. I have an Osprey Talon 33 and this bag has just about as much room as that bag.Others, in fact, gave this bag a negative review because it was “too big.” That’s a bit ironic…some say it’s too big while others think it’s not big enough. I don’t think it’s too big. It serves my every day purpose. It’s definitely the right size for an all day pack.One poor soul didn’t receive the organizer, which is no fault of the bag. That person should write the seller or contact Amazon and not fault the bag.

Great construction. Buy the rain fly. The pack tapers at the bottom. No major concerns, you may have to vary how you pack it, but a clunky 15” laptop and iPad fit in their prescribed areas with sufficient room to carry other items in the main compartment with the cables stowed in the bottom. Side pockets do not work well with holding 32oz vacuum bottles like yeti/hydro flask without impeding the main storage compartment. I’ve taken to storing my water bottle in the main compartment horizontally with more room to spare on top of my lunch box

The North Face Surge was my first travel bag, and then the zipper broke. I got a replacement after spending $30 to ship it back to The North Face. So I replaced it with the Patagonia Chacabuco that was terribly thin. This is the bag I used to replace the Patagonia because Osprey has outstanding support.This bag is ideal for business travel because it has a padded laptop sleeve and two additional sleeves. These are great for paperwork, ipad, or magazines. And having these dividers makes it much easier to organize.Some may not like one giant compartment, but this is preferred for me since I have packing cubes for pretty much everything anyways.Plus, it is really thick and durable.The black color is not heathered like in the pics above, but that doesn't bother me. However, if you are looking for a heathered black bag, then look somewhere else for sure.

Awesome awesome packI bought the other two packs in the portal series before the bitstream. The pixel was too small for my school daily carry needs, and the cyber was only marginally larger. The bitstream is the perfect size, and super functional.Quality is up to osprey par, which is to say excellent.Highly recommend.

This backpack is fantastic. It easily fits two. yes... two 15 inch laptops. And a bunch of other random stuff in it. Lots of space a good assortment of pockets and just an overall great backpack.

Love this backpack. I have a Razer Blade Pro, and that beast fits right in. Not to mention, plenty of space.

Good case cover rain sunshine softcare easy lightweight gutten