After much research and trying out luggage I already have for volume and weight I decided I need a travel backpack and a daily carry backpack. The travel backpack will go cargo because for two months I want to carry a pocket knife and that will not go with carry on. All the tech has to fit into the carry on backpack for the flights out, back home and internal – including shaver and electric tooth brush and wash bag kit.

Besides the two packing cubes for clothes, a suit, second pair of shoes there will be some wedding presents. Security is important.

For touring I expect to want to catch up on social media and e-mails at some stage of the sight seeing and will have camera, tripod and a drinks bottle with me. So camera, extra lens, mobile phone and perhaps an 8″ tablet. Hence buying the anti-theft Bobby Bizz from XD Design.

Like the original Bobby the Bobby Bizz has the zips next to your back and hidden from sight. The surface has anti-rip and cut proof material. There is a steel wire down one shoulder strap and combination lock that allows it to be locked to a fixed object like a post or radiator pipes etc. Locking the loop on the wire to the dual zippers of the main compartment and around a post prevents the bag from being grabbed or opened. A thief might struggle with the steel cable but I suspect even the YKK zipper pulls can be snapped off with a some force. Zippers with a lock feature would make more sense.

The zippers where a little stiff at first, particularly when moving past the corners. This freed up with use.

The handle is very comfortable. As it holds its position it is easy to grab.

The backpack looks like a brief case. It is semi-ridged with a steel frame around the sides. This adds protection to the contents, support to keep the shape and security and explains the weight of 1200g. The handle is firm and comfortable even when fully loaded with laptop and books. A luggage strap is in the channel between the two back supports. A sideways through channel for air gap would help. I soon gets warm between it and your back. In summer and hot climates it heats up quickly.

The straps are hidden away in a Velcro pocket. They are made of a similar material to that used on the sides of the backpack with a mesh webbing underneath. Although one strap has the steel cable inside there is no additional supporting webbing to fix it to the bag. XD Design claim that the Bobby Bizz can hold 20kg. It would be very hard to pack much over 10kg in it even with a lot of technical equipment or heavy text books. But the G forces, holding just 5kg, then running for a bus or train puts a lot of strain on the straps.

To grab the carry handle the back swings down from the left shoulder. There is a loop at the top between the two shoulder straps that can be used to grab as well as to hang from a coat hook and hides away with the shoulder straps when no in use.

A loop at either side of the carry handle allow the detactable strap to be fixed. As these are close to the back of the Bobby Bizz it will hang at an angle and not balanced from the middle. With the clamp shell opening along the narrow side the heavy objects will be at one end. The convertibles that use a suit case opening along the longer side, like the Hackpack, are better balanced when carried as a brief case. I would like a loop on both sides at the top of the brief case, either side of the shoulder straps. Carrying it with the thin grab handle with support of a cross body shoulder strap would give a better balance although for shorter people this may hang too low or bounce off the hip in walking.

The Bobby Bizz can also be carried as a cross shoulder back using either shoulder strap but fixing diagonally across to the other side. Only one strap, with security if using the one with the steel wire in it, more comfortable than the detachable strap and one less thing to carry.

If the fixture of the shoulder strap to the backpack was with a central steel ring, on rotating locking fixtures or two loops of strong webbing to clip in rectangular clips like the other end of the shoulder straps the shoulder straps could then be removed completed. This would allow one or both to be used as over the shoulder strap in messenger mode.

The two shoulder straps have pockets for a metro card, ticket or ear buds. The opening is not zipped, just an opening to a pocket that extends down in the strap 15cm. The contents will not fall out, as long as the straps are in the vertical position. If taken down from an overhead shelf or storage or through the ticket gates and turnstyles held as a briefcase I don’t think the content is secure.

Small side fixtures prevent the bag from being opened beyond 45 degrees. Content will still gravitate to the bottom of the backpack. With a laptop and tablet in the pockets there is little room for a water bottle or flasks. I have a 475ml bottle that fits into a drinks holder in a car. This has a diameter of 74mm. There is no space for it with the Lenovo MXII700, Dell Venue 8 Pro 5855 with the keyboard and case. If the tablet is placed on it’s side the flask fits. There are no external pockets for a water bottle. A carbineer clip and water bottle can be hung off the loop used for the supplied shoulder strap.

The supplied shoulder strap has very heavy steel G hooks.

Dimensions:
Height: 44.5cm
Width: 31cm
Depth: 12cm

Laptop compartment:
Fits a 15,6″laptop
29 x 36 x 3 cm (Width x length x depth)

Tablet compartment:
27 x 29 mm
Fits most commonly used tablets like the iPad and Samsung tablets. Flat pocket with no depth.

With both laptop and tablet the depth in the main compartment is very much reduced. A Velcro strap clips down on the laptop and tablet compartment.

Patch pocket:
29 x 19 cm

Elastic band:
3.8 cm for a pen or small object at the top of the bag

Hook with loop:
Total: 4.5 cm
Hook: 2.5 cm

Mesh phone pocket:
12 x 16.4 cm (width x length)

Mesh mouse pocket:
12 x 16.4 cm (width x length)

Mesh pocket with zipper:
24 x 12.5 cm (width x length)

Pocket on shoulder strap:
15 x 6 cm (height x length) no security, no zipper or Velcro but the depth is twice that of the opening

Undoing the retainers and the laptop sleeve folds flat. Unfortunately these retainers do not fold away and can’t be strapped down. If you fit two small square of Velcro on the mesh pocket you can then fix them out of the way.

The internal pockets have no dimension but the mesh stretches. One is labelled for a mouse, the others appear to be charger and mobile phone. The internal USB cable provided is at the bottom of the case and comes out on the almost hidden quick access pocket near the handle. The external pocket is not easy to get into. It is tight and close to the metal band that is around the sides. It is perfect for keys, wallet and mobile phone. There are two small pockets which hold a minimalist credit card wallet and/or coin wallet. There is a key hanger inside at the top of the backpack but it is much easier to get into the quick access pocket for car and house keys or the ID and security card used in many offices.

Empty, with only the laptop I can fit in a packing cube with a change of clothes, say for a weekend trip or an away business meeting.

Packing for daily travel to the office. I am unlikely to need the 8″ tablet as well as the 12″ convertible laptop. I can program, word process and search the internet on either. The laptop with 12″ screen faster processor make the laptop easier to use on intensive tasks but for most things the 8″ tablet works fine. Both use each other’s pressure sensitive stylus or a capacitor basic type.

The flask I have is from Wilford and Sons, Germany (on Amazon). It includes an infuser so you can brew up in the bottle and remove the tea leaves when ready. No drinking cup. Contents remain very hot for several hours. I carry a Solar panel 24000mAh battery and Sony XBA-H1 ear phones.

Around the inside of the backpack is a zipper. A hidden compartment, alas no. It is only a tidy way of fastening down the sides to cover the steel band around the outside of the case. Seems over engineered and adds both weight and cost. Other bags I have had used Velcro or ties. I guess it could hide away a stash of bank notes or a strip of micro film – does anybody use those anymore?

Turtle shell, Mission Impossible or the Milk Tray man from the 1970 advertisements dashing from danger to sneak in a box of chocolates because the lady loves Milk Tray. Certainly the Bobby Bizz is up to the job of being the backpack whilst skiing down mountains or the daily grind of the commute on public transport to the office.

Even though the Bobby Bizz is only 10 litres and 1.2kg the laptop etc fills it to 5.6kg so I added waist straps. The supplied over the should messager style strap has very heavy clips and adds extra weight. Taking the padded cover and using it with the waist belt creates an alternative over the shoulder strap. The existing loops for the backpack shoulder straps are large enough to take the clips for the waist belt.

So it is perfect for the office commute. Even room for a packing cube with gym clothes in. What about daily sight seeing? Mirrorless camera, Gorillapod, spare lens etc.

Everything fits in and still space for a jumper when it gets dark and the temperature drops to 8 degrees Celsius. But nothing is protected from each other and from gravitating to the bottom of the backpack. The mesh pocket on the back of the Bobby Bizz competes too much with the contents so can only be used for very thin and flat objects – passport, tickets. The three other mesh pockets can store some of the gear but the lower full width zip pocket can not hold the lens or flask which both take up the full depth of the space. Two O rings at the top would allow a suitable packing cube to be fixed at top and still allow for quick access to the two mesh pockets underneath. Now packed out this weights 6.2kg with the Mee Foto tripod another 1.2kg.

What is needed are tech packing cubes to protect the camera kit. Using a packing cube for chargers and cables works well with mirror less cameras like the Sony Nex 7. Most camera inserts are too tall. Might need an additional tech packing cube for the other small pieces so that the content does not spill out every time it is opened. The Bobby Bizz is still full, as expected and near capacity.

With the packing cube in place the Bobby Bizz has to stretch out to accommodate but barely noticeable. Packing cubes add weight but are a tidy way to protect the gear from each other.

For use as carry-on I also need to include a wash bag, electric tooth brush and shaver – at least basic toothbrush, tiny toothpaste tube, small soap bar and towel – flights between 8 and 14 hours. It will be a tight fit as the ridged format of this backpack has little give.