Having to go through TSA checkpoint lines at the airport can be a drain. Removing your shoes and some items from your bag is a slow process. Even worse, having to remove your laptop from its bag runs the risk of someone walking off with it if the laptop moves faster than you do. That's why finding out what is the best TSA friendly laptop backpack to use when traveling is a good idea. These backpacks are made so that they can be scanned right in the bag without having to remove them.
Here are some TSA friendly backpacks that can save you time and frustration at an airport checkpoint.
EVERKI EKP 119 TSA Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Backpack
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FEATURES
ThEverki EKP 119 TSA Checkpoint Friendly Lapop Backpack rocks. It’s simple design is not only sleek and classic but stylish as well. Its sleek look will appeal to both men and women. Although it is designed with air travelers in mind, it is a great bag for anyone who needs to transport a laptop when on the move. The interior feels luxurious with a colorful, softly padded lining. The inside of the bag has lots of highly organized room for digital gear. This laptop backpack is an excellent choice for everyday use, college students and travelers and will accommodate a laptop up to 16 inches. It comes with a lifetime warranty.
DIMENSIONS
9.45 x 12.99 x 17.72
ORGANIZATION AND COMPARTMENTS
This is a backpack that you can easily fall in love with. The makers have designed the bag so that it has compartments for all of your laptop accessories as well as the laptop, tablet and papers or books and smartphones. The main compartment is organized with zippers to separate them. This helps you quickly find what you need without having to ramble through several items to get to it. The pockets for the computer and tablet are lined with a soft felt material.
The outside of the bag has pockets and room for small items like pencils and for papers or notebook and digital gear. There is a separate, zippered and lined pocket for a music player with an opening for your headphones. This keeps cords from tangling and also offers the utmost in protection for these devices from damage. Two side pockets have room to store a camera or cellphone charger.
Some of the pockets for the small items, like keys, are covered with a mesh material. This makes it easy to find them quickly.
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What I find different with this brand’s TSA feature from other checkpoint friendly bags is that it lies flat for scanning but none of the other items in the bag can be seen when it is being scanned.
PADDING
EVERKI features a 5 point harness system on its bags to ensure utmost comfort. This system distributes weight across the body to reduce strain on the back and shoulders. There are two ultra soft adjustable padded straps at the shoulder and a strap at the bottom. The back of the laptop is padded as well.
PROS
- Excellent quality and durability
- Soft, Luxurious padding
- Great protection for laptop
- Great organization of compartments
- Roomy interior
- Comfortable straps
CONS
- Doesn’t have much room for clothing to use as a weekend bag
- Doesn’t have a luggage sleeve to fit over rolling luggage (see EKP 121 link)
WATERPROOF
The bag is made of a thick nylon fabric which is water resistant but not completely waterproof. That means it should repel modest amounts of water. The laptop and other pockets are heavily padded which prevent any water from the outside of the bag reaching the electronic gear.
RATINGS AND REVIEWS
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This Everki model receives a 4.5 out of 5 ratings on Amazon.
The 411
This is an excellent choice laptop backpack for travel that is TSA Checkpoint friendly. Its organization, comfort and padding are superb. The bag is roomy and can handle and protect many of the items associated with laptops and media accessories and is stylish at the same time. The quality of the workmanship and material is backed up by a lifetime warranty. Price of the bag online is very modest for the quality and features you get.
Timbuk2 Uptown TSA Checkpoint Travel Friendly Backpack
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FEATURES
The main compartment of the Timuk2 Uptown TSA friendly backpack is quite roomy and can hold your laptop, books and even a lightweight jacket, so it is ideal for a student who travels by airplane occasionally. It is easily opened for scanning by TSA agents. It fits a 17 inch or smaller laptop. The bag is durable and functional for college students as well as an everyday bag for anyone. And with several colors available, you get to choose a color that is more in tune with your taste.
DIMENSIONS
18.9 x 12.2 x 12.2
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ORGANIZATION AND COMPARTMENTS
There aren’t a lot of laptop backpacks with enough room inside for the laptop, books and a small jacket. This is mainly because the pockets aren’t highly compartmentalized for individual items. A laptop has its own compartment, though. In fact, it can hold a laptop and a tablet. Because it is TSA compliant, it will open flat for easy scanning at airports. There are two zippered pockets on the outside to stash more gear.
PADDING AND COMFORT
Straps are padded and adjustable for comfort. The padding on the inside of the backpack is not as thick as consumers would like.
PROS
- Very roomy
- Open design allows more items inside
- Stylish
- Good price
CONS
- Not many pockets for those who like more organization
- Not as heavily padded as similar laptop backpacks
WATERPROOF
The nylon material on the outside does repel small amounts of water but it’s possible for the outside to get wet in heavy downpours of rain.
Picture for demonstration purposes only. Color not available.
RATINGS AND REVIEWS
The Timbuk2 TSA Friendly laptop backpack receives a 4.4 out of 5 stars rating on Amazon.
The 411
The backpack’s nylon material has a nice subtle design pattern that makes it look classy. Men and women would feel comfortable using it. Lots of open-design room inside makes it a great everyday bag and an especially nice backpack for students who travel by airplane. It's easy to scan without removing from the bag. The price is also good for a backpack of this quality.
Mobile Edge Alienware Orion M17 TSA Checkpoint Friendly Backpack
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FEATURES
Mobile Edge’s Alienware Orion M17 has the distinction of being the backpack Howard wore on The Big Bang Theory. The backpack has a tailored look reminiscence of well-engineered luggage with smooth, rounded corners. It’s a solid design suitable for both men and women. The inside compartment has special pockets especially sized for all your laptop’s accessories. It’s one of the few high end backpacks that cater to larger 17 inch size laptops. In fact, it can fit more than one laptop in the inner compartment. The outside is made of a stiff material which provides extra protection for the items inside. Lies flat for easy TSA scanning of laptop without having to remove it. It features a wireless security shield that protects your smartphone from hackers.
DIMENSIONS
15.5 x 17 x 20 inches
ORGANIZATION AND COMPARTMENTS
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There is plenty of room inside to hold a lot of technical gear as well as a laptop. It is also very well organized. Some sections are zippered and most of the pockets have a mesh covering which makes them easy to see through. The inside doesn’t have the extensive padding as the Everki but its stiff exterior helps protect your electronic gear from damage.
PADDING AND COMFORT
The shoulder straps are adequately padded for comfort but some owners have reported that they tendn to twist when putting the backpack on.
PROS
- Lots of pockets inside
- Roomy enough for 2 laptops
- Fits laptops up to 17.3 inches
- TSA Compliant
- Security shield protects smartphone from hackers
CONS
- Pocket for water bottles is very small
WATERPROOF
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The outside is made of a stiff material and will protect the inside contents from becoming wet.
RATINGS AND REVIEWS
Receives a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating from several hundred reviewers online.
The 411
This is an easy choice when you need a backpack to hold a large size laptop. Its durability, roomy interior and well organized compartments are worth its cost.
TARGUS VIP TSA Friendly Checkpoint Backpack
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FEATURES
A really unique feature of the Targus VIP 15.6 inch TS Checkpoint Backpack is its Sling drop suspension system. The laptop sits in its own compartment buffered by a system that actually bounces upon impact when the backpack is dropped. This greatly improves the protection of the computer. Another great feature is the bag’s ability to stand up on its own—it doesn’t tilt over when you set it down. It also has a convenient luggage sleeve that slips over the handle of rolling luggage. The design is sleek and classic enhanced with faux leather trim which makes it appealing to men and women. It is airport checkpoint friendly and will lay flat when going through TSA lines. This means you don’t have to remove your laptop for scanning. It fits laptops up to 15.6 inches.
DIMENSIONS
19.25 x 12.5 x 8
ORGANIZATION AND COMPARTMENTS
There is a separate compartment for the laptop with superior protection against drops. There is a compartment for a tablet as well. There is plenty of room for small accessories as well as an extra large compartment for files and notebooks. There is also an extra large compartment on the outside as well as an smaller one at the bottom.
PADDING AND COMFORT
Inside and outside pockets and compartments are very well padded. The Sling drop system is one of the better systems available for protecting a laptop. Special attention is given to the back of the bag with extra padding to make it comfortable against one’s back. Straps are amply padded and comfortable. The straps can be tucked away when not in use.
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PROS
- Unique suspension system for added protection of laptop
- Well constructed and durable materials
- Large interior with pockets for smaller items
- Stands upright
- TSA Friendly
- Water resistant inside and out
CONS
- Limited to size 15.6 inches or smaller.
WATERPROOF
Manufacturer says material is weather resistant and will protect contents inside the bag.
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RATINGS AND REVIEWS
The backpack gets very good reviews online at Amazon with a 4.3 out of 5 stars rating.
The 411
When you are looking for optimum protection for your laptop from accidental drops, the Targus Mobile Friendly and TSA Checkpoint backpack is worth considering. Its special suspension system offers very good protection. It’s also designed with lots of space for your laptop and its gear in an efficient and organized way. The price is also reasonable.
SWISSGEAR 1908 TSA FRIENDLY SCANSMART LAPTOP BACKPACK
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FEATURES
The SWISSGEAR 1908 ScanSmart TSA Friendly gets straight to the point in what a versatile TSA friendly laptop backpack should be. Not only does it open flat for easy, protective scanning, this backpack also makes a great bag for college students. It’s very roomy inside for laptop and books and is quite popular with students. And the divided compartments makes it very easy to store small items. It’s made of a rugged material and has a custom designed airflow back system that keeps it cool and comfortable to wear. This is a backpack that fits laptops up to 17 inches.
DIMENSIONS
18 x 13 x 9
ORGANIZATION AND COMPARTMENTS
SWISSGEAR backpacks are some of the best when it comes to compartments and organization. There are several individual pockets inside that hold electronic gear such as smartphones, pens and pencils. There is also a special pocket for music players. It’s roomy enough inside for college textbooks and notebooks as well.
PADDING AND COMFORT
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Padding inside is very good to protect your device from accidental drops. The straps are designed for ergonomic comfort. In addition, they have soft padding to make them comfortable to wear.
PROS
- Well-known and respected brand
- Very well organized
- Lots of room inside
- Fits a 17 inch laptop
CONS
- No luggage sleeve to slip over suitcase
WATERPROOF
Repels water on the outside very well due to its ballistic weave fabric. This means that your laptop and other contents inside will not become wet in mild amounts of rain.
RATINGS AND REVIEWS
This Swiss Gear backpack gets 4.6 out of 5 stars online at Amazon with over 1600 customer reviews.
The 411
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This is a great versatile backpack and particularly geared towards college students when flying but also good for everyday use. A laptop is easily scanned by TSA without removal from the backpack. The price is on the lower end of SwissGear backpacks, but this does not mean it isn’t constructed as well as its more expensive counterparts. Usually Amazon has great discount deals which makes it a good buy. The SwissGear is one of the best TSA friendly laptop backpacks on the market.