Osprey Flapjack Review

Nowadays it seems that the average working individual has an abundance of electronic devices that help make our daily routines easier and more bearable, but with that comes the added chance to lose, break or misplace those trusty life-saving gadgets. This pack has a torrent of pockets and compartments to help you maintain a well-organized bag of gear and keep them adequately protected as well.

Not only does it come with an amply padded laptop sleeve, but there are also secondary pockets for a tablet, a separate document sleeve, and room for just about anything else you'd like to carry with you. There is even room in the main compartment for a jacket, change of clothes and your climbing gear, just in case you want to drop by the gym after you've wrapped up your day at the office. If you tend to do a lot of traveling, whether it be to the office or on a trip, this is an excellent choice to protect your technology and will also keep you comfortable and well-organized while doing so.

Performance Comparison

Laptop Protection

This backpack provides great overall protection, earning a high score in this metric.

Osprey has a carefully considered design to keep the weight of the pack down and also ensure that your laptop is adequately protected. When your computing device is snugged away in the main pouch that can fit up to a 15" laptop, the big foam piece extends further than the pouch. This feature is present in many of the bags, but this design was one of our favorites. This section of foam has to fold before a laptop touches the ground. If you set the bag down forcefully, or drop it for some reason, this design prevents your laptop from hitting the ground. That said, the design could be made a little better by offering protection along the top of the laptop. This foam arrangement is an excellent feature of this pack, considering it is not a free-standing bag and needs to lean against something to stand up.

Comfort

This bag is comfortable, plain and simple, ranking highly in our tests for comfort.

This pack is super comfortable. It has a firm but well-padded backplate that fits well against a person's back; it also has nicely padded shoulder straps that are also a slim ergonomic design like that of most of Osprey's packs. Most importantly, the shoulder straps are explicitly designed not to bite into the neck, and this couldn't be truer; it was exceptionally comfortable while sitting on a bike. Its sternum and waist straps add stability when riding a bike or with heavy cargo. Our testers find it is comfortable in all its habitats, loaded up, loaded down, or somewhere in between. The Flapjack will not only keep your laptop safe and secure, but it is also a very comfortable pack to wear while doing so.

Storage

While the Flapjack is a smaller bag by volume (21L), it ranks pretty high for storage. It has so many great organizational features that not only help you stay organized but hold everything you need for after work as well, including a change of clothes, groceries, your laptop an more! Most of the packs we tested had no problem holding all of our extra gear, but the Flapjack made a better impression.

We love the central compartment's expandability, as well as the unique zippered padded tablet sleeve and the document pouch between the two padded sleeves. The smaller outer zippered compartment has tons of little pockets for holding all of your small knick-knacks, as well as smaller office electronics and supplies. The key clip is also a plus for those individuals who tend to lose their keys often; it also made a significant ID holder if you are a working individual who needs such a thing. We were surprised at how many of the packs did not have such a small luxury. We awarded the Flapjack high marks in storage because it offers lots of space while keeping everything organized.

Ease of Use

While the storage compartment is large enough to carry extras like a jacket, water bottle or gym gear, there is also an extra tubular zippered pocket on the outside that allows for room for extra carrying capacity. Most liked to use it as a place to store a thermos of caffeine for those long days at the office.

This contender suits work, organization, and laptop carrying. The lid features a big clip that makes it easy to get in and out of the back, but there are no additional zippered entryways into the laptop compartment…so if your bag is fully packed, laptop access will require a little digging around. Aside from that, this is an excellent laptop backpack for travel to and from the office.

Water Resistance

If partly cloudy with a chance of light showers is on the forecast menu, this pack will fit the bill. It was surprisingly more waterproof than we expected and ranked amongst the highest in water resistance out of the tested bunch.

The Flapjack emerged from the 30-second shower test with little to no moisture on the paper inside. We were hesitant at first because there are no zippers on the main laptop compartment, but the large flap fully encloses the compartment and keeps things dry. If you frequently find yourself caught in the rain and want something better than nothing, this bag will do the trick. If you want a highly repellent laptop bag for those heavy showers, look to the Patagonia Black Hole 25.

Style

The Flapjack features a stylish design with a sleek and modern look. It is well-suited to the relaxed office environment. In that regard, it is very similar to a few of the other packs we tested, but the sleek design and modern color choices will be sure to attract some attention.

The Flapjack also offers a unique design among the other bags in the review, as this is the only style of laptop backpack that uses a sizeable flap to cover and enclose the inner compartments.

Best Applications

This model is one of the best bags for commuting to and from the office and on day-to-day missions, with a deluge of pockets that helps you stay organized. If you're looking for a laptop bag to take to work and like the modern style that the Flapjack offers, this is right up your alley. The small attachment for a flashing bike light on the back of the pack gives you peace of mind while bike commuting. Along with a few other small reflective strips on the front, we also found this pack to be a rather comfortable fit while seated on a bike. Overall, it has a plethora of uses.

Value

This model retails for $110, which is on the pricier end of the spectrum, compared to other models we tested; but, we believe it is worth every penny.

Conclusion

If you want a great combination of laptop protection, comfort, organization, and great features, this is an excellent bag that'll help you handle whatever gets thrown your way.