A backpack designed for laptops, the Thule 25L MacBook Crossover was one I was excited about. Its being built by Thule* the makers of all of those beautifully engineered bike, truck, and roof racks, it was sure to be a nicely thought out piece. And for the most part, I was right. The construction is solid, the fabric tough and water resistant, and overall it is a very nice, light weight bag. Most of the buckles are made from heavy gauge aluminum, and all of the zippers have rubber ended pulls that make them easy to grip even with gloves on. Inside, the pack is lined in bright blue nylon that makes it easy to see all of the way to the bottom. It is sized to carry a 17″ laptop and there are plenty of organization pockets, both zippered and open. Outside, it has two zippered side pockets for water bottles and a vertical zip pocket on the front. This bag has a lot of zippers, and not a dot of velcro (no velcro always scores points in my book). Lastly, the feature that I was most looking forward to, a hard sided pocket called a SafeZone.
In these gadget filled times, a hard sided pocket is something I wish more bags had. A place to keep your delicates from sloshing around with the pointy bits, both in and outside the bag. The removable shell fits in a pocket located at the top of the bag, between the front and back zippers. While convenient, its location causes one minor problem: If there is anything of weight in it (ie. anything you’d want to protect other than your sunglasses) when you unzip the main compartment, the weight causes the bag to collapse in on itself. If you unzip both compartments, it’s even worse. Its position also creates a catch point when pulling things from the main compartment. Is this a deal breaker? No. But it is worth mentioning in an otherwise well designed bag.
After zippers, this bag excels in straps. Sturdy grab straps on both the top and bottom, side compression straps to hold the contents tight and an adjustable chest strap. The EVA shoulder straps are a little stiff, but would likely get more comfortable over time. Other than that, my only complaint about this bag is that the fabric is a bit slippery, so when setting it down, the bottom tends to slide out causing it to lay flat.
Overall, the Thule 25L Crossover is a good day to day backpack. It has some quirks, but nothing major.
The Good:
- Sturdy construction
- Zippered side pockets give it a smooth look
- Lots of organization
- Great hardware
- Lots of zippers
- No velcro!
- The crush proof pocket
The Bad:
- Crush proof pocket location
- Bottom is slippy
- Aluminum buckles a little too grabby
Wish List:
- A dedicated laptop charger pocket
Would I recommend: Sure
*The More You Know: Thule started in 1942 making fish traps.
Images via Thule.com