If you are a fan of Lenovo products like I am, you’ll want to consider the “official” backpack for your laptop and tablet – the Lenovo ThinkPad Professional Backpack.  This isn’t some cheap tchotchke backpack that lots of companies give away, this is a seriously thought out, multi-pocketed pack that you’ll enjoy for a long time.

And if you are carrying one of those “other” brand laptops, this bag won’t make you feel bad.  The ThinkPad logo is tastefully small, black on black with just a tiny red dot.

This backpack is for anyone carrying a 15.6” notebook or less.  The notebook slot is top loading and your notebook is snuggled in a well-padded nylon sling with mesh bottom. Travelers will appreciate the zip open, TSA friendly feature so you don’t need to remove the laptop. On the front side of this compartment, you’ll find another padded pocket for your tablet.

Bonus feature:  This full, zip-open feature provides a pocket that’s just shy of 11×17, so you can also use this space for large magazines and legal-sized Pendaflex folders.  Handy!

The main storage compartment has one full-width pouch and two half-width pouches along with an abundant amount of space for your books, camera gear, whatever. This compartment’s zipper goes half-way to the bottom, so, no fear about losing any small objects floating around in the bottom of your bag.

In front of that is another large accessory storage area.  Here you’ll find pockets the right size for your portable hard drives, MP3 players, a pen and a zippered pocket for all those recharging cords and cables. And, thank you Lenovo, there’s a clip here for your keys that is just simply that – a clip. No long lanyard that invariably gets caught on cables, etc. in the compartment.  It just grabs your key ring/flash drive and keeps it high up and easy to retrieve.

On the exterior front, there are two good sized pockets for those things you want to access immediately – think phone, notebook, snacks, tickets, bus pass….you’ve got the idea.  Each pocket flap is secured with a hidden magnet, so they always stay closed, but are accessible in an instant.

Hidden by the carrying strap, there’s another externally accessible zippered pouch which is ideal for sunglasses.  The interior is soft velour type material that won’t scratch expensive lenses.

Also hidden, which I really liked, is a pocket right above the lumbar region against your back.  This highly padded pocket is great for passport, money, tickets and anything else you want to protect from pickpockets.  A) They can’t see the pocket. B) The pocket is closed with a zipper. C) The pocket is tight to your body so they can’t get a hand in there without you noticing.

On either side are exterior stretch accessory pockets, suitable for small thermoses or bottles of water. I’ll even stick my small Sony camcorder here for quick access when I’m at an event.

On the back, there’s also a trolley strap so your backpack with securely grab the rails on your suitcase while traveling.

Both the back and the shoulder straps are covered with a breathable open mesh where it contacts your clothes to provide ventilation. Sufficient padding insures a comfortable carry if you are going to be carrying the bag some distance.

This MSRP $59.99 backpack is available now for $47.99 as a Web Special and compares favorably with backpacks costing four times that much.  If you’re in need of a new pack, you need to give this a look.