The laptop backpack to rule them all: ‘Hercules’ from ECBC [Review]

It feels like I’ve gone through dozens of laptop backpacks over the years. Either the zipper breaks in a disastrous way, the bottom tears, or the weight becomes hard to bear. But that may be about to change with the new Hercules Laptop Backpack from ECBC.

Right off the bat, I’m going to mention the biggest thing I love about ECBC: they offer a 3-year warranty with their products. Since most of my backpacks end up with some sort of a problem within the first year – I promise, I try to be nice to them! – this is a huge advantage.

Inside the backpack

This backpack is seemingly small from the outside, but the number of compartments and pockets is insane. Closest to the backpack’s straps is the laptop compartment, which can fit a laptop up to 17″. There’s also a little foam bar that can be put at the bottom of the pocket if you have a smaller laptop. There is a pocket for your iPad or iPad mini. Two mesh panels to store flash drives, headphones, adapters, or other small cords. While this isn’t a charging backpack, there is definitely enough room to stow all of your devices and accessories.

The back flap also folds back completely. ECBC calls this their “FastPass system”, as this can speed up security checks at the airport.

On the outside

I’ve used a few backpacks that didn’t take advantage of water resistant materials or protective zippers. Living in Arizona, I haven’t had many cases where I’ve been worried for my devices. However, the few times that I did need to run outside in the rain did scare me beyond belief. As with all of ECBC’s products, they use water resistant materials and zippers, so that’s not something you even have to think about.

The zippers are extremely heavy duty and don’t feel cheap. The company calls the zippers “self repairing”, which means frustrating broken zipper teeth are a thing of the past.

The backpack is sleek and comes in multiple colors. At just 2.7 pounds, this backpack feels quite light and is ready for many pounds of electronic devices.

The only downside I found with the backpack is that it doesn’t seem to prevent back sweat as much as other backpacks. Keep in mind it’s currently 105° F outside here in Arizona, but the backpack doesn’t seem to have great airflow.

Conclusion

The Hercules Laptop Backpack from ECBC is a killer product backed by a reliable company. For me, the $139.99 MSRP pricetag is extremely reasonable when considering the included warranty, the construction of the backpack, and all of the gadgets you can fit into all of the pockets.

The black version is currently discounted on Amazon for just $135.99. The green and blue versions are also available on the same page.