CallawayOGIO PACE 25 Backpack, Black

Great Backpack

I like the OGIO PACE 25L BACKPACK for its many features and rugged construction. I have nothing to dislike but on my wish list is a similar backpack with built in wheels and dual telescoping handle.The backpack is quality. According to the manufacturer the material is 840D Ballistic Nylon Body, 1680 Base and Sides. I can attest that it feels to the touch a heavy and stiff material. Empty, it stands on its own and all the compartments are extended. Additionally the entire bag has padding! This includes sides, base, each separation of compartment and even some spaces have light padding. I don’t mind the heavier Ballistic Nylon and extensive use of padding as it offers protection to items, like IPad, IPod, High End Music Player and electronic reader. Carrying a little extra weight to have the potential protection is a small price to pay in my opinion.The outside of the OGIO backpack has ballistic bands on front and one side. These are NOT elastic but I have been able to attach an additional cable case on the front and umbrella on the side. The side without strap has a web material compartment with a drawstring top and lock. This works with a large water bottle. Both sides have a long zippered access area that extends about three quarters of the backpack length. The zipper opens from top all the way to the base. There is a small gusset to form a compartment within the compartment in the bottom. Both sides have pockets to hold miscellaneous items.The first compartment is too small for a 9-1/2” IPAD. However it is RFID Blocking and good for those items needing that type of security. It is zippered and easily accessible so Passport will be carried here. There is room for my electronic book reader plus a key snap on a strap. The smaller compartment right behind will accept the IPad. There are some other storage areas here plus a separate zippered area. Cables, charger and SD adapters all fit well here. Above that area is a small compartment for cell phone and/or sun glasses. Easily accessible as it is at the top and front of the case.The next area is the main compartment of the backpack. There is a plastic case with zipper that has hook and loop attachment at the top and on the front side. The rear top has a loop to hang an over the ear headset. Overall this compartment is 18” DEEP X 13” Side to side x 4” Front to back. I want to point out that all of these major sections have gussets on each side. These gusset, or pieces of material, form a pocket in the base of each compartment. There is a shallow and a deep pocket located here. Both have some minimum padding in the separators. There are also pen/pencil holders.The next section is for computers and tablets. There are three separate areas. My 15” laptop, Surface Pro And IPad all fit in this area. Accessory items find homes wherever they fit in the backpack. But, the fact is this case handles all of the items I want to carry with space to spare. There is still one compartment remaining which is tucked away on the rear of the backpack. It is not secret as the zipper is readily available but it is not in a very accessible area when the bag is in use. This backpack works for me and it is recommended. Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ StarThank you for looking at my review. If you found this review valuable please click on the Helpful Icon below. Thanks 😊

The first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem, "My name is S.B. and I'm a backpack-a-holic." Over the last 20+ years I have carried backpacks from a range of name-brand vendors - costing from as little as $50 to almost $500. My most recent favorite - from a well-reviewed start-up with some very clever ideas - cost about $200. The OGIO Pace 25 is my new favorite for everyday carry.PROS* Materials and quality are fantastic - as you would expect from OGIO. This is NOT a bag that will fall apart in less than a year under everyday use. Like most frequent travelers and daily carry obsessors, I eschew leather for more durable materials like the Pace 25's ballistic nylon outer shell; it looks great, but is rugged and sturdy. Zipper pulls are coated with some sort of fused plastic material, which makes for an easy grab but a much QUIETER bag than some OGIOs I've had in the past (yes, I'm talkin' to you, Renegade RSS...a past favorite). The internal lining is softer than the outer shell, but feels like it should wear well.* Flexibility is very well thought out. Pockets have lots of organization, but not so much so that you end up with pockets that seem to have only one viable purpose. Even the laptop compartment, while roomy enough for large laptops, leaves room for additional papers, a tablet, and even the external LCD monitor I sometimes carry for work. Also, the external water bottle pocket is large and flexible enough even to handle my 26 oz. YETI bottle!* The bag is quite roomy for its 25L capacity; I've carried bigger bags that didn't feel as spacious - probably because they managed to WASTE a lot of space. I carry two large pouches in my main compartment - one for cables, adapters, etc. and one for office supplies, first aid basics, and such; these both fit with room to spare.CONS* I wish the internal material was in a contrasting color or pattern rather than black. A lot of newer bags are doing that to make it easier to see and find bag contents. I love this trend, and this would be a very important upgrade.* Some removable tie-downs on the sides and/or bottom of the bag would be great to help with a jacket, tripod, blanket, etc. This would let the bag expand indirectly when you need to carry that one extra item that would just eat up the inside of the backpack - if it fit at all.* It would be amazing if there was a zip-around expansion between the laptop compartment and the main carrying compartment, which also let you open up the backpack like a "clamshell". In addition to making the bag checkpoint friendly (it's not), this would also satisfy two other groups: (1) the heavy carry-on traveler who has the occasional need to lug extra papers or gear, and (2) the one-bag traveler who wants to get a few days worth of clothing in the same pack as their work stuff.Even without the above "cons", this is an oustanding bag for carrying your everyday "mobile office", and I highly recommend it!

I like this pack overall -- coming from someone who review backpacks from mass market ones like this to small batch hand made ones that costs in the $400+ range. This OGIO pack took a lot of different design ideas from other manufacturers and seems like throw them all together. Not all are perfect, but overall this is a nice pack.- heat shrink wrapped zipper -- looks cool like silent zipper pulls, ,but they are not because it is attached to a metal tab- front pocket is large, but not enough organization as an admin pocket- front top lined pocket for phones etc is great, but it is slightly hidden under a recessed zipper making it hard to get to- great large water bottle pocket- great two tier side wing pockets, perfect for mouse and charger brick- nicely padded and large laptop compartment in the back- extra wallet / secret pocket in the back is nice- front molle is just for looks I think- non clamshell openning -- either you like it or hate itLeaving the final fun design piece -- there is a headphone "hanger" in the main compartment. I like the idea. But the snap is very hard to use.For a mass market pack, I think it is pretty nice.

I guess I wasn't imagining it very well, but this backpack has surprisingly more room than I expected it to. There are a large central compartment and a compartment for my laptop, as well as various smaller compartments and pouches on the outside of the bag. The straps adjusted fairly easily for me, and hold the bag comfortably on my shoulders. I haven't had it long, but the material seems tough and substantial. The basic black is nicely minimalist, too.