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Arctic Hunter 15.6" Hard Shell Laptop Backpack with TSA Lock (B00451) US$47.69 (~A$72.48) Delivered @ Arctic Hunter AliExpress

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Been looking for some time for a small hard shell city laptop backpack and ended on this one.

Why I landed on this backpack was the size (I wanted something small but would still fit a 15.6” laptop), the hard shell (this played a large factor), the build quality, the aesthetic, and the price. I don’t ever fly, so the TSA lock wasn’t necessary at all for my needs, but I’ll still use it when out and about as a deterrent.

Based on the reviews on both AliExpress and Lazada, the backpack seems to be very high quality. It includes an “organiser” that seems to be a backpack divider however, I could not find a single photo or video that confirmed this. There are 3x zippers on the backpack: The main compartment, one on the back-facing side and one on the shoulder strap. It has two compartments inside for a 10.2” tablet and a 15.6” laptop. An odd con to me is that the drink holder is on the insider of the bag. Although I do normally use the side drink holders on backpacks, I doubt I’ll use this inner one as it seems like it would just be too inconvenient. They claim to have a three year warranty however, no idea how difficult that would be to actually use.

Although this particular page didn’t have any Australian reviews talking about shipping times, I checked other listings from the same seller and found only one person in Australia saying it took 2 weeks for their backpack to arrive.
I paid $72.48 in total.

Basic Specification:

  • Model: Arctic Hunter B00451
  • Dimensions: 27cm x 15cm x 45cm
  • Weight: 860g

Features:

  • Water Resistant
  • Shock Absorbent Hard Shell
  • TSA Lock (007)
  • Included Organiser
  • 3 Years Warranty

Video Review (Not in English, but good for demonstration)
As I linked early, check out AliExpress and Lazada for more photos and reviews.

Related Stores

AliExpress
AliExpress
Marketplace
ARCTIC HUNTER Official Store
ARCTIC HUNTER Official Store

closed Comments

  • +20

    Upvote for indepth description:)

  • +5

    Curious why the hard shell was such a priority. To me, it just seems to add weight.

    • +7

      easier to pack, protects against impacts / pointed objects that could damage the laptop

      • +1

        Don’t know about that. The only thing this plausibly does better than a conventional backpack is protecting your contents from direct, front-on stabs. And how often are people lunging at you with box cutters like in the product shot?

        Most decent backpacks have a cushioned pocket that's suspended above the base to insulate the laptop from drops better than this one. I don't know about 'easier to pack,' but in my experience with hardshell suitcases, they get scuffed way too easy and it's impossible to brush off like fabric.

        • +6

          it would protect against any impact on an irregularly shaped object, such as a rock, a fence, pole etc. it isn't restricted to stabs. a soft backpack may have a suspended pocket which helps with drops, but they would not protect against a fall on any of those objects as well as a hard shell would.

          i find it easier to pack, as long as you fold things correctly, rather than just stuffing it in. I find that a lot of space is wasted when you just stuff items into bags and backpacks, it''s a bad habit.

          i would rather a durable hardshell that shows damage, than a softshell that gets abrasions, it will just get worse unless you repair it, as it has created a weak point in the bag.

          • @[Deactivated]: Is a rock or pole thrust into your back any more plausible than a knife? Most laptop sleeves are also deep and padded against the back when worn, whereas this one seems to have it in a front pocket. YMMV with packing. So long as zips reach the bottom, you can still flip the front out for access in either case. The different is, a hardshell can't be compressed and will always appear the same size regardless if it's bursting or empty.

            • +2

              @SydStrand: If you fall off a bike etc then yes

        • And how often are people lunging at you with box cutters like in the product shot?

          It's not about being stabbed. It's to make it harder for a thief to quickly slash open the bag to steal something and run off.

    • +5

      For myself I fly a lot so throwing it around / into overhead lockers luggage I wanted to be sure I wasn't gonna break my laptop.

      That said, instead I went for a hard stm sleeve and slip that inside a different backpack.

      This would be better as it doesn't add so much weight though…. It's tempting.

      • +3

        Big ups to OP for a thorough analysis.

        Like knk, I'm also tossing up between this backpack and the hard sleeve option.

        Good point about the weight added by a hard sleeve - although the Thule gauntlet is 340g while this bag is 860g. Putting the Thule sleeve inside my 500g Macpac Kahuna would result in about the same total weight.

        I am also worried about the hardness of the base. It wasn't clear from the video review linked by OP that the base was hard.

        So on balance it seems like hard sleeve + regular backpack is the way to go? I've had two incidents in particular which support this approach: 1) one time my pannier bag flew off my bike which resulted in a cracked laptop screen, 2) another time I got caught in torrential rain which drenched my bag. User error on my part of course, but both times a laptop sleeve would have been the better option than a hard bag.

        • Yeah I was actually really tempted to grab this for the reduced weight but I had concerns over the base and hardness of the part that sits on your back.

          I have an STM sleeve that is rock solid all around but by the time I cram it into my backpack along with my laptop / charger I'm around 3.5-4kgs already from memory.

  • +11

    just don't rely on the TSA lock. the master keys have been leaked online, you can buy them on aliexpress, they are also pretty terrible locks to begin with.

    • +7

      Yes, TSA lock keys are inherently unsafe because anyone can buy a lock and decode the key. They were unsafe from day 1. They're roughly equivalent to a carabineer that stops the zip falling open.

  • +28

    Took this hunting in the Arctic, and it held up very well — including a rear moose collision near Kugaaruk. Not recommended in the Antarctic due to the less-than-perfect waterproofing, but if you’re in an area not subject to recent ice-shelf thinning, you will probably be fine. Blood spatters wipe off cleanly without issue

  • +12

    If you want something with hardshell, i cannot recommend enough the Alienware Vindicator. I even fell off the bike during a rainy commute and fell on my back like a turtle on its back, there was no damage to the laptop.

    You can get the 15" Vindicator for less than this.

    I had the 17" and took the divider off and used it for backpacking from Barcelona-Rome-Budapest-Bratislava-Brno (about a week)

    • backpacking from Barcelona-Rome-Budapest-Bratislava-Brno (about a week)

      The story from the time you backpacked across Europe?

      • There were other stories of course 😃

        • Nah mate, I was referring to the "The Ken Adams Backpacking Story" from Friends. :-)

          No longer funny as I've had to explain it. :-(

          • @CocaKoala: Wow just today i stumbled upon Smelly Cat reference on another post… 2 Friends reference in one day!

    • Curious if you meant bicycle or motorbike?
      As I’m looking for a motorbike backpack.

      • +1

        It was bicycle… But i figured should be sturdy for motorbike too…

  • +1

    Thanks OP got 2.

  • I'm still looking for a lightweight one for 17" laptops. so hard to find a decent backpack.

    • The thing is, if you simply go for the lightest, they tend to be cheaply made and deform quite easily which creates the feeling of the bag 'not moving with you' as when you move your body (for example on a bike) instead of following your body rotation, it flexes and creating a drag in movement..

      Its hard to explain but some bags are more comfortable when carrying lighter loads but some are more comfortable when carrying heavier ones like the Vindicator I mentioned in my comment above…

    • +1

      Hiking daypack and a sleeve

      Edit: bring your sleeve to the store. My osprey was a proper hiking pack and was too thin. But all others were fine

  • Will this fit the 16" MacBook Pro?

  • Icy

  • +1

    ended up buying this, looks more badass than the ad's product
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002002813242.html

  • +1

    Received mine today in Melb

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