Customer Reviews High Sierra Access Backpack

It's somewhat heavy.

Zipper gets snagged, inner materials rip along seams.

Backpack great for school, especially with the padded straps

I usually pack a lot of stuff for me and my son. Just a good hand carry sized bag...

I have used this bag in my commute and its very lightweight. It allows air to flow decently so you don't sweat as much. I live in a tropical place and its important for air flow through the back of the back.

I have used this bag in my commute and its very lightweight. It allows air to flow decently so you don't sweat as much. I live in a tropical place and its important for air flow through the back of the back.

Use this back pack as my business briefcase for daily ooffice use and business travel.

This backpack has replaced my 12 year old jansport backpack. I wanted something with a dedicated laptop pocket and more modern harnessing for comfort. Its very comfortable. The haul handle at the top is wide and very sturdy which when pulling it out of a car, the floor etc is important when its full of a heavy laptop, tablet and my other items for work. My only problems with it is that the main compartment zippers are very stiff and there is only 1 water bottle pocket versus the two I was accustomed to.

This pack was used daily by my two daughters in high school. They carried about 25-30 lbs in it and schlepped it through 2 years of school. AP text books, binders, folders, lunch, pens and laptops. The shoulder straps are the weak spot: Not enough stitches per inch and the material used in the shoulder straps are selected for comfort and not for durability. The shoulder straps started ripping apart at the seams after one year and required repair at 1.5 years. I inserted 1.25" wide nylon webbing inside the shoulder strap and sewed it down well with bar-tacks. Looks like Frankenstein now but it'll last until college.

This pack was used daily by my two daughters in high school. They carried about 25-30 lbs in it and schlepped it through 2 years of school. AP text books, binders, folders, lunch, pens and laptops. The shoulder straps are the weak spot: Not enough stitches per inch and the material used in the shoulder straps are selected for comfort and not for durability. The shoulder straps started ripping apart at the seams after one year and required repair at 1.5 years. I inserted 1.25" wide nylon webbing inside the shoulder strap and sewed it down well with bar-tacks. Looks like Frankenstein now but it'll last until college.

This backpack can hold a lot, but we thought it actually had too many compartments for our needs. We kept finding new zippers every time we turned the thing around! The rain cover for the backpack is kind of cool, but it does take up some space in the bottom of the bag. We also thought the flaps covering the zippers were not going to be helpful for my 11-year old, who needs to be able to get items in and out quickly and easily. The straps and padding seemed good.

I would recommend this backpack for someone who hikes or doesn't have to bring a lot of books to school. As a student, this backpack is too small for the amount of books I have to bring to school. I have to bring a LOT of books to school (like it's a workout for anyone to pick up my backpack amount) and my books barely fit. I originally got this backpack because it was the biggest one I could find at the store, so it is big, just not big enough for my purposes. I've been using this backpack for a year and some of the straps that are supposed to more tightly secure the backpack to me have already broke and the ones that haven't just dangle and hit my legs (because I don't have time to strap myself in before going to my next class). Also, this backpack is not the lightest because of all of the padding and the waterproof covering (which is a problem when everything is already very heavy). The waterproof covering is handy when it rains, but since I live in a place where it doesn't rain much, it's just extra weight. The padding is very cushy and useful as a pillow for when you're taking a nap on the bus though. There are also two zippers that go to the same pocket, which still sometimes confuse me when I'm trying to get something quickly out of my backpack. Overall, I think this backpack is best suited for hikers or those who don't carry around that much stuff. For those of you like me and have an insane amount of books you need to carry everyday, I recommend a Jansport bag, which is light and big (but not as fancy as this bag).

I had high hopes. My wife bought this same bag a few years ago and it is really nice. I wonder if the fabric has changed. Mine is so stiff compared to hers and my zippers are horroble. The bag must be in the perfect position for them to function. I am going to try some zipper ease to see if it helps. If it does I will hope the fabric breaks in over time. Otherwise the bag is great. Lots of storage and very comfortable straps. The dark red color is really nice too. I really want to like it.

Had one for 2 months and 2 zippers broke and it no longer closed. Eventually gave up coping with it when all my books fell on the ground during a snowstorm. Got rid of it. However, when it lived it was very comfortable (never got a backache lugging books around) and rather stylish.

The zippers just do not work well, my guess is the teeth are too small and lower quality. Also the comb pouch is a bit hard to find, could be a little easier to find.

The zippers just do not work well, my guess is the teeth are too small and lower quality. Also the comb pouch is a bit hard to find, could be a little easier to find.

I came across HS about 12 years ago. You were the only ones who had a backpack that would fit a 17' laptop (Access). I have back problems and travel frequently, so a regular over-the-shoulder laptop satchel doesn't work for me. The 1st one I had lasted for 5 or 6 years before I decided to buy a new one. It held up fantastically with all my travels around the country and to other countries. The main issues I had with it were weak seams, with the fabric fraying so it couldn't be repaired. I bought the same bag, and I had the same issue: weak seams. The seams started coming apart much quicker and it didn't last nearly as long. I bought my current bag (my 3rd, an XBT TSA. BTW, the TSA does not like the "TSA approved laptop feature)) late 2016, and just a few months later I went on extended business travel, making over a dozen trips up until last summer. On that 1st trip (early 2017), the seam around the bottom of exterior mesh pocket came unraveled, creating a hole to the interior. I had to attempt a repair, because things in the interior were falling out. I wasn't going to replace it after it being only a few months old. I used upholstery needles and the heaviest thread I could find. It took me the better part of an day, but it was finally usable. However, as time and trips went on, other seams gave way all over the bag, like cracks spreading across a weak dam that's about to burst open. I just came back from an extended trip to Asia, and while on that trip many more seams came undone, with one on the top opening more than 6". I have no choice now but to replace it because I'm going back to Asia very soon. Your QC process needs much improvement. I like your product's features and designs, but I can no longer trust their quality. I am disappointed to say that I will looking elsewhere, not just at HS.

I came across HS about 12 years ago. You were the only ones who had a backpack that would fit a 17' laptop (Access). I have back problems and travel frequently, so a regular over-the-shoulder laptop satchel doesn't work for me. The 1st one I had lasted for 5 or 6 years before I decided to buy a new one. It held up fantastically with all my travels around the country and to other countries. The main issues I had with it were weak seams, with the fabric fraying so it couldn't be repaired. I bought the same bag, and I had the same issue: weak seams. The seams started coming apart much quicker and it didn't last nearly as long. I bought my current bag (my 3rd, an XBT TSA. BTW, the TSA does not like the "TSA approved laptop feature)) late 2016, and just a few months later I went on extended business travel, making over a dozen trips up until last summer. On that 1st trip (early 2017), the seam around the bottom of exterior mesh pocket came unraveled, creating a hole to the interior. I had to attempt a repair, because things in the interior were falling out. I wasn't going to replace it after it being only a few months old. I used upholstery needles and the heaviest thread I could find. It took me the better part of an day, but it was finally usable. However, as time and trips went on, other seams gave way all over the bag, like cracks spreading across a weak dam that's about to burst open. I just came back from an extended trip to Asia, and while on that trip many more seams came undone, with one on the top opening more than 6". I have no choice now but to replace it because I'm going back to Asia very soon. Your QC process needs much improvement. I like your product's features and designs, but I can no longer trust their quality. I am disappointed to say that I will looking elsewhere, not just at HS.

Zippers did not smoothly flow. Rain cover over zippered would catch when used. Emailed High Sierra customer service to resolve the issue and no response.

An eight year old technical laptop doesn't really fit.

I take to work everyday . Very hard to open and close. Zipper gets stuck all the time. Will never buy from Sierra again. Greatly disappointed.

My son, who is in high school, needed a new backpack with a very large capacity. We chose this backpack in November 2017. We're pleased with the capacity, however, yesterday the teeth on the zipper ripped causing both zipper pills to fall off. We got the pills back on, but the bag can no longer be fully closed. We're in the process of hopefully getting this resolved under warranty. Normally our backpacks last a couple years before needing replacement, so having this break in less than 3 months is pretty disappointing. Hopefully High Sierra stands behind their warranty.

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