Customer Reviews Timbuk2 The Authority Pack DLX

I use this backpack every day for work. It carries my backpack, notebook, pens, water, etc. It looks great and is of good built. However, I have been looking to switch away from this backpack as it lacks something really important that other reviewers have mentioned: functionality/organization. There are no pen slots, cable storage pouches, etc. All the backpack has is one pouch in the main compartment that holds all the small stuff I have, from pens and chap stick to gum and hand sanitizer. Needless to say it's messy and very frustrating whenever I need to retrieve something, as it feels like I am rummaging through a purse to look for that small thing. This is a huge oversight on Timbuk2's part and for the price a letdown. I hope in the next iteration of the backpack they will incorporate more storage, pouches, slots. I am on the market for a new backpack and will be donating this one to Goodwill.

It's honestly a bit disappointing. The sunglasses pouch is small, and not soft lined, the main compartment lacks a small zippered net pouch, the water bottle holder on the side is too short for a 24oz Hydroflask, which is a very common water bottle size. Also the bag doesn't stand up on its own, which I appreciate when working at a coffee shop with nothing to lean it against. F"Also, the laptop sleeve swallows your MacBook whole if you have a 13" MacBook Pro. It falls so deep down there, the pocket is way too long. Finally the interior of the bag should have been made a highlighter color to "turn on the lights" inside. Overall, I'm not that pleased with it and am not sure I will use it much. My favorite work bag is still the Thule Subterra Backpack.

I wanted to love this bag... but I just don't and I'm heartbroken. I've been a long time lover of Timbuk2 (own 5+ bags) and this has been the most disappointing bag. As mentioned in other reviews, it says it's 28L, however I can't figure that out. I have a similar size bag that is also 28L from another company and I can fit 3x as much stuff. I have a 15 year old Q backpack which is supposed to be 8 L smaller and I can fit more in there as well. It feels like the main compartment is too small, that the organization panel fights with the main compartment, and the exterior pockets are tight and hard to put things in there. I've enjoyed the bag to bring my laptop (no charger because there's not a place to put it), small notebook, a few pins, wallet, and phone to work... but that's all about it can do. I wish I would have bought it through another company that would let me return this not functional backpack so I could move on with my day.

Not 28L, realistically more like 20L/22L. It's mostly verticle space so when I packed my both my 32 oz Hydro Flask and my laptop, it was already maxed out.

I really wanted to like this bag, but after purchase I saw others complaining about the size and how it compares to the advertised capacity. I am not sure how Timbuk2 has come to determine that this bag (Authority Deluxe) is 28L in size. Based on the physical (in person) measurements, it is 20 to 21L at best. If you go by the measurements on this site, it's even less. Disappointing, as I otherwise liked the look and layout of the bag, just entirely too small for what I have to carry to the office. I considered the Never Check expandable or the Parker Commuter, but both are more then I was able to spend (as I'm being reimbursed by my employer).

The bag feels nice but is way too thin for how long it is. I find myself unable to put many contents into it without have to stack things on top of each other. This bag would have been infinitely better if it was slightly wider. You can't fit much more than a laptop and some thin books inside unfortunately.

I think this backpack is almost perfect. You can easily fit two laptops or a laptop and a tablet, sunglasses, phone, and cables, and a change or two of clothes. It's comfortable, and the water bottle holder works well for my purposes. But it has one major flaw: the waterproof coating on the bottom panels peels off quickly. With light usage, mine peeled within a few months. A real shame because I used it for work, but can't really now because it looks so ratty.

Used to love this brand but their warranty is a bit of a joke. No complaints about the design, but the material started to peel in the corner after barely any use. Brought to the Timbuk2 store and the employee told me if they had the same colour in stock they would just give me a new one, but since they didn't, the best they could do was offer me a trade-in for 20% off i.e. I would "trade-in" the defective one and buy a new one in a different colour at a 20% discount. Extremely disappointed in the warranty and service and won't be purchasing their products again after many years of being a customer. After spending so much on these products, I expected better warranty policies and services on par with other high-end brands.

Purchased this bag for school and frequent work travel. I was really excited because it looks professional and seemed to be the size (28L) I needed. The design just really fell short, and it ended up being terrible for traveling. CONS: --The middle compartment zipper doesn't go low enough, though it's the largest pocket. I can't access anything I store at the bottom, so I tend not to; this is wasted space. --If the front pocket is full, it takes up space in the middle pocket (i.e., this backpack doesn't expand), and further exacerbates the issue of wasted space at the bottom of the pack in the middle pocket. --The bottom is really narrow so it doesn't stand up unless it's leaning against something (even if I do manage to get anything down there to try to balance the weight. --Waterbottle holder is SUPER narrow and only holds small-capacity water bottles PROS: --Great to compartmentalize my things --Turns out I love the hook to hold onto my keys, that front pocket is actually super convenient.

Truth be told, I really wanted to buy the Q Laptop Backpack 2.0, but it is not available (it's that popular?). So, I went up one level price-wise, thinking I would get a bump in quality or features. But, when I received it, I was surprised with the features it DOES NOT have. Let's start with the positives -- it is a good looking backpack, not lacking in capaciousness. But, that's where the positives end....opening the main compartment, I noticed it's the main compartment, with one large zippered pocket....and that's it; no card pockets, or pen holder/loops, or any other organizing features inside the backpack itself. I find it so odd that this costs more than the Q Laptop Backpack 2.0, but, it has fewer features. The water bottle holder can hold a skinny 21 or 24 oz HydroFlask bottle, but, it will not hold 36 oz Yeti Rambler bottle (which is what I usually travel with -- gotta stay hydrated). The outer zipped laptop compartment seems nice, but it's a tight fit -- maybe as I break in the backpack it will be easier to insert a laptop. And, the straps are heavy duty -- this is going to wreak havoc on my suit jackets (so I may just use this for personal travel). IF I decide to keep this backpack, I'm going to have to invest in additional pouches to hold cables, pens, and other things as there is only the one zipped pocket internally, and the one zipped outer pocket. My feelings are mixed, but I can't give more than 2 stars just because the lack of features -- you're paying for a bag with straps, that happens to hold a laptop. That's it. It's a shame, because I LOVE my TB2 XS Classic Messenger Bag. Looks like I'm going to look at Tumi now......

The water bottle holder on the side can't expand to fit a standard nalgene bottle. The bag is listed as having 28 L capacity, which is barely believable considering my old 26 L bag that this was supposed to replace can fit way more. The main compartment barely expands to fit anything. Overall fairly disappointed.

This bag is great, good organization and looks good. The only issue is the bottom material is already peeling off. I work from home so this does not get a ton of use. This ruins the bag for me. The warranty process takes a while and I have to ship it in to be evaluated before I even know if it is covered. And then if it is covered it'll take up to a month to get fixed. This is disappointing and a long time to be without a backpack.

The outer measurements are 46x30x13cm, making it 18L WITHOUT taking the thick laptop padding in account. You can fit 2-3 notebooks in the main compartment, that's it. Useful bag for taking to work, but terrible for traveling. As a proud owner of 3 other Timbuk2 bags, I'm going to return this.

I love this bag. It's sleek non-bulky yet can store so many things! I mostly use it to commute with my laptop and other gadgets/essentials. Sometimes lunch. It fits everything I need without an issue and it looks super clean. Two things left me super bummed out. The quality was far below my expectations. The bottom clip the one on the right when you remove it and try to clip something it wont spring back up and lock into place. It rarely gets one side of the two prongs to spring out and lock. However the other one on the left springs and locks perfectly. This may be silly but I actually will attach things to those clips. On the second zipper the one on the middle theres this large patch of fabric sticking out all the way at the end of the zipper sort of when you rip some fabric. It was there since the first day I got the pack. The zipper also gets stuck a lot! I mean a lot. I have to hold the pack and very slowly unzip to get it to move freely without getting stuck. I never overfill the bag. I owned a rogue for 4 years before this one. That pack is incredible I've taken the rouge camping, hiking, work and it has never failed. Honestly I'm super disappointed. I'd return it but i need a commute bag everyday for work and don't have a replacement. I really hope I just got a bad back and that they are willing to reach out because i do swear by timbuk2.

Too narrow for a 28 liter bag compared to nomatic travel pack 20L(unexpanded). Shoulder strap is too short and the sternum strap sits on top of my clavicle good thing it is removable.

Broke in a month only putting a laptop in

This was my first Timbuk buy and I had high expectations. But let's start with the positives: this is one really beautiful looking backpack, high quality materials and that's about it. :( This is the smallest 20l backpack I have ever used. Every compartment is super tight and getting almost every item out or in is a struggle. To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement. I guess this backpack goes to the nearest op shop and I will have to look for another work/study backpack that is functional and practical

Fits small and very uncomfortable

I purchased this bag because it was advertised as being 28L. Apparently, at some point the bags capacity was reassessed and the bag has since been listed as being 20L. 8L is a massive difference in carrying capacity. I reached out to the support team to inquire as to why the bag was advertised as being 28l, and whether I could exchange my 20l bag for a bag that matches their initially advertised size, and was told that I purchased my bag too long ago, but I could buy another bag. I'm not sure why they think I would purchase another bag from them when I can't trust that the dimension of the bag will be accurate, and if found to be inaccurate, that they will honor their advertised dimensions, or even inform the customer that they essentially purchased something completely different than what they thought they were getting.

Perfect Backpack at first glance. Useful pockets and storage, aesthetic look and comfortable fit. The laptop padding seems good too, but the corners are completely unprotected. Before I knew when the damage was occurring (ie. While the laptop was stored in my bag), two of my laptops were damaged. The first was irreparable and the second its replacement. On examination, the laptop corners can be felt easily through the bag. My laptops were both under 17 inches. Only normal daily use of the bag.

Fits small and is extremely uncomfortable. The worst laptop bag I've ever owned.

I have used Timbuk2 products for over 10 years and I can honestly say they were my go to regarding messenger bags and assorted accessories. Their products have never disappointed and always held up to heavy use regarding daily commutes and international travel. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the Authority backpack. After under a year 3 of the zippers have completely failed to the point the backpack can no longer be used. I contacted support to start the repair and warranty. Was told the turn around time was about 4 weeks if they approved the repair. I was expecting more I guess as with this type of turn around I will be forced to just purchase a new one as I cannot afford to go a month without a means to carry a laptop and associated gear as I work as a consultant and travel extensively. At the end of the day this backpack is good for very light travel from home to the coffee shop. I would not recommend this gear if you need a durable laptop backpack that will last.

It looks nice but didn't fit my 16" Dell G16 Laptop.

The bag does not transition easily from work to play. It looks very workie. So I tried to return it, right after purchase, never used with tags on. They don't send an email with return instructions or label, just an email to buy more. They're unreachable by phone, despite the assurances every 15 seconds a representative will be with me shortly. No one replies to email or text. This is serious dark pattern return policy.

I bought this backpack to carry my 17" laptop to work and back daily. The computer wont fit. Not even close.