I will update this review in a few months. I just got this yesterday. It took some squeezing, but my 17.3" alienware laptop fits in the laptop pocket. There is a lot of storage room for other things including the huge laptop charger and anything else you would like to put in there. I love all the different pockets and the water bottle holder is really nice. I didn't know it had one of those. A lot of reviews mention the weight of the bag, but honestly I don't notice it because the laptop it's self is heavy compared to other laptops. I travel with my laptop daily and I really hope this bag holds up. It will take a bit of work to get your huge laptop in the laptop pocket if you have a large one like I do. But it will fit. I love all the added padding in the bag. So hopefully when i drop the bag, (which I'm sure I'll eventually do) that it will protect the laptop.

Few reasons I purchased this product. I bought a Alienware 15 R3 a few years back and that thing is a tank. It's heavy, it's massive, but durable. I traveled a decent amount for work (1-2x a month) and needed something to haul my personal laptop on these trips.

I purchased this particular backpack for two key reasons: It was Alienware and would fit my particular Alienware laptop, and that it had the security checkpoint feature to make the traveling with it much easier. But what I got was so much more. There are pockets galore for everything you could ever need. USB drives, Mice, phone, headphones, wallet, cables, you name it! It was also built with heavy duty zippers and quality stitching that are the most durable I've ever found on a backpack, and have stood up to countless travels in the past few years.

Pros:
- Quality stitching and heavy duty zippers
- Durable (going 2.5 yrs strong with no issues)
- So many pockets to store anything
- Plenty of internal padding for your sensitive electronics
- Checkpoint friendly pocket expedites going through TSA security

Cons:
- Haven't found one yet in the 2.5 yrs of use

One thing that has really stood out over time, though, is the comfort. This backpack has extra padding and mesh, that cushions the pressure against your back. When walking long distances with a heavy laptop and accessories strapped to your back, this was a welcome surprise. It is even comfortable enough to haul my brick of a laptop on my motorcycle for hours!

Solid 5 stars. Don't know what I'd do without it!

Rugged, and THE solution for my 2 laptops + cool pads + peripheral equipment. Prior to purchasing products on Amazon the first thing I do is look at the star rating, and then at the 1 star reviews. I felt like I was taking an educated risk with my purchase of this bag, but it was well worth it, it perform like a champ.

There are 3 complaints regarding the bag that are quasi-accurate in my experience, which I'll address:
1) ** if you don't use the provided chest strap** using both shoulder straps is uncomfortable, however, with the chest strap clipped it's a non-issue.

2) there no place for a water bottle - not really accurate, there is a flip out mess pocket in a side compartment that can be used for that (useful for small containers), the more ideal solution though is to use a c-clip and attach a water bottle to any of the 6 points on either shoulder strap.

3) the provided "cell phone" pouch on the shoulder doesn't handle modern phones. If you view it as a cell phone pouch - 100% accurate. It is useful for carrying a small first aid pack, a precision screw driver set, and other small items *that are packaged* (the bottom on either side is open). For reference, it can fit objects around the size of a stuffed tri-fold wallet.

All I can say is wow!! I purchased this bag on July 2, 2013 and the bag is still the best I have every had!! I am an auditor for a CPA firm and we travel a ton!! I got sick of carrying the usual brief case in one hand and laptop case in the other and decided to try a backpack. At the time in 2013, I had a huge 17.2 Dell Vostro 3700 and the screen was so big I needed a big bag. This is the perfect bag! It is safe to say that you can fit any laptop in the market today in this bag and still have room for tons of other stuff. The Bag is in like new shape and is amazing! I am going to get a second one today for personal travel, that way I do not have to swap my gear out as much! If you want a comfortable, awesome looking, backpack that will fit an 18" laptop plus lots of gear, get this one today!

Where do I start?! This is the most amazing backpack I have ever had or ever seen on anyone, like, ever. I'm going to leave a generous review because of how ecstatic I am to have found this. I was delivered three backpacks prior to this [fourth] one, but none of them fit my 17.3-inch Dell Inspiron Starlord laptop. This backpack was the one.

Let's start with the color. It's not gray-ish, it's not gunmetal, it's a beautiful matte black, just like I was hoping. The color is true to the images on the product profile and description.

The Alien face on the middle of the backpack is perfectly in place and straight. (I saw a review where it was actually not in place). It has a film protector that I did not remove before taking the attached pictures. Honestly, I hate when those things scratch. I am expecting this one to scratch, too, because I'm a total idiot and just hurl my backpacks anywhere on the floor. So be mindful of that if you're as picky as I am.

There are no visible water bottle holders, but if you look at the pictures, you'll see my chubby little hand stretching out the bottle holder that is found inside a tiny zipper on the bottom left-hand corner of the backpack (your left side when you are wearing the backpack). It should stretch enough to fit a 20-ounce Dasani or Aquafina water. (I don't have a bottle near me to verify).

My 17.3 Dell laptop fits beautiful. The strap stretches over the laptop for a snug fit. Behind the laptop is the soft, amazing padding where my sweaty back will sweat on as I skip around campus. This backpack is constructed so that TSA can quickly zip open that pocket all the way till it lays flat. I did not have to nudge it a bit or squeeze it in at all, it is a perfect fit. The strap does stretch to maximum capacity over my huge laptop, but without being stretched out, it should be a snug fit for 15-inch laptops.

As you can see in the pictures, I have two college textbooks, a planner, a one-subject notebook, and my portable computer mouse inside the black case. On the smaller pocket, I have my 10,000 mah power bank charger, financial calculator, pens, micro USB charger, and will probably fit in some other random things. This backpack would've been ideal if it had an attached USB connecting to a power bank, but whatever. (I will not deduct any stars from this review whatsoever).

I also included a picture of the back padding and shoulder straps. With my laptop and the aforementioned items inside the backpack, it weighed approximately 15 pounds, but it wasn't burdensome at all, and it feels more than sturdy to handle more weight. The straps seem comfortable. I'm not sure what's going to fit in that small Alien pocket, but I'm sure I'll find something to stuff in there. (Maybe an emergency K-cup for a campus Keurig).

Overall, the backpack is phenomenal quality and I'm very happy I found it after so many tries. I also couldn't believe the price! If there is a market for huge backpacks for huge laptops, expect the price for this one to increase. It's way too undervalued. (Sorry if the price does indeed increase... I'm a broke college student, I wouldn't appreciate it either...)

Hopefully I captured everything you need to hear. I'm not getting paid for this review, I'm just very grateful it exists!