Asus Backpack/book bag review

Due to numerous people asking what the Asus backpack looks like and how well it will suit a typical college student, I have decided to make this mini review of the bag and hopefully shed some light to those whom are curious.


The carrying case that comes with the Asus G1 and G50 series is a re-branded Targus backpack which is designed to fit up to a 15.4" notebook and loaded with many compartments for books and accessories. Targus's 15.4" laptop backpacks are typically priced between $29.99-$79.99 and due to the fact that this particular bag is not available for individual sale, an MSRP is unavailable.

Dimensions: 18" (H) x 14" (W) x 7" (D)

Front



The center front of the bag features a black rubber-like material that stretches from the top to the bottom of the bag. Although this material makes it look sleek and maybe even leather-like, it seems like it's prone to scratches. The "Republic of Gamers" and "Asus" logos are also featured on this material. Immediately to the left and right, the green fabric is reinforced with nylon webbing which makes it look and feel durable

"Republic of Gamers" logo


Asus logo


Fabric with reinforced nylon




Back and Straps


The entire back is constructed with a mesh-like material which although seems sensible for keeping your back cool when carrying for extended periods, the material seems like it can get caught easily. Padding can be found along the back as well as the shoulder straps for reducing strain. Like any other backpack, the straps are adjustable, but the added sternum strap gives the extra stability when carrying your notebook around.

Side



A gray zippered and padded compartment can be found on each side of the bag. Inside the right compartment is another hidden zippered compartment (picture below)



The left compartment has 2 mesh pouches inside and can easily fit an external mouse, stationary or a soda can.





Top




The top of the bag is where access to the main 2 compartments are - one for your notebook, and one for books/stationary. There is also a a heavily padded handle at the top for easy carrying.

The notebook compartment has enough space to hold your power adapter and a paper notebook or two along with your laptop. The compartment also has 2 zippered inside partitions good for small accessories. (The 2 zippered partitions are located right behind the padded notebook compartment.



The second main compartment is perfect for carrying textbooks and paperwork. It has enough room to fit 4 college textbooks as well as having a velcro closure compartment, cell phone and name tag compartment, and 3 pen slots.






Verdict

Functionality: 9/10 (Reason: deducted a point because most compartments are small)

Aesthetics: 4/10 (Reason: hmm.... just look at the pictures again and you'll see. It's ugly, but I've seen worse.)

Comfort: 8/10 (Reason: feels like a small hiking backpack due to the heavy padding on the shoulder straps and back. Better than your average Jansport/Eastpack bags)

I hope this mini review give a better idea of what the bag looks like. If anyone require more pictures, please feel free to ask and I'll try my best to post them.

 

I thought about going more in depth about the mouse & backpack so glad you did it.

What do I use mine for? I hang it up outside to scare off the birds and protect the crops, its so **** fugly that it works better than the scarecrows.

Na not really just kidding its stuffed in the top most corner of my closet I still use that $19.95 Targus bag that was on sale at BB over a year ago its a great bag, feels more sturdy and thicker straps and its just a nice solid black.

I think I will have to pull the good ol' Asus bag out around Halloween, poke 2 holes in it and wear it as a mask to scare little children.

 

Lol... I can see how the bag would compliment the G1 series since they are both green, but seriously.... green + orange??? Either way, though the bag itself is quite unappealing, it's still quite functional for a high school or college student. I would personally prefer a messenger style bag like the one that came with the M50.... that was the perfect laptop carrying case IMO

 

Yeah I guess thats what you would call the bag that came with the C90S it was a great bag and I used it for a few months but problem was it only had space for the notebook + power adapter. Once my notebook accesory hunt started I needed a bookbag rather fast. I doubled the weight and trippled the size of what I started with.

> bluetooth headset + charger
> usb flash drive
> wacom tablet
> g7 mouse + charger
> zalmans nc1000 cooler
> aptec game bridge
> mini screw driver set
> ear buds
> bigger power brick
> digital camera
> mini tripod

lol, just added the mini tripod 2 days ago the gorillapod or what ever its called, really cool little gadget adds almost no weight/space but now I can always take no flash pictures with no blur.

I guess I suffer grandma purse syndrome when it comes to my laptop backpack.

 

Lol its like Halloween Good thing I don't care about the aesthetics lol

Thank you for the review emporium - it was very helpful. Now I know I don't have to get another bag which makes the G50 even cooler.

 

thanks emporiumboutique, just a note that the bag for the G2S is identical apart from the colours. (Mine is Red where yours is green). Cracking bag though. Weirdly it feels like my diving BCD when it's on!!

 

so what would you give it on a scale of 1-10?

 

Does anyone know if this comes with the G50vm-X1 from best buy?

ive ordered mine online from best buy
and i dont know exactly what it comes with

 

No, it doesn't. No bag, no mouse, no 2year warranty. As far as I know.

 

oh ok bags only 20 dollars anyway
idk about that 2 year warranty part
someone on the best buy site left a review for it and said that they got a 2 year warranty parts and labor instead of 1

 

No Targus bags of similar size is priced at $20. My best guess is it's probably in the $40-$50 range. The optical mouse (a Logitech MX518) is currently selling for $40 on Amazon.
As for the warranty, it might come with a 2 year warranty, but it definitely does not include the 1 year accidental protection.
http://adw.asus.com/content/adp/default.aspx

Updated on the review

 

You only get a 1yr warranty at BB stock, but for almost anything you buy there you can get an extended warranty for extra so maybe thats what they did.

I swear I cant buy a stack of blank cd's from there without getting asked to join a program or buy an extended warranty for them

 

Possible. You can just check when the notebook arrives.

 

i find it looks like a great deal, with the M50 i bought, the bag we get, you cant really call it a laptop bag. i bought a case logic for $19 and that works well.

 

well ill let you know tomorrow
i live in Palm Bay and right now my Laptop is in orlando according to UPS which is an hour away so i should get it early tomorrow.

but anyway emporiumboutique what are you saying "no" to u just repeated what i said targus bags are like 20 bucks right now at best buy... lol

the person who reviewed and said they got 2 said this exactly copy an pasted
"I recently purchased the Toshiba quosmio x301 at bestbuy. The specs looked better and I thought it would run faster. For some reason the Toshiba was slower (noticeably) than the asus. I returned the Toshiba and picked up the ASUS. The ASUS runs much faster and is a cleaner design. One feature I like was the 2 year parts and labor warranty. The Bestbuy site says 1 year but 2 years is stamped on the bottom. It also came with a surprisingly detailed manual and a recovery disk. I called tech support to find the part number for a second hard drive cover (it can hold two drives). Tech support answered quickly on Saturday night and they sounded like they are based in the US. I read a concern that the screen resolution should be better, but that has not prevented many people from commenting on how nice my screen is.This is my first ASUS but I can tell it will not be my last. I'm very glad I returned it for the Toshiba"

 

If the bags are on sale, then sure, it can be bought for $20. I was referring to the MSRP.

Yes, I saw the review on Best Buy, and if they really did get the 2 year warranty then that's great However, I was stressing that no Asus notebooks that is sold in Best Buy will come with the 1 year accidental warranty.

 

Oh ok then thank you
ill try tomorrow anyway you never know since all i have to do is enter the serial on that one link you gave me. and let you know

never hurts to try

i also wanna see if i can figure out how to make the dual hard drive feature work as soon as i get the money to buy another hard drive of the same specifications

 

Please note that I have seen a report of somebody trying to get the 2nd HDD to work on the G50 BestBuy version, and they didn't manage to do it. It was working in RAID but not as separate drives. May have been just a fault with his machine, but it's something to be aware of.

 

Alright thanks for the heads up
UPS is still being slow even tho im pretty sure they are like a little over half an hour away still havent gotten my laptop lol grr

 

man...is it just me? I love this bag....I don't think it looks ugly at all, of course this is coming from a G1s owner. heh.

 

Hey i signed up for the accidental warranty thingy on the link stated a few posts above and it said i qualified and i registered successfully now
Now ive already confirmed the email and i just have to mail a copy of my original receipt proof of purchase to an address they gave me
and yes i have the BB model.

so i guess it does work?

 

If you entered your serial number and then they accepted it, then I guess it works. Although it's not entirely clear, and you may get problems when you claim it -- so save all the confirmation emails etc.

 

I don't think this bag is fugly at all, from the pics anyway, I have yet to see it in person. It's not something I'd carry to begin with because it's too..uhh..manly. But not ugly to me.

 

And actually, in my experience with carrying it to school...I can barely fit a full size textbook in there? I don't know what's wrong with me, but the bag is quite tiny and can barely hold my G1s and anything else lol?

 

I thought the bag looks pretty good ...

 

I wish that the M50VM-A1/-X1 had this backpack, it cames with a sad suitcase but ok, i need to make some research at the BB and walmart stores

 

Anyone know if there is a Targus model that exactly matches this bag? Sadly the G50 doesn't fit perfectly in the bag, the top sticks out of the sleeve and the retainer strap won't make it over. I've been considering moving to a 17 inch backpack, since this laptop is a big larger then the standard 15 inch.

 

Will this backpack hold both the g50 and say a N20 also in the same bag?

 

Sure, I don't see why not. There's definitely enough sapce for the 2 notebooks. However, there won't be a padded compartment for the N20. It would be best if you had a neoprene sleeve to protect the second notebook.

 

wait I ment to say n10. lol. Man I wish this laptop was in stock at newegg

 

N10 would fit too since it's smaller The N10s are in stock everywhere. Are you referring to N20? That's not released yet

 

I was saying that the g50 is not in stock at newegg.

 

I Think its a nice bag, I like how it looks, but dont use it that much anymore (weekly, where before I used it almost daily for half a year)

Sooo, its a year old now and it has lost some of its feathers, I took some pics from to show the wear.







You may need another bag after awhile, but I think its really decent, and free...

 

im going to be changing to this backpack

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997047

I dont like how the free back pack is made for a real 15.4 in notbook. Not one that is almost a 17in. Plus I need more room so I can put some other stuff and book and even an n10 or other 10 in notebook.

 

Hey guys the retail price of the backpack is 35 bucks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834999272

 

Although the color would match the G50 laptop better, it's an entirely different bag from the one Asus provides and is not available for individual sale.

 

oh dang you're right. I just saw the slight diference between the two bags (drawstring type thing in the front), and thought they were the same. But yeah, after some more looking, they're different.

 

Looks like Asus is selling their backpacks for individual sale. And, as far as I have searched - it appears they are the only ones doing so -

$69 for 15" notebooks

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=3932

$79 for 17" notebooks

http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=3931

 

If you have a G50, might be better to go for the 17" bag since the protective sleeve on the 15" model doesn't completely cover the notebook. I also have this backpack and I find it more spacious than the RoG one that came with my G50, though the sleeve is still the same size.

 

Yes, I've noticed this as well, however at the time of writing the review, Asus has not offered these bags for sale.

 

Isn't there any other place that sells that bag? Tha site doesn't send to portugal, and can't find any other all over the internet.
What is the Targus model this is based on? Maybe it'll be easier.

 

nicknations: I deleted your message, please refrain from trading or advertising products for sale outside the Marketplace forum. Thanks.

If you wish you can put up a thread in the Marketplace forum for your item, and then link to it in your signature (that's what many people do).

 

Lol, those notebooks looks like sagers....

 

asus wanted to show that thier bag is compatible with other notebooks brands lol