Air Porter Backpack

It is fantastic. Easy to carry on back or by hand. Love the hard sides, can carry my laptop, iPad, and Vision Pro easily with PLENTY of room left over. Very easy to access!

I have been wanting this bag since I bought the Waterfield Apple Vision Pro case and the thing that held me back was the price and the return policy. As the title states, I spent a lot of time researching different backpacks and struggled with my decision. I watched a number of Youtube videos reviewing different bags for different purposes and basically had to figure out what I wanted from a new backpack and the journey was truly educational and I enjoyed learning about how people travel and what to look out for. Initially, I purchased a Bellroy Venture Travel Pack and while it claimed to be able to hold my 16" MacBook Pro and my 12" Ipad Pro, getting either of them out of the bag was a struggle, it technically fit, but the thought of getting them out of the bag as well as it being technically a few inches too long for several airlines, ultimately led to me returning it. Which brought me back to Waterfield and this bag, that I had always wanted anyway.

Bag arrived and was in pretty good shape, two of the zippers were popped in the middle, which said something to me about quality control, but a few zipper pulls back and forth put everything back to how it should be. Got my AVP in it's (Waterfield) case, loaded up my laptop and ipad and everything fit very well and was much easier to get in and out of the bag than the Bellroy. The boxy shape of the bag isn't the most comfortable until you fit the straps properly and then found it much more comfortable. I am overall happy with my purchase and have a trip to Japan scheduled in May and we'll really see how well the bag travels.

I bought the Waterfield Packable sling in Nov24 and it is awesome, so when I decided to replace my TUMI laptop backpack, I thought the Air Porter Backpack c/would do that…ordering one on Jan. 13, 2025. I received it on Jan. 18, 2025, and excitedly moved my gear to the Air Porter and used it for 7 to 10 days (mostly trips to the office & client meetings; no planes). But after what I thought was a decent test run, I concluded the Air Porter was not working for me…though a high-quality product, the Air Porter Backpack is a little too boxy for me; pockets are either too big or too small for what I need and it turns out I prefer a more traditional backpack design. So, I sought to return it…well within the Waterfield 30-days return policy limit...with the intention of getting Waterfield's Pro Exec. Laptop Backpack...or waiting for Shinjuku when it comes out next month. BUT Waterfield will not accept the return because my limited use described above voided returnability. They point out that the website says "return it to us unused within 30 days of receipt and we will send you a prompt refund." I find Waterfield's return policy surprising, disappointing, and particularly restrictive. It makes me a not satisfied customer (which is contrary to the articulated goal of the website return policy). Note Waterfield return policy applies this restrictive "unused" interpretation as well as a 30-day limit...one or the other makes sense to me, but applying both is harsh and not customer-friendly policy. There are different approaches Waterfield could take to keep me as a satisfied customer (starting with having a more reasonable "unused or within 30-days" return policy but they could also be willing to exchange my Air Porter for a different product, give me credit towards a different product, a partial refund, requiring photo proof that the product looks like new before accepting a return, etc.) but outright rejection and suggesting I sell it on Facebook is not one of them. Writing this review makes me sad since Waterfield produces quality products, and it frustrates me that they don't have a return policy that confidently supports that quality. Anyway, be aware and be warned and most importantly learn from me to not let your excitement rush you to use your new Waterfield upon delivery, otherwise you too will be disappointed by the return policy.

I have had many different computer backpacks, most of them high end for my MacBook Pros. I have not yet travelled with the Air Porter, but will in three days for the first time. I cleaned out my last bag from Tom Bihn, which I have used for the last five years. Everything from it, my 14 inch MacBook Pro, my 13 inch iPad Pro, magic keyboard case, accessories, Quest 3 (in its WaterField case), Vision Pro (in its WaterField case) all fit perfectly. I have room for cables, chargers, etc). I love how it stands on its own. I am looking forward to being able to remove items from the top compartments, without taking the whole bag out. Really excited about putting through its paces at the airport.

I love my new backpack. It's exactly what I was looking for. Spacious enough and still quite compact size (I was little bit afraid it will be too big). I like it stands on the floor and I could take things out and put them back in very easily. Materials are great. A lot of options to organize things inside - it will just take some time to find my right way :)