WATCHTOWER

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

I bought this backpack during my internship in March. After that, I brought it to South Korea for a 12 days trip and one month Summer Studies.

In Korea, it accompanied me up to the highest mountain in Jeju Island, coldest and wettest rain of Jeju Shoreline, sandy beaches of Udo Island, Disneysea(Tokyo, flew there for a few days), many places in Tokyo, Mud Festival at Boryeong and the cosy country side of South Korea.

Advantages:
It is spacious enough to fit my laptop+powerbrick, clothes(3 days worth), bottles, camera and electronic appliances at the same time. In addition, the heat insulation pocket help kept my food warm during my hike up the mountains and exploration of shorelines.

The straps are very comfortable and weight distribution is superb when you click in the chest straps.

Disadvantages:
There are a few small bruises at the bottom of the bag as seen in the picture below, I guess it's the common wear and tear from putting it on surfaces. If I may, I would like to know whether it can be stitched via warranty/paid service(I wouldn't mind, love this bag). Besides that, after my trips, I guess it has gathered some dirt, I am not sure how to clean it as there are no explicit label, I hope Jansport can tell me via email.

I got to know the Jansport brand thru the Secret Life of Walter Mitty and decided to give it a try, I never regretted and will continue to be a loyal customer. I hope Jansport can come up with even more rugged canvas bags in the future, it will be the ultimate outdoor backpack!

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

I bought this after my high school bag lost another zipper. I wanted a bag that had a warranty, top electronic pocket, side water bottle pockets (space for a water bladder if needed)and was big enough to keep a spare change of clothes for work. This bag exceeded expectations! I ordered my bag at rei and received it two working days later. It has a zippered pocket on one of the water bottle holders that you can keep flavor packets! Ill never need to look for them! I hang out at multiple houses and am able to keep two changes of clothes, two bottles of sun screen and a bottle of bug spray, a full builtny electronics bag full of cords (I keep in the insulated pocket) wallet,keys, phone, full set of bathroom necessities, container of ear plugs AND my shoulder bag I use as a purse. This bag was great at the beach sand didn't stick to it much the shoulder straps feel great (Im large chested)

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

I wear this pack everyday to work. Like the laptop sleeve and iPad sleeve. Since I don't bring my iPad many places I just use that pocket to hold small things that could get lost at the bottom of the pack.

Like the small pockets in front, because they give you a spot for small things instead of big pockets which I just overload.

Even though I don't need to cooler pocket, it is helpful when I do need it.

Since I use it almost everday I sometimes make the big open capacity a drop down for all sorts of stuff, so it is better if you need to carry larger things like books, binders or a sweatshirt.

Abosolutely worth the money.

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

Brought this bag all over Maui. Perfect for holding tons of small things on outside of bag. Brought it to the beach with us everyday and it protected our electronics. Love the cooler/wet pocket in front to through our rash guards in after surfing. So large, it held all of our stuff.

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

I needed a backpack that I could use to hold all of my school and gym stuff at the same time, since I bike to college and the gym after. This bag not only held everything I needed plus some water bottles, it also felt very comfortable on my shoulders.

The bag doesn't stick out too far when it is full like most backpacks do. The numerous front pockets allowed me to hold many smaller items that I didn't want to get lost in the man big pocket.

Best bag I've ever had. Wish I had one when I started first grade.

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

I'm currently a student who commutes to school through a 6am ferry ride and walks about 20+ blocks to get to school. This backpack has proven excellent in durability, especially with the rain from the fall season and the chilling cold. It keeps my laptop dry and holds more than enough in binders and textbooks for me. The insulated pocket is great for keeping my cold sandwiches cool! The amount of storage in the backpack is excellent, with more than enough pockets for pens, pencils and other smaller items. My only con with this backpack is the slight wear and tear it is showing in its age, but that really is only showing in the fraying in the stitching of the top carrying handle, which I never really use. Otherwise, this backpack is spectacular for any student or person with a busy work or school schedule.

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

Completely love this bag. I wish is was a tad bigger, but holds all I throw in it. Took it on a two week trip for a set of clothes and all my electronics. Lunch, jacket, ipad, books, hat, two water bottle holders etc. I would buy it again!!

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

While the backpack looks amazing from an outside perspective it is rendered useless when you actually USE it. If you have anything in the outside bottle holder, the pocket loses all volume and can't be used. The same applies to every other compartment. The cooler pocket is really small, as are the two pockets on top of it (have to squeeze hand in), and if you have anything in the main compartment they are completely usless. The "Gadget Organizer" on the inside of the backpack doesn't have room for anything, and the volume is once again non existent. I used it for traveling on a plane and for day trips while in London. When you have nothing in it, it looks fashionable. But when you actually need to use it, it's a pain. I would not recommend to buy, and just initiated the return/refund for mine.

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

//Storage//
It's a deep bag that is taller rather than wider. Most of the storage is in the main compartment. I can fit my 15" laptop in there and there is still plenty of room for other things. There is a small organizer in the main compartment which is nice except the pen holders are just loops; not pockets.

The side pockets are deep and fit my 32 oz. Nalgene with no problem. This was a big selling point for me since I carry my water bottle everywhere. The top pouch is where I keep my keys, wallet, and sunglasses. The front pockets are definitely on the small size and if you have bigger hands, you'll probably get annoyed with them. I keep pens, sun screen, floss, etc. in there. I haven't used the thermal pouch yet, but it's nice to have.

One issue with most of the outside storage is that it pushes in on the main compartment. This hasn't been a problem for me since I'm not carrying a ton of stuff everyday, but I could see it being an issue for someone who fills the bag completely.

//Fit//
The bag is very comfortable to wear. Whether lightly or heavily loaded, it fits wonderfully. I'm a small-framed guy (5'4") and bags can sit weird on me. I've walked and biked with this one and it sits really well.

//Build/Fabric/Appearance//
I bought the Heather Grey bag and I love the look of it. It looks nice enough that I take it to work (office job) but have no issues with taking it out on a day hike too. I like the asymmetrical look of the bag due to the thermal pocket.

The fabric feels thick enough to last and the build of the bag seems solid. A major selling point of this bag was the lifetime warrenty, so even if something does fail later on, I can always get it repaired.

Comments about JanSport WATCHTOWER:

I've had this backpack for almost a year. I use it everyday back and forth to work and have taken in on two vacations - Las Vegas and India. It worked perfectly for both. Light enough for day hiking in the mountains and parks near Vegas and rugged enough for the buses and trains of India. I love it.