REVIEWED: Thule Crossover 25L backpack
Tough but lightweight protection from this stylish and roomy weekend backpack or daysack
Laptop, tablet, charging, cables, Kindle, smartphone… the list of gadgets you can find yourself carrying to work and back are becoming almost endless. Thule of Sweden’s Crossover backpack tackles this head on by providing umpteen added pockets for storing everything you own.
iPad sleeve
Inside is a padded sleeve for a full-size iPad (or any tablet) and a section to house a laptop up to an impressive 15 inches in size. Recognising that you don’t travel solely with gadgets, the Thule Crossover has plenty of room inside to take a rolled-up coat and an A4 ring binder, too. There’s plenty of room in the lower half for clothes, while the laptop sleeve is roomy enough to double as a place to store an ironed shirt.
SafeZone
The Thule Crossover also provides what it calls a SafeZone, a sunglasses-shaped pocket on the top that’s reinforced, and so crush-proof. What a great idea. That pocket also hides a discreet padded slot for an iPhone 5/5s (or similar size). Even if you’re not travelling with sunglasses, this pocket proves handy for stowing earphones, cables, pens and adaptors. However, it’s very solid so does interfere with the top of the bag; stowing a jumper isn’t easy, often necessitating some re-packing.
Front and centre
Another top-opening pocket on the front is more complicated than the simple design of the main compartment. There’s a zip pocket well-sized for a Kindle or second tablet (or a book!) fronted by four custom-designed pockets for two pens and two smartphones. In the front of the pocket is a rear-facing zip-pocket for storing toothbrush, comb etc. On the very front there’s a third section, though exactly what to put in this vertical-zipped area isn’t clear. We used this bag for a few months and struggled to think of anything. Lastly, two roomy side pockets prove handy for storing a water bottle and an umbrella, respectively.
Well-designed
Complete with sturdy but soft shoulder straps, the Thule Crossover is made from tough stuff. A roomy and well-engineered backpack perfect for work trips and college, it’s even better as a weekend bag for travel.