Willow Design : Jacques G4 Backpack

Pros Great thought given to storage. Organizational features are some of the best we have seen. Great laptop protection. Mobile phone carrier included!! Whoopeee! Multiple ways to carry and configure bag/backpack.
Cons Construction details need to be looked at closer. A little more style might be nice.
Retail Price : $ 79.00
Willow Design : Jacques G4 Backpack

The Willow Design Jacques Ti-G4 Backpack is a really nice bag. It’s strengths lie in the multiple ways to configure your storage options. Almost the entire bag can be reconfigured to best suit your needs and what you carry. I was able to carry all my list with no problem.

I am not going to go through all the various compartments since for you they may change. I will discuss the two main areas of storage though.

The first major compartment is behind the front pen/PDA/business card area. This main compartment has elastic compression straps to hold whatever you put in there. You could, actually, carry a Powerbook G4 AND an iBook Dual USB. Or instead of the iBook maybe a Canon scanner. You know, those really thin ones. We have a Canon 1220U. It would fit in here. There is a mesh zippers (removable) case to hold important stuff.

The compartment that is behind (under) this one is where I carried my Titanium G4. It too has compression straps to hold the powerbook in place and has a small compartment with a “hard” lid on it to put cables, a USB light, iPod, etc. By the way, if anyone would like to donate an iPod to bagreview.com, I’ll start to include it in my list. Just a thought.

Willow Design : Jacques G4 Backpack review

As I said earlier, many parts of this bag can be removed, made smaller, made larger or rearranged to suit your needs. Even the methods of carrying it are many. There is a shoulder strap that can be connected two different ways, and, cleverly hid behind a velcro panel are backpack straps with a sternum strap and mobile phone carrier. Another nice touch are the reflective strips on the backpack shoulder straps. If you use the bag as a backpack there is even a waist strap for added stability. I love this! Lots of versatility.

The ability of being able to move and reconfigure comes at a price, however. This bag uses ALOT of velcro and most of it is clearly visible from the inside which gives the bag a “non-finished” appearance. In other words, when you look at the inside, the bag looks kinda like a prototype instead of a production bag. it’s not a deal breaker by any means. That’s why it got a 7.5 on construction. Not because I think it’s gonna fall apart but because of the visible velcro.

Other than the construction, I have LOVED using this backpack. it carries all I need and provides all the organization and storage I need. Willow Design has a great rep and it is well deserved.

This is one of my favorite bags I have tested.