Osprey Packs Comet Backpack - 1700cu in

I work in the outdoor industry and take my gear pretty seriously. I came across the Osprey Comet while looking for a school pack that featured a laptop compartment. This was my first Osprey pack after a long history with Deuter.

First things first, the design in amazing. The pockets are organized well and vary in size and shape to accommodate any and all gear. I'm an engineering student and carry around two calculators, drafting gear (protractor, ruler, etc.), 13" Macbook Pro, mouse, charger, video cable, plus my books and notes. It handles it all securely and with ease. The zipper pulls are the best I've ever seen. The shoulder straps and back panel are excellent for this type of pack. Just an overall great package.

The only minor concerns with the pack are the bottle pockets and the zipper fly. The lower compression straps sit right over the top of the bottle pockets, putting pressure near the bottom of your bottle. If you're moving around a lot and the bottle moves up a little bit, the compression strap squeezes it higher and out of the pocket. I've lost a couple of 20 oz. soda bottles that way. I don't use the pockets any more unless I have a carabiner to secure my water bottle to the top compression strap. On day hikes when school gear is emptied, my 27 oz Klean Kanteen fits in the full length side pocket with room to spare. The zipper eats its rain fly if you're not paying attention, but almost every backpack has issues with this. It's easy enough to avoid and unjam if necessary with no damage incurred. Also, the hip belt is minimalistic, at best. It is removable and mine has been off since I bought the pack.

The absolute best part of the pack though- Osprey's All Mighty Guarantee. How many times have you seen a student with a huge webbing knot holding their shoulder strap together or a student just using one strap because the other is ripped? I slammed the shoulder strap in my car door, snapping the plastic slide. The shoulder strap was broken and I would have been out a pack. However, I shipped it to Osprey, and about two weeks later received a repaired backpack, no questions asked. The company is amazing! Spending this much money on a non-technical, everyday school pack was hard, but this one incident and Osprey's awesome guarantee made it worth every penny.

Bottom line, Osprey makes top of the line products and is an outstanding company! My wife and I have since purchased three other Osprey products and love them all. Do yourself a favor, buy an Osprey.

This is the nicest backpack I have ever owned and this is my second Osprey purchase. Good quality and well designed. Extremely light and it is perfect for work/commute/school.