Solo Everyday Max Backpack Review

Brand: Solo
Model: Everyday Max Backpack
Provided By: Solo

I recently went on an international trip and brought along my trusty go-to backpack. For normal everyday use it was great, the main compartment had plenty of storage and there was a separate compartment for both my laptop and tablet. However, after lengthy airport layovers and more airplane boardings than I’d like to remember, it finally threw in the towel and fell apart from being over stuffed with souvenirs.

Say hello to the Solo Everyday Max Backpack. Measuring  21″ x 13″ x 8″, the Everyday Max has plenty of holding power, padded strap and back supports, and it weighs in at just under two-and-a-half pounds. Sounds like a typical bag, but the Everyday Max throws in a couple of additions to set it apart from the rest.

Much like my old backpack, the Everyday Max sports one large main compartment, a padded laptop compartment with tablet sleeve, a smaller front zippered pocket for your phone or keys, and a large zippered pocket on each side. The laptop compartment’s a bit smaller than most backpacks I’ve used, but it’s really meant for just that – most 17″ laptops in the laptop sleeve, and most 10″ tablets in the tablet sleeve. The downside is that since the backpack favors the main compartment for storage, it’s an extremely tight squeeze when you have both a laptop and tablet inside – and don’t even think you’ll be able to have your cords in there at the same time, those will have to go into the main compartment unless you want some uncomfortable bulges against your back.

The main compartment can be opened from the top like a normal bag, or zippered open from the front similar to a duffel. The duffel aspect is also clear in the durable side handle allowing you to hold it similarly. Inside the main compartment are four reinforced zippered pockets of various sizes and a zippered document pocket. Then there’s the main addition that makes the Everyday Max a little different – a zippered shoe compartment. The compartment zippers opens from the outside and stores your shoes Inception-style, in a collapsible bag that’s home inside your bag. The shoe compartment is nice for shorter uses like the gym or day trips, but when it’s full of shoes it eats up a good portion of the main compartment storage space.

The Solo Everyday Max Backpack is a great everyday backpack – perfect to throw in the trunk for gym trips, and holds just enough for day trips up the local mountain. Even with the flaws of utilizing all the bag’s elements at the same time, the Solo Everyday Max has easily become my go-to everyday backpack.