I have an older (12 years) Bravo pack that has seen a lot of travel and commuting so I purchased this model for my son in the military. He likes the discrete look and it has ample storage.
This is perfect for me as I like to carry water with me and a protein shake, my search backpack can hit a 32 ounce yeti on the side pocket and a 22 ounce blender bottle on the other side pocket. Then it has enough space for my work folders and laptop in the laptop area. Then space in the larger zipper area for spare gym clothes and additional smaller pockets for more organization. I thought about getting the navigator backpack but it could not hold my 32 ounce water bottle
Ok... so, I got this bag to replace my 6 years old Victorinox Lexicon Professional Bellevue 15, which is also a top-tear premium bag. In my review I'll mainly compare it to the Victorinox, and share my experience with the TUMI search so far (only EDC for a month+).
General:
SIZE - Similar size, but slightly bigger than the Victorinox - As I never tried the TUMI Search before buying, I had only pictures as a reference... The Search looks bigger in pics than in real life which wad my main concern. But it truly isn't that big, and not much bigger than the Victorinox.
Materials: Fabric - although the Search has TUMI's ballistic nylon, also the Victorinox has a very durable ballistic nylon which seems a little thicker. Only time will tell if the Search will hold on "as new" like the Victorinox (hopefully). Zippers - Search has "lighter" and much more easy to open (easily one handed) than the Victorinox which has more "heavy duty" zippers, but harder to manipulate. I hope that the Search zippers will hold on years ahead like the Victorinox.
Organization - TUMI's Search is much much better in the pocket layout than the Victorinox, more traditional but much more practical - has more inside pockets for organization, much bugger side pockets and overall larger space for storage. For my needs the Search is just perfect in this term. Also the inside fabric material in the Tumi is nicer.
Weight distribution - I had both bags with the same equipment (Dell XPS 13 laptop, ipad mini, mouse, usb hub, cables pouch, wallet, business cards, several key chains, sunglasses in a case) and the Search weight distribution is much better, and more convenient to carry.
Looks & Design - its a very subjective matter, and I like both. But the Search is more conservative and clean looking, while the Victorinox is more innovative, different and has leather handles and accents which I like and whish the Search had. Search external top pocket has no structure support which is a con, so I kept the original TUMI packing material and still had spare space to store items internally, but this should be changed in the future model design.
Delivery & Packing - One of the quickest deliveries overseas I had from Amazon (Zappos), and the packing was top level. The bag arrived in 100% condition in a large box (no gift box, just a regular box). Didn't have the option to personalize it on purchase process via Amazon which could be great.
To summarize my review - Pros: - Beautiful clean design - Excellent organization layout - Great weight distribution and carrying convenience - Perfect size for EDC ( much to spare) and probably for travel (haven't tested it yet) - Smooth and easy to use zippers (durability yet to be proven years ahead) - Excellent packing and extremely quick delivery overseas (Amazon via Zappos)
Cons: - Ballistic nylon - thinner than expected and compared to my Victorinox bag - durability yet to be proven years to come. - No option for personalization at purchase process on Amazon
Pockets and compartments galore. Came from a Tumi briefcase that had all the storage. Was nervous coming to the backpack and am pleasantly surprised with how much room their is in this thing. I carry the following... 15 in laptop; 15in second LED monitor, ipad Pro, chargers for all the things; several manilla folders that hold approx 100 sheets of paper in total; various A/V adapters and cables; cat6 cable, HDMI cable; several other misc items. I still have room to spare. Good quality on the build. The attachment loops almost serve as a MOLLE system which allows me to put several other items attached to the bag (carabiner, keys, etc)