Review by John S. Dean for STM Bags Scout Laptop Shoulder Bag (13 in., 15 in.)
Rating:
I ordered this based solely on some results on internet searches for my 13″ macbook pro. I have a great small Incase bag that perfectly fits the MBP and a few accessories very well, but now that I have some apps that turn my iPad into more than just a toy or a kindle replacement, I needed something that was still small, designed for a 13″ laptop, but also had space to carry the iPad relatively safely. So some people gave this good word of mouth on a few boards, I liked the photos on the manufacturer’s website, so thought I’d give it a try.

Online photos showed some decent storage, and clearly showed a space where they had an iPad stored as well, and after receiving it, everything is more or less as shown on the website. Laptop fits alright, the inner sleeve is soft to protect the finish of the laptop, and there’s an inner flap with velcro that also covers the laptop sleeve in addition to the main flap. Inside the right side accessory pouch there’s three sleeves for things like small screwdrivers, pens, etc, and one larger one that fits my Sony digital camera or a cell phone well. With those little holders filled, there is still space for a few other things like sync and charge cables, etc. The left side accessory pouch has no other storage options in it, only the larger pouch, works well for the power adapters.

Along the top edge of the “back wall” of these pouches is a zipper, where you can open up and put papers and such in, maybe 10″ long.

This outer storage portion is the outside wall of the smaller space to store an iPad or paper notepads and such, which extends the full length of the bag.

The laptop sleeve itself is padded on all sides and the bottom by some pretty sturdy foam that’s a little more than 1/3″ thick. The top velcro closure is padded but thinly, probably because it will also have the large flap closed for a little more material protection. Strap is actually easily adjusted, with a quick release tensioner, something I wish other laptop bags did.

Padding on the strap is removable and slides the whole length to put it where you want. The issue with this is that it slides TOO easily, so every time I put it down, when I pick it up I have to reposition the pad again. It is not the softest padding, but since this bag won’t fit one of the huge 17″ laptops, the padding works well anyway. It’s supposedly some non slip material, and while it is not as slippery as some others, it doesn’t hold as well as a few of my other bags.

While it’s squared off on the bottom, it doesn’t stand on its own if there’s accessories in it but no laptop.

My biggest gripe is that the accessory pockets extend all the way to the edge, and the way the main flap closes, the edges of those pouches are NOT well covered… So if you’re out in the rain, water WILL get in those pouches, and, to a lesser degree, the other storage spot where I plan on carrying my iPad…

So good for most things, but the vulnerability of this to rain has me unwilling to give it more stars…