The Booq Python XL Laptop Backpack

Closing in on a year with my BOOQ bag I have a few observations:

The bag will hold everything I travel with except for my Ford F-250!

I can pack in 2 of my IBM Stink Pad laptop computers, my projector as well as other various and sundry things (cabling, iPOD, camera, GPS unit, surge protector, chargers for 2 cell phones and my Bluetooth ear piece, my Linksys WTR55GS travel WiFi router, travel mouse, gobs of pens, Sharpie's, 3-thumb drives, projector remote control, batteries, etc.). Granted I don't always travel with my second laptop and my projector.

For the most part I fly First Class on Continental which is glorious except that the bag will not fit under the seat very well... it will fit in OK in the center foot well on most 737 and 757 configurations. On row 12 or 14 (exit row) of their regional jets the bag will sometimes fit. The bag will fit under all rows of the double side of the regional jets as it's a larger homogeneous space.

Drawbacks: Just 2 weeks ago I had to ship back my bag as 2 of the zippers failed. The laptop compartment zipper failed at the place where the zipper turns to the outer edge of the bag. There the stitching holding the zipper to the bag came apart. The other failure was at the main compartment zipper at the turn going from horizontal to vertical. There the zipper lost 4 or 5 teeth probably due to some stress caused by my holding the bag over one shoulder.

I will say that the customer service at BOOQ was pretty good. I filled-out a service request and received an RMA the next day. I shipped my bag back to them via FedEx (at my expense) and the bag was back to me in a week via FedEx Home Delivery (at their expense). I was provided with an email from BOOQ that my bag was received, another email that said my bag would be replaced and a third saying that my bag had been shipped back to me and included a tracking number.

So far I am pretty satisfied with everything... the only thing I would wish for would be a heavier duty zipper at the main and laptop compartments.

Great news I know you will love yours!

Thanks for all the extra info.
Gave up all those first class perks and take whomever is flying from where I'm at to where I'm going, direct.
Spending 3g's on a new lightweight notebook to rid myself of some weight and size.
Ordered a Python XM, lots of protection and pockets and a little smaller to "fit under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin."

Dave: Very welcome - glad I could help.

Agent: As long as you have some airline status and can board before the masses, overhead storage is great. For the non-Elite flier the overheads fill up FAST and there may not always be room.

Like Dave the only time I don't have trouble is in First class. It definately depends on what you carry. I typically have my laptop, video camera, digital camera,ipod, assorted cables,ac adapters, spare hard drives and now my Batterygeek powerstation so I really pack the bag to the hilt. I don't mind throwing it in the overhead because I know that it is well protected.

Wow thats just great news and thanks for sharing the storage information .. I am a bigtime flyer of Continental and agree totally ...

OK I just bought the Booq Python XL Series bag. The 10% helped quite a bit! Thanks Dave!

I won't be flying for about 2 weeks but will report back (maybe with photos???) afterwards.

My counterpart on the East Coast has this bag and it is a tight fit when flying in Coach Class. He flies Delta 99 44/100% of the time FWIW. Here are a few observations:

On most jets (except 'Regional' jets) the Booq fits tight but well under the seat in front of you. Depending on how full the bag gets (depth), you may need to take off the accessory bag and place it in the seatback pocket in front of you. If the side pockets are overstuffed, then you might have an issue there.

On some 737 series aircraft, the aisle seats have a narrower foot well so sometimes the bag will not fit (width).

On the Regional jets, it has to go in the overhead (unless you are lucky enough to have the type aircraft that doesn't have metallic dividers under the seat - it's just one big foot well).

In First Class, there is usually ample space for the bag.


I am planning on buying one for myself. The 10% discount is very enticing. I personally fly Continental 99 44/100% of the time and can/will report back when I get the bag and some flight time (already at 60+ segments this year). Luckily I fly First most of the time.

Hope this helps.

As I do not take commercial airline flights very often (last one was 10 years ago), I could not really say for sure myself. However several roadwarriors I just conferred with stated they felt confident that my pack could fit under the seats of those airlines that THEY traveled with.

Only one felt that it would be a tight-fit, stating that the sides pockets of the backpack would need to be empty so that they could compact down when laid down on the flat of it's back. This same co-worker felt that the main storage could be fairly well packed and still fit under a seat with 4" to 6" (sometimes 8") of clearance.

He based his decision on my current configuration: I currently have only the laptop (in it's storage compartment), cables in the side compartments (which would have to be removed), some CDs in a pocket, a portable external USB Drive, two magazines, and a CCNA book (BIG!).

So, to sum up: as mentioned by Agent680 and David, it's partly dependant on how much you have stuffed into the bag, and partly dependant on how much space you have available to you under the seat (which varies by airline and the class of service you pay for).

I agree but in first class it fits easily for those who fly first...

It is a very tight fit under an airplane seat. It will all depend on what you have in the bag. I have been able to put it under the middle seat but it is a very tight fit. I would recommend using the overhead bin.I have been very happy with my Python XL it is able to carry everything I need and with all of the pockets my equipment is protected. The other nice feature is that even fully loaded the weight is distributed evenly so it does not feel heavy on your back.

Elrendhel,
Thanks for the review. I'm looking for a new backpack with a lot of space,pockets and protection as this has. But, will it fit under the seat in front of you on airplanes?