Incase Icon Backpack

8.6
8.6 score
[Editors rating (8.6)] = (Gearweare.net) score (8.6)/10

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Editor rating: 8.6 / 10
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Incase Icon Backpack Review Facts

If you are seeking an excellent daily work or school bag that will hold your electronic devices protectively and have room for essentials, then your search may be over. The Incase Icon Backpack has protective internal compartments for a MacBook, tablet, and smartphone to keep them safe from bumps and scratches. Made of durable ballistic nylon fabric, it is lighter than most other types of backpacks but has more room than they do.

The Icon features a sternum strap to distribute the pack weight, padded straps for the shoulders, and an adjustable back panel. A padded bottom protects the things you put inside when the pack is on a hard surface, and there are plenty of ways to adjust the points of this product. A power pocket on the side with a cable port makes charging electronics easy, plus a front pouch for small items is easily accessed. This Incase Icon backpack holds its shape whether empty or full and will remain standing when put-down vertically. Customers are most satisfied with this item for their carrying needs, as it currently has an overall satisfaction rating, but if you want to check others, take a look at our guide on best laptop backpacks.

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
  • Not floppy like some competitor models
  • Lighter than most other packs; has more room too
  • No competition for space with contents
  • Will stand up by itself for easy access
  • Good for a daily school or work bag
  • Compartments fit a laptop, phone, and tablet well
  • Main bottom storage is quite large
  • A choice of solid colors is available
Cons
  • Spots of stitching may come undone with regular use
  • Not spacious enough for a large load of gear
  • Side pockets cannot fit a water bottle

Key Features

-Sternum strap to equalize the weight of the load
-Made of heavy-duty ballistic 840D nylon
-Shoulder straps are padded and adjustable
-Back panel is compression molded and adjustable
-Protection for the laptop with a lining of faux fur and padding
-Padded bottom to protect contents
-Power pocket on the side with a cable port
-Plenty of adjustment points to customize
-Front pouch with a discrete zipper for small items
-Three compartments for an iPhone, iPad, and MacBook

Comfort

The first thing you expect from a backpack beside it carrying all of your gear is the comfort when you carry it. You will grow to hate a backpack that is uncomfortable to have on your back and eventually not use it. This is not a problem with the Incase Icon. It is very comfortable according to buyers online even with a heavy load in it.

Your comfort is maximized with an incorporated sternum strap that equalizes the carried weight of the backpack. So, it does not feel bulky at all no matter what you put in it.

This durable pack does have a small size, as it is not one of the largest packs available. Some larger and taller guys were concerned about this and asked the question of people who bought it. They answered that it would look small on a large or tall person since it is small, to begin with. If this is the case, then maybe just wear it slung over a shoulder rather than fully on the back.

Durability

When you purchase a backpack, especially for the cost of this one, you definitely want it to last a long time in great condition. The Icon is not disappointing in this respect as it can withstand the tear and wear of everyday use for several years and still look great. Made of durable, heavy-duty ballistic 840D nylon material, it is not floppy as some competitor models can be and do hold its shape well.

On the other hand, the Incase Icon Backpack is not stiff either, like a hiking pack that has a robust and sturdy frame. On the negative side, several buyers found out the hard way that the stitching may come undone in some spots in about the second year of regular use. They were not particularly rough with the product, but this is where the first signs of stress and use will occur.

Flexibility

You have many options to make this pack as you want it since it has several adjustment aspects. The design is customizable and comfortable to change as you wish. It is lighter than most other packs of its kind, yet it has more room buyers state. The manufacturer has suggestions for the three main sections, but you can put anything you like in these.

The shoulder straps are padded and have adjustment features, as does the back panel that is compression molded with points of adjustment. Whether you must carry it long distances all day long, such as at a college for classes or for work purposes just to the car and office, it has the versatility to make it your own with its changeable layout.

Protection

The protection that the Incase Icon Backpack offers the user is in the form of special lining for the electronics you decide to put in it. The three main sections are for a laptop, phone, and tablet if you choose to use it for that. Protection for the laptop in its special section includes a lining of faux fur and padding. You will not have to worry about the screens or the mechanisms becoming cracks or damaged due to being knocked around or accidentally hit somehow.

It also has a padded bottom to protect the internal contents when the bag is put down on surfaces. This is very important because these items will be on their ends in the backpack. It is quite easy to damage them in this position. You could consider the sternum strap as protective of your back too, as it helps your body share the load of the contents.

Responsiveness

One of the really nice characteristics of this marvelous backpack is one that is important in our technology world today. It has a power pocket on the side with a cable port for access to portable audio or power. The side pocket that has the lining of bright green is the one to run a USB cable in to charge your devices. On the other side is a pocket just the same size, but it does not have the slot for the cable. The cable pocket can be zipped all the way even when in use.

This truly comes in handy when you need to charge electronics on the go or when you are away from home. Unfortunately, these side pockets are where other backpacks would have a space for water bottles. If you want to carry a water bottle with this pack, it must go in one of the large storage sections in the middle. Some buyers did not like this pocket configuration.

Stability

A problem with most other backpacks that can house a laptop or tablet is that they often take up so much room there is not much room for anything else. If there is room, then the laptop sort of pushes the other contents to the side and takes some of their space too. You will not have this concern with the Incase Icon backpack. There is no competition for space with contents in this pack.

Having a laptop in the main compartment does not take away the space for the other items. Some minor issues that customers were having with the stability of this Icon pack included the zippers.

A couple of people thought their zippers were a bit stiff at first, but they eventually work themselves out with use. Someone suggested that the backpack could be improved by having the zippers extend to the bottom of the bag. This would make the bottom contents easier to get to without having to disturb the top portion.

Style

If you have ever owned a floppy backpack that would not stand up on its own, you are in for a real treat with the Icon. It will stand by itself, so access to the open bag is easy. There are plenty of adjustment points for individual tastes to make this pack individualized.

It certainly has the room inside to allow users to organize everything very well. This terrific item is considered lightweight at 1.74 pounds when empty. Even when it is full, it is easy to carry with the incorporated shoulder straps. The offered solid colors for it include black, bronze, Anthracite, deep red, gray, navy blue, and red.

No matter what your school colors or office requirements for bags are, you can find a suitable color choice with this assortment. With a 4.3 satisfaction rating from users, the Incase Icon Backpack is a strong candidate for future buyers to consider.

Use

The uses and places you can use the Incase Icon Backpack are many and we would not waste time in telling you all of these here. We will mention some things that it is not so good for though. It is not the perfect pack for the office in which you would carry plenty of things such as lunch, paperwork, electronics, and accessories. It is just not large enough for that. The Icon is not just for Apple users because the Apple products are listed as fitting the best in the large compartments. There is no special area for a water bottle as most backpacks have.

Well, then why buy it you say? Because it is so perfect for so many other things such as a daily school or work bag where electronics and a few essentials are needed. It is ideal for college students since several books can fit in it well with electronic devices too. The Incase Icon is perfect for carrying gadget things such as cables, books, chargers, and all of your electronic devices.

It is not specified to be a camera bag, but one buyer bought it for that reason only – to carry his camera equipment on location wherever he went. The possibilities are truly endless for this small pack if you just do not try to overload it. when you do, you lose the most valuable aspect of it, which is the freedom to keep things very organized and simple.

Ease of Use

Being that the bulk of this wonderful pack is meant for electronic devices, and even the special pocket for the USB cable, we want to devote this section to giving you that information. The Incase Icon Backpack has three compartments that are large just for an iPhone, an iPad, and a MacBook. The internal compartment for a laptop fits a MacBook of 15 inches the best, and the iPad pocket is located externally in a side compartment.

The medium pocket for a tablet can fit the 9.7-inch iPad Pro well. If you have the 12.9-inch size tablet that may be too large for this pocket. It can fit in the main section where a laptop would go if you do not use it for a laptop. The main compartment bottom storage is quite large also to hold a myriad of additional gear or supplies.

Bottom Line

Not every backpack created will have water bottle pockets on the sides nor will they all be huge enough to carry all of your gear for a week or more. The Incase Icon Backpack is among those that will not.

It is, however, a perfect day backpack to carry your laptop, phone, and tablet, plus many other accessories and essentials such as paperwork, books, and smaller important items. If it is not overloaded, the Icon offers the user a well-sectioned and well-organizable pack that is a pleasure to work out of.

The Incase Icon Backpack stands on its own when placed on a surface and is not a floppy bag, even when it is empty. There is protective padding to keep the electronics from being scratched or damaged inside plus adjustable features to aid with carrying the pack on your back. As with all things fabric and high-use, the stitching may begin to unravel in spots after a couple of years of use. Nothing lasts forever, and two years of regular use from such a pack is really good. The satisfaction rating is great, so the majority of customers love it and would buy it again.