SOLO New York: Hybrid Briefcase... Reviewed!

This review has businessmen and women in mind, but... before jumping into it... let's unbox it!

Happy 10th Anniversary... SOLO! I love unboxings, so when this package arrived... I was like "ALRIGHT!". It arrived just in time for my trip.

This review... answers the question I've been asked multiple times by busy professionals. You can have a briefcase and a bookbag... you don't have to tuck a big drawstringer... in your bag to deploy when needed.

I present to you, SOLO's... Hybrid Briefcase Backpack... which allows you to switch between briefcase and backpack in as quick as 5 seconds or so. If you travel and you need a briefcase that gives you the benefits of a bookbag, this is the type to consider. Sometimes you don't mind carrying your briefcase when it's just the briefcase, but when you have to grab luggage to head to and from the airport, work, or school campus... this hybrid is perfect.

When you have to carry a briefcase and hustle over to a convention hall (or where ever you go), in addition to food and a beverage... that extra hand can spare you some unnecessary stress. Shoulder straps generally come with briefcases (excluding the hard-shelled ones I know of), this one is no different even if my experience using shoulder straps isn't the best. Using shoulder straps usually leaves me with this unpleasant feeling on the side of my neck from the weight pressing against it. That's not a warm fuzzy feeling... and I hate adjusting it only for it to slide right back against my neck (like "It's nice to see you again"). This may or may not just be a personal problem I've had... but that's why I don't really use them.

Here are images of the shoulder strap for this hybrid briefcase. The strap isn't bad, it has padding... but shoulder straps, in general, are not for my thing. I didn't carry it for a long period of time using the shoulder strap... but there's nothing specific about it that would prevent it from delivering the same experience as others. To each your own preference, it comes in handy... but the other carrying options are better for me. It's cool though... you get 3 options in this bag, so keep calm and... "carry on" literally! The backpack straps have the same mesh padding and look on the underbelly.

As seen in this image, I'm holding the bag and comfort wise... it's been good. I haven't carried the bag for a long period of time as a briefcase, but... considering the times where I may have to... I'd prefer more padding. If there were a revision, I'd like to see a gel insert added or something matching the shoulder strap padding... and since it isn't visible, it won't be noticed.

One thing the handle has going for it though is the grey polyester material covering it, its easier on the hands. This material is the same as the bag... except for the bottom (i'll get to that in a bit). It's a nice clean professional look, even when its worn as a book bag... it looks good with casual or formal businesswear. They didn't overdo it in the looks department, but the small touches such as the magnetic snaps, and the black material at the bottom of the briefcase + the lower area of the pockets are just right.

Here's a closer look. I know the more professional look is to carry it by the handle or the shoulder strap... but when its time to hike it, pull out those straps so that you can benefit from the backpack feature (its better on the back when there is more weight inside). It doesn't look weird and cheesy either... the straps are tucked away in the back compartment of the briefcase until you need them. Once you connect the straps... it wears like any other bookbag and it feels normal.

What I mean by "normal" is that it isn't just a makeshift backpack feature that feels weird on your back. As you see in the image below, you can't even tell that its a briefcase here.

Since it is a briefcase though, one thing I do advise is... when you're going from briefcase to backpack, shift the zipper pulls up.

Don't leave the zipper pulls to the side or aimed toward the ground like seen in this image, pull them around until they face north. They didn't open on me... I'll admit that, but do you really want to take the chance of having them unzip and your items fall out? Didn't happen, but better safe than sorry. By the way, the zipper pulls are nice... and I appreciate the fact that they seem to be maintained across SOLO bags. This specific product would benefit from zipper pulls that lock together in some sort of way... based on the fact that it can be used in two ways, then no worries about shifting the zipper pulls.

I was able to place a laptop in this briefcase + cord, camera, phone, notebook, some in-ear headphones, and... a game controller (I didn't attempt to insert large gaming headphones, but DJ style should fit comfortably). You have room for other things like business cards and pens, and I was even tempted to try and stick a digital drawing tablet inside, but I didn't aim to over pack this thing. I was trying to pack it according to scenarios where I might take a briefcase, like to an event or... whatever. I included the game controller because... some of us have gaming laptops, and sometimes that's part of the agenda once back at the hotel or wherever downtime will commence. Break time for some conventions can be long and... if you've already networked... game on! I can't forget about delayed or long flights, train rides, etc.

The hybrid briefcase is part of the downtown collection, inspired by the "spirit" of lower Manhattan (NY). The briefcase is able to hold up to 15.6" laptop's in its padded laptop compartment, an additional pocket for a tablet + two front access pockets. The bigger front pocket has the pen and card holders. The smaller pocket has a zippable compartment in front for various things like cell phones... as seen in the video above (pretty spacious). I actually put a game controller in that compartment.

When it comes to the price of this hybrid briefcase... no need to brace yourself, it's only $49.99. This doesn't feel like it's over or under-priced... they nailed this one, even if it would've been super safe at $59.99 based on its versatility. It comes in two colors, grey and black... but I like the grey just a bit more. When it comes to durability... it doesn't feel like this bag would just fall apart, but... at the same time, I wouldn't overfill it either. It's not one of those bags that I see being overfilled anyway (without looking deformed), but if you want to pack it up... go with what works for the body of the bag. Use the right size laptops, forget trying to stuff a game console in it... unless its a Nintendo Switch and leave it at that. Take care of it... and it should be good for the long haul, I even recommend having multiple bags for different occasions... because adventures vary. Did I forget to mention that this briefcase has a 5 year (limited) warranty?

Overall, I think Solo's Hybrid Briefcase Backpack is a very nice useful bag. It feels comfortable in my hand and on my back, and if you want to use the shoulder strap... you have that option too. No only does it allow you to free up your hands, but it looks good with various dress codes... and the price is right. Two thumbs up.

Design 5

Quality 4

Comfort 5

Price 5

4.75 out of 5 Cool Points

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

This product was provided for review by Solo New York!

Solo Rival... reviewed!

Before I jump into the specifics of the review, I just want to give a shout out to Matt from Solo's brand communications team for taking the time to reach out. Instead of simply sending a backpack to SDGT, he wanted to find out what my needs were... when it comes to a backpack. From there... he decided the best fit for me is the Solo Rival you see below, so I just wanted to put that out there.

I knew the backpack was coming, but I can't lie... I was excited when it arrived. So join me via the visuals you see here as I open this thing up.

Now that we've got the packaging out of the way... let's jump in.

What you see here is one of Solo’s newest backpacks called the Solo Rival (specifically the ACV700 model).

They have a new Solo Everyday Max backpack… but this one is more in line with what I need.

Feels... sexy. :p

It looks and feels like it was designed with premium quality in mind. The polyester body feels great… along with the cooling air mesh you see lining the inner shoulder straps and back padding… and it even has a reflective strip for visibility. So you should be seen if you have to set out on foot, bike, horseback or whatever else requiring a driver to see you strutting your stuff down the road. A little something extra to protect yourself as you protect your tech.

The Solo Rival has 6 compartments… which includes a fully padded one that can fit up to 17.3" laptops and two hard shell pockets for side storage. These side pockets are a nice size... I can literally slide a game controller into them with no oomph behind it. I have other backpacks but i'd have to put the controller(s) in the main compartment with my laptop and headphones. Considering the fact that I absolutely hate when things scrub up against my laptop... the space this backpack has is a plus.

The Solo Rival is good for work or play, whether that be locally, a work convention or even a game event. I put this backpack to use recently when my wife gave birth (new dad in the house!). I tossed a few days of clothing inside, my laptop, game controller, Bluetooth headphones, documents, snacks... and was ready to go with room to spare.

I wasn't going to bring a wired gaming headset because I needed to be ready for action often, but a fold-able gaming headset would be able to fit into one of the two side pockets with no problem.

For tablet owners... you have a sleeve built into one of the compartments for an extra layer of safety, as well as a compartment for stationary (I'm sure fellow artists can appreciate this). While I could say that's something of a basic i'd expect, it's not in all backpacks... so its appreciated. Another nifty little feature is the headphone port that allows you to run your wired headphones to your phone in the designated pocket of the backpack. I don't care to hold my phone all the time so this works especially when I have wired headphones on deck.

As you see by these images... you can fit quite a bit of stuff in this bag, which is perfect for game events like E3 that have a lot of great freebies and buys so you aren't stuck holding bags in your hands.

Two of my favorite features when it comes to the backpack are the top compartment... which reminds me of a standard pocket on my pants and the chest strap. These may seem like little things, but when i'm traveling, things like that top compartment would come in handy for change and other things I need to quickly access without having to do a full unzip. Also at the airport when I need to empty my pockets, that compartment is in a great place to store items so I can just flow. 

When it comes to the chest strap... I really enjoy having these options on backpacks because it makes a world of difference in balancing it out while on your back. Some of you may have carried book bags at school and had to deal with the sagging that required you to constantly pull the bag back up... or you had to hold it in that place in order to maintain comfort. I didn't like it then and I don't like it now, so I appreciate it when chest straps are available.



Two more things you may like about this backpack are it's warranty... and the price.

This bad boy comes with a 5 year warranty. Yeah... Solo's not playing around. I've seen a 1 year warranty on some, while others have none (that cost more)... so I thought this was pretty awesome.

Speaking of cost, the Solo Rival retails for $79.99 and goes the extra mile in comparison to others I've come across at this price point. So you're getting a pretty good deal regarding quality, comfort and usability.

One thing I don't like about this backpack though... is the neck area. While it's not horrible, Solo made great design decisions that should've also included areas on the straps that contour around the neck for increased comfort. It's not a deal breaker at all (many backpacks are lack this)... but who knows, maybe that will be ushered into a newer model of the Solo Rival.



Design: 4
Quality: 5
Comfort:4
Price: 5

Usability: 5 

I rate the Solo Rival a 4.5 out of 5. So if you want to get your hands (or should I say your "back"?) on this backpack, it should work out quite well for you and your needs.

Thank you so much for checking out this review... and for more info on the Solo Rival backpack, go to: http://solo.net/active-17-3-backpack/