Cycle & Style’s review of Thule’s Crossover Backpack

We’ve tried a few messenger bags and backpacks and yeah, some were chosen merely for their good looks. Having made such choices in the past for such shallow reasons, it does eventually bring regret in the form of sore shoulders or frustration when things….just…won’t…fit…(sigh!) Enter Thule who went beyond racks to create a line of luggage and backpacks and put their engineering to good use! Thule had a great reputation and we were intrigued, but their backpacks did have plain Jane looks…or one could say “sleek and modern” One could also note that you wouldn’t be embarrassed bringing it into the board room. It’s black with a dot-matrix design and the only color is the bright blue zippers. The “Thule” logo is reflective and nicely shows up at night. Thule has a handful of backpack designs and the one we have tried out was exclusively designed for Apple products: the Thule Crossover Backpack. It now comes in a pretty blue-green color as well. Although it does work wonderfully for Beth’s MacBook, it does just fine for my Dell.

It’s what’s inside that counts

Thule has really designed this backpack to store and carry your stuff well. It’s computer laptop compartment holds a 17-inch laptop nicely and protectively and other items can be stowed in the roomy main compartment: clothes for the commuter, books and notebooks for the college student or a little of everything for the rest of us! The fabric is durable and wears well and it’s water resistant too, so you don’t have to stress about your electronic gear inside the pack if you get caught in a rain shower.

The other interior compartments are also well thought out with special places for all your stuff in the front bulk storage pockets. Uniquely, the Thule features a crush-proof compartment that can be used for sunglasses, which they dubbed the “SafeZone” compartment.
Is there room for your water bottles? The backback has two side external pockets that stretch to fit around most water bottles. A strap can also be used to give extra security BUT it’s not perfect. It works best for short water bottles or ones tall enough to be secured with the strap. Bottles which are sized in-between can fall out (and I speak from personal experience.) Alas, I lost two water bottles until I figured out the right size to fit snugly in this pouch. The pockets work well for other items as they zip snugly shut.

The straps on the Thule backback  are padded and with some ”air mesh” to provide breathability and a chest strap. Beth and I are divided on our review of the straps. I would be comfortable wearing the backpack all day, carrying lots of stuff, while she (carrying camera gear) was always sore after pulling an all-day event. She’d love the addition of a strap that would go around the hips to balance the weight.  Beth’s sore shoulders really seems like an  unfair deal, considering how casually I am wearing the backpack in the upper photo, but I usually fuss more with the straps and make a comfortable adjustment when I know I will be carrying lots of stuff around in it all day such as at the upcoming Interbike trade show.

A few suggestions to Thule for Cycling commuters: the Crossover Backpack has some wonderful features that make it a great all round backpack for carrying your gear in an organized fashion. But it needs a waist strap to help distribute the weight evenly on the back as the cyclist leans over the bike. A few more splashes of reflectivity would be helpful as well. On the wishlist side, if Thule does aim a bag specifically at cycling commuters, a backpack specifically made to carry clothing like a garment bag would be fantastic!

Here’s another guide for choosing messenger bags & backpacks.