If you’re looking for a carry-on bag, Toffee’s Berlin Backpack is a good choice

Finding a backpack to travel with Apple devices and equipment can be a tricky task. Precisely because there are so many options, so many that making a decision becomes complicated. At least in my case, because I’m determined to last many years.

For the past few weeks I’ve been using the Berlin backpack from Australian company Toffee. And I must say that I was surprised by its comfort, urban style and enough space to be able to take my mobile office anywhere. It’s a backpack that’s cool.

Toffee’s Berlin backpack materials and design

As soon as you touch the Berlin backpack one realizes that it is made of quality materials. And so the company states on its website:

• Outer fabric: 100% waxed cotton fabric.
• External pockets and details in authentic leather.
  Dimensions: 260mm long, 410mm high, 140mm wide.
• Compatible: MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and generally any device 13 inches or less.
• Price: 140.95 USD on your website (free shipping).

• Because of its dimensions, it is a very compact backpack but in which it fits quite a lot with comfort. I tried to put in it a 10.5 inch iPad Pro, a 9.7 inch iPad, external batteries, cables, plugs, power thieves and various accessories. All this without problems.

-Good materials and interior design designed to accommodate various devices and accessories-

I even placed a 2010 MacBook inside it that we have at home, although it didn’t fit in the pocket for the computer (too thick!) and I had to place it outside of it when testing. Inside we have two pockets, the one in which a MacBook Air or Pro should fit up to 13 inches and a smaller one designed for the 9.7-inch iPad.

In the latter, the iPad Pro 10.5 inches doesn’t fit, which is a shame because that means you have to go in the other pocket and it gets looser. It would be nice if Toffee had options to distribute the interior according to our needs. On the outside, the finish is great. I have not been able to check if it is indeed waterproof because we are in the middle of Madrid summer and the rain is still (hopefully) several months away.

But you can see the typical droplets that are floating on the surface, as we saw in the Bleecker Brief case of the same brand (very difficult to photograph when black, by the way).

Designed to take your office in tow

For several years I have been using a leather briefcase as a transport for my devices. In it was my now-defunct MacBook Pro of 2011, notebooks, cables, chargers, batteries and other material that took me on a trip or to meetings with customers. After moving to an iMac and a 10.5-inch iPad Pro, the briefcase got big but I didn’t get to change it.

-Its price is high, but it is also to be appreciated its urban design, materials and comfort-

Toffee’s Berlin backpack is much more comfortable. Part of the «blame» has its form factor (case vs backpack) that makes it much more accessible inside. But in the end it is the set of materials, design, low weight and dimensions that differentiate this backpack from others on the market (in addition to its high price).

As long as you have a Mac or iPad 13 inches or less, you’re going to be able to take your office and accessories anywhere. And you can do it in a different style than the rest of the backpacks.