Firstly, disclosure: Judge sent me one of these bags courtesy of gamepax. As such, you can take my words with a grain of salt, but I feel that I am giving my honest opinions on this backpack.
Secondly, I realize straightaway that gaming bags are not for all gamers. These are specifically targeted at people who regularly take their console to LAN parties or friends' house or on vacation (I took mine to the ICC in NYC). (IMG:
style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) If you are not in that group, don't bother commenting below. I realize this is not for you.
Finally, on to the break down!
When I first opened the box, I really thought that it was way too small to fit all of my 360 accoutrements. I was pleasantly surprised. It looks at first to be the size of a standard college backpack that I might buy. However, after careful inspection, it is slightly larger. The size difference is nearly unnoticeable though.
I love to have the AOW branded stuff. Taking that to my local LAN parties makes me feel all special. The stitching seems decent, and of course the custom branded stuff goes well with my AOW ballcap that Baron sold. The dog tag is cool too, though it's not really my thing. Will probably leave it attached to the bag.
Pockets are all over this bag. The one on top could probably fit a headset as well, though I put mine in the inner pocket. This place is perfect for my wireless adapter, a ethernet cable, and my memory card.
I easily fit four games in their cases as well as my headset in that front pocket. I could probably squeeze one or two more games in there. I usually carry most of my games in a small CD case which fits nicely in that area.
Wireless cables are great, but I am always paranoid of a dead controller in the middle of a long night. You could probably fit one of the many other accessories here.
When I first opened these side pockets(they are the same on each side), I never thought that the controllers would fit into them. I managed to get two controllers into each side.
Power brick goes on the bottom, along with my other cables. I don't know that I would put my video cable here, for fear of squishing or crimping it with the weight of the bag.
(IMG:
http://www.clanartofwar.com/images/gamepax/8.jpg) (IMG:
http://www.clanartofwar.com/images/gamepax/9.jpg) (IMG:
http://www.clanartofwar.com/images/gamepax/10.jpg)
There is quite a bit of padding both on the back of the bag and inside of it. I felt much more confident carrying it around in this as opposed to a regular backpack, even though my backpack is made to also carry a laptop. This just feels more supported, and you don't feel any of the edges of the console or other items digging into your back.
The size in comparsion to the other packs I've used to lug my 360 around is very reasonable, and it's worth the extra inch of padding in my opinion. I've actually used it on two occasions so far, and have been very pleased with how much it carries in comparison to my previous bags.
Summary:I was very impressed with the quality of the backpack, and also the amount of items that it can hold. It is definitely designed with a gamer like myself in mind: someone who plans on traveling with their console and wants it protected.
Tiger Direct has the backpack for about $40, which is the same price as I paid for the Xbox Original bag seen in the image above. It is much better than the Xbox bag. Of course, you won't get the custom text or the dog tag that Judge offered if you don't buy directly from mygamepax.com.
I would recommend it to any gamers that are planning on taking their 360 out into the world. Thanks, Judge! I will be using mine a lot more in the coming year.
Check out Judge's article on the bags here:
http://www.clanartofwar.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=22049Special thanks to my wife for taking these great photos!
Review of the Gamepax Backpack, Courtesy of Judge!
Jan 21 2010, 12:26 AM
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