Buy from FancyBuy from Stighlorgan

First off the book, Stighlorgan is pronounced as “Still-Or-Gan”. You may not have heard of this modern accessories brand with roots in Dublin and East London but once you have read the review below of the Stighlorgan Conn Backpack, you wouldn’t care how it is pronounced and all that you care about is you want one of your own.

I have been hunting for a new laptop backpack to replace the one that came with my laptop for quite awhile now. What I needed was a backpack to lug around my 15″ work laptop plus extra space for my other work stuff like the laptop accessories including the power brick, portable hard drive, notepads, stationery and a water bottle.

I also needed a backpack that can be used when I have to travel on short trips with my laptop. That means in addition to the earlier items I mentioned, it has to have extra space for change of clothes for a 2 to 3 day trip plus other necessities for travel.

There are plenty of backpacks that meet my requirements above but I also wanted one that has a bit of style. Nothing too flashy but definitely more than your usual boring laptop bags. Last but definitely not least, while I am willing to pay more for good quality, I am not going to splurge on a designer brand.

Someone recommended the Stighlorgan Conn Backpack to me and as Stighlorgan was having a sale on the Conn Backpacks, I decided to take the plunge. I happy to say that I am very happy for making that decision as the backpack has definitely exceeded my expectations.

The Stighlorgan Conn Backpack comes in a variety of colors but the one I have chosen is the limited edition Hovering Hawk version. It’s design has a native American influence with an illustration of a hawk drawn by one of the Stighlorgan founders. The backpacks are also available in black, navy, green, red and a very attractive rust color that would have been my second choice.

Everything about this backpack screams high quality. The backpack is made from high density 210D nylon with heavy duty tarpaulin trim. It also has 2mm thick natural finish leather and heavy-duty parachute webbing trims. The design inspiration for the backpack is the current issue irish military packs. Modifications to the original design are made to include laptop and additional stash pockets.

The laptop pocket is in a separate padded compartment and is placed right next to the shoulder straps. It has a vertical zip and the space is quite roomy so I did not have to struggle every time I store my 15″ laptop. The Stighlorgan Conn Backpack comes with its signature D-ring shoulder strap system that is designed to suit any width shoulder. The laptop sits close to my back with even weight distribution across the straps.

The inside of the backpack is lined with Stighlorgan’s trademark hard wearing hickory striped denim fabric. The main compartment uses a drawstring closure. Having a drawstring instead of a normal zipper means that you can slightly over pack the backpack. So far I haven’t had the need to over pack as this is a fairly large backpack but it is nice to know that I can.

If you like bags with lots of compartments and storage pockets, you might be a little disappointed. Besides the main storage and the laptop compartment, there are just 3 other small storage pockets. Two of them are inside the main compartment out of which one has a zipper. The other is a hidden zippered pocket on the cover flap.

Besides the issue with the lack of extra storage compartments, I absolutely love the Stighlorgan Conn Backpack and I highly recommend it. For me, it strikes the perfect balance between a fully functional office backpack that wouldn’t look out of place on a fun weekend trip.
Buy from FancyBuy from Stighlorgan