I’ve had a pretty sturdy backpack that I have used for traveling for the past 7 years. It’s a little bit bulky, but it’s held up well and I’ve been able to fit all of travel gear in there without any problem.

Now as I’m trying to act more as a grownup, I decided that I need something to travel with that looked a little more professional than a backpack.

I’ve read a lot of reviews online, and decided to try out the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer bag.

I’ve used it now for three months and I really am enjoying how light and easy it is to use.

The first thing I like is the exterior zippered pockets that are easy to access yet safe and secure.

On the backside are two exterior pockets without zippers. On the right, I put my zip up passport / ticket carrier that I got free from Hilton for being Diamond.

The straps on the bottom hold the laptop in place along with the metal clips that attach to the actual bag.

The laptop has a nice, snug pocket to fit into that comes in several different sizes depending on the size of laptop you own.

The best feature of the bag, of course, is the fact that you can fold out the laptop and run it through security without having to take your laptop out. I have had 100% success doing this through any US security line while it has only worked about 25% of the time through international security lines.

It makes going through security so quick and easy – that feature only sold me on the bag.

Lastly, the main compartment has plenty of pockets and is big enough to carry most everything you would need. I choose to carry the Skooba Cable Stable to hold all of my electronics and cables.

Priced at $220 by Tom Bihn, I can highly recommend the Checkpoint Flyer Bag and it will be my bag of choice for all my traveling.