Pelican ProGear Elite U100 Laptop Backpack Review

When it comes to extreme force, water and harsh conditions, the folks at Pelican say… BRING IT ON!  And, we did. We brought it on hard.

Pelican ProGear’s Elite U100 Laptop Backpack is a heavy-duty companion for the adventurous, outdoor kind of gadget enthusiast. It nicely fills the need for anyone concerned about damaging their laptop while on-the-go by providing protection in the form of a built-in, crushproof and watertight case.

Whether it’s a mountain hike, or a dangerous scientific expedition, a simple cloth backpack will not bring forth the kind of defense for electronics like Pelican’s line of bags.

We had the pleasure of putting the “Elite” through its paces, and aside from what you’re about to see in the video below, we can truly attest that it’s a clever solution for keeping your tablets and laptop safe. The design nicely provides users with a great deal of storage and in addition to the hard-plastic laptop case (fits 15” laptops and 17” Macs), the front panel sports a thick piece of plastic to safe-guard smartphones and tablets from impact.

While the case is watertight, the backpack is only water-resistant and both have their limitations. Pelican recommends swimming with this gadget-accessory in no more than 3.3 feet of water, no longer than 30 minutes – a fun dunk in our bathtub soaked the nylon but failed to penetrate the IBM Thinkpad we sacrificed for this review. Having a seat on the Elite garnered the same results – everything was A-Ok.

For our readers, we decided to gear-up and take this baby on the road. With the laptop inside, we were immediately put-off by the weight although after inspecting the built-in case it was expected – this isn’t an every day carry-on. We’re talking major adventures here, but keep in mind that after an all-day hike you may be in need of a back adjustment.

The “Elite” definitely lived up to its claims after an accidental tumble down a rocky ravine; even the stairs at a local park were no match for this bag. And, that’s when we got a really bright idea… let’s throw it off a bridge!

Look to see what we had to do to break this laptop

Conclusions

For the steep price tag, we would’ve expected it to come out in our throw test. Unfortunately, it does not offer the Bond-like protection we’d hoped for like this leather briefcase laptop. However it definitely provides an extra layer of security, more than a typical laptop bag. ProGear’s Elite Backpack offers a serious amount of support for gadgets, and while it might weigh-in a bit more than you’re used to, there’s a price to pay for effectively sheltering your gadgets from impact and water.

We also learned it’s not good to throw things off bridges, even with ProGear Backpacks.

The ProGear Elite U100 Laptop Backpack is crushproof, dustproof, watertight and can withstand extreme temperatures and runs for $299.99