Ogio Renegade RSS Backpack Review: Almost Perfect Gadget Safehaven

Ogio Renegade RSS Backpack Review: Almost Perfect Gadget Safehaven


A good bag is just about as important as the gadgets it carries. Your electronics are fragile and expensive to replace, and your back is fragile and impossible to replace. Ogio’s Renegade RSS bag is damn near as good as it gets at protecting both.

What Is It?

A big, roomy, gadget-protecting backpack.

Who’s It For?

People who carry laptops and other electronics with them on the daily and need lots of space.

Design

Black bag with standout red lining. It has a crush-proof compartment for holding a laptop up to 17 inches, a padded pocket for a tablet or ereader, a cushy camera compartment, a storage panel and three zippered side pockets.

Using It

Renegade RSS is a super comfortable bag with ergonomic shoulder straps. Carrying a lot of crap? It won’t actually feel like it, because the back panel is cushioned and the straps are soft. Feel like a pack animal for gadgets? It will assuage that burden by comfortably distributing that weight across several pockets.

The Best Part

The crush-proof compartment for your valuables on top. It’s basically a built-in sunglasses case.

Tragic Flaw

The shoulder straps tend to slip, so you have to readjust quite frequently.

This Is Weird…

You can’t unzip the laptop compartment all the way, which is fine for smaller, thinner laptops, but is annoying in terms of access if you’re working with a beast of a 17-inch MacBook Pro or something.

Test Notes

  • Renegade RSS survived LaGuardia Airport security. The back zippered pocket is super convenient for grabbing your laptop and popping it onto one of those X-ray trays efficiently.
  • It was also nice to tote on an aeroplane, because it fits comfortably under the seat in front of you, but it houses a clown car’s worth of stuff.
  • It also survived the crowded trains during rush hour.
  • It’s a great commuter bag, because it can accommodate your laptop and work necessities, as well as your gym stuff for when you’re off the clock.

Should You Buy It?

Renegade RSS is a lot of comfortable, well-protected real estate for not a lot of money. However, it’s not a backpack that everyone needs. If you just want something to throw a book and a pair of running shoes in and you’re more concerned with style, you don’t want this bag. If you’re often on the go, and you carry your laptop and maybe a camera and a tablet every day, you do. Avoiding adult onset scoliosis and keeping your computer safe? What more do you need in life?

Ogio Renegade RSS

• Price: $200 RRP in Australia
• Capacity: 31L
• Dimensions: 19.5 inches (H) x 14 inches (W) x 8 inches (D)
• Weight: 1.6kg
• Features: crush-proof laptop compartment, padded ereader or tablet pocket

Pictures: Michael Hession


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