If you haven't heard of the website ThinkGeek.com, then shame on you! They have an amazing selection of geek toys and paraphernalia to make you the "Alpha Geek". This time the crew over at ThinkGeek sent us a backpack, but not just any backpack. No, this is a Ghostbusters Proton Pack!
Now I'm sure you're wondering the same thing I was when I got the bag in my hands - having a Proton Pack on your back is awesome, but how well does this bag hold up as an actual backpack? Never fear, because Digispa is here to lay out all the facts on this super geek bag.
I know the first thing you're wondering is how the Proton Pack is placed on the bag and I can tell you right now that it's printed. The image quality is very good, but it does take a little bit to process what the hell you're looking at. I think that's due to the fact the ground color of the bag is the Ghostbusters' iconic beige of their jumpsuits instead of the black that we remember the pack and wand being.
Speaking of wands, one of the 3 pockets is the wand! Not only is it roomy for some pretty big things (32oz beer growler, anyone?), but detaches from the main pack and is tethered via a cord at the bottom! The cord is about 3 feet long and seems pretty sturdy.
The entire bag seems pretty sturdy, from the stitching to faux leather material the bag is made of, it can take a bit of abuse. Even with all the sturdiness, there is room for improvements. First, like I said earlier, there are 3 pockets: the main proton pack, the "Cyclotron" round compartment, and the wand. What's lacking, is some sort of organization within those 3 pockets, especially the Cyclotron. In almost any backpack you could look at today, there is almost always some set of smaller pockets within that front pocket for really small things like pens, change, maybe a key ring. I think even the really cheap Jansport bags have some pocket organizers.
Second gripe would be the padding or lack thereof. Don't get me wrong, it's not like the bag has zero padding, just not enough for my tastes. Especially when one of the pictures on ThinkGeek has a guy pulling/putting in his Mac laptop; there is no way in hell that I would ever put my laptop in this bag without it being in another sleeve.
On the plus side, the bag is pretty big. I don't have a laptop myself, but my 11"x14" sketch book fit with no problem and room to spare. The wand can also hold a lot as well as the Cyclotron. ThinkGeek has the individual dimensions as follows:
o Main Pocket: approx. 18" x 12" x 4"
o Cyclotron Pocket: approx. 9.5" diameter x 1"
o Neutrona Wand Pocket: approx. 13" x 3" x 3"
Overall, the Ghostbusters Proton Pack backpack is a great bag if you A) like Ghostbusters and B) don't have a large amount of small things to carry with you when you're out. Out of 5 TOV stars, I'm giving this bag a 4.