Carharrt Legacy Deluxe Work Brief Video Review (Features Score: 6.0; Access. Score: 8/10)

Overall: Pros = 17.5 points, cons = -11.5;  The Carhartt Deluxe Work Brief earns a Features Score of  6.0.  (Score sheet posted below.) Accessibility score: 8 out of 10.

Video:

To be fair, this bag falls distinctly outside of the type of bag that I have been reviewing thus far.  It caught my eye, however, with its ruggedness so I couldn't help grunting, scratching, and ordering it. Just looking at it makes me want to start moving lumber.


I really should have looked at the specs and moved on, however.  It does have a padded area in which one can store a laptop, but it is a HUGE padded space and not dedicated to a laptop.  Sure, you could place your laptop in this middle section of the bag, but it would bang against anything else you would need to put in there.  The slimmer zippered compartment at the rear of the bag seems like the better space for a laptop, but I would not trust that it would protect any electronic device because there is no padding.  It's too bad, because it seems like an easy fix to have swapped where the padding would go, but clearly Carhartt had a different design in mind.  (I am not sure what their rationale was, actually.)

There are a lot of pockets, but unfortunately, they are placed on the outside of the bag making the bag look a bit too busy and therefore less formal.  Obviously, I knew this from all the photos BEFORE I ordered it, but like I said, looking at this bag seemed to pump testosterone into my brain fueling an irrational desire to want it.  (Burp...Hey, woman!  Bring me my socket wrenches and a sandwich!)

I actually like the elastic webbing along the organizer panel.  I think it works better than pockets, in fact.  However, there is not a lot of choice beyond that elastic webbing.  Perhaps if that had simply moved the front three pockets into this organizer panel, this would have fixed that problem right up.  I also like the side zippered pockets but I do wish that one of them was open-top and stretchy to allow for a water bottle.  Also, if they could have made the remaining side zippered pocket with a fleece lining and a bit of padding, it would have been a perfect place for sunglasses or an iPhone.  Alas, fleece lining and wood clamps do not typically find themselves in the same bag.

I do love the look of this bag.  It would certainly give me street cred as I strolled by the construction sites on the way to work.  Of course, one look at my bow tie and sweater vest and they would know I was a poser.

Accessibility:

A bag's accessibility is rated on a 1 - 10 scale (10 = most).  Three major compartments are judged.  The accessibility score for this bag:

Organizer pocket = 10. Opens wide and is external.
Main compartment = 8.  Deep zipper shoulders and limited zipper opening hurt this score.  Having no compartmentalization actually helped it.
Computer compartment = 6.  The problem is that the main compartment has to double as the computer compartment as it is the only padded compartment.  Given that the computer would have to compete for space in this compartment making it less accessible in practice, hurts the score.  If the back compartment was designed for a laptop, this would have earned a 10.

Overall accessibility: 8 out of 10.

Photos:

Front of Carharrt Legacy Deluxe Work Brief

Rear of Carharrt Legacy Deluxe Work Brief; the device shown in  pocket is a iPad mini

View inside front pockets from above

View inside organizer panel from above; love the band of elastic webbing for cords

Side zip pocket

Other side zip pocket

View into padded middle section (4.75 inches front to back)

View into the unpadded rear section (1 inch front to back)

Item	Points +	This Bag	Notes
Made with Cordura or similar nylon material	2	2
Straight stitching, doubled in high stress zones, taped seams - well put together	1	1
Made with soft polyester making it flexible, quiet, gentle on clothing	2
Stout zippers, large pulls, and hardware	1	1
Reinforced bottom for durability and/or weather resistance	1	1
Compression straps to slim bag	0.5
Large external water bottle pockets	2
Separate, external access to laptop compartment	3
Separate iPad pocket	3
Fleece-lined external pocket for eyeglasses or phone	3
External pocket for eyeglasses or phone	2	2
Large rounded or paddded handle	1	1
Handle centrally placed (front to back)	0.5	0.5
Multitude of pockets for organization	2	2
Open slide in pocket for file folders (internal)	2
Open slide in pocket for file folders (external)	2
Ability to slide over handle of rolling luggage	1
Laptop section that is TSA friendly (opens up without laptop removal)	1
Flat bottom and perpendicular sides allow bag to stand on own	2	2
Organizer panel within an outer pocket to allow to easy access	1	1
A dedicated cell-phone pocket	1
A dedicated cell-phone pocket that is large enough to fit an iPhone 6	0.5
Large padded shoulder pad with stick coating	1
No Velcro used to keep flap closed (quiet and professional)	2	2
Xtra bright inner lining allowing you to see items easily	2
Light inner lining allowing you to see items easily	1
Stiff build that maintains the pack's structure when loading/placing	2	2
Outer lashing points for attaching accessories	1
	Total	17.5
Item	Points -	This Bag	Notes
Soft material that will not wear as well as nylon	-1
Simple handle that digs into hand	-0.5
Cannot stay upright due to design	-3
Tips forward when sitting - unstable	-1
No fleece lining in outside pocket for glasses	-1	-1
No fleece lining in the laptop or tablet pockets	-0.5	-0.5
No pass through for attaching to rolling luggage	-1	-1
No dedicated tablet pocket	-2	-2
No external pocket for glasses, phone	-1
No flap for weatherproofing	-1	-1
No external pocket for holding a water bottle	-1
No lash points	-0.5	-0.5
Handle in middle prevents easily hanging bag on hook	-0.5
Poor hardware choice or design (small zippers, placement of compression straps, etc.)	-1
Lack of reinforced bottom allow for excess wear and poor weatherproofing	-1
Black interior making it hard to see item in the bottom of bag	-1	-1
No open file folder pocket	-2	-2
Velcro closure for main flap (loud and unnecessary)	-2
No strap or buckle to hold laptop in pocket if in main compartment	-1	-1
No dedicated laptop sleeve	-0.5	-0.5
The dedicated cell phone pocket will only fit a small phone	-0.5
Thin or nonexistent shoulder pad	-1	-1
Handle is located in such a way that picking up the bag kicks it into your knee	-0.5
Deep zipper covers that impede opening	-2
	Total	-11.5