DJ Gear Review: Epic Laptop Backpack by Ogio

by: Don Kainoa, HAWT San Francisco


Needless to say, as we all get older, the more important it is for us to take care of ourselves. This has always been true for an aging DJ like myself. I, like many others, have carried crates of records over crowds, through tiny hallways, and around drunken party-goers in order to get the music where it needs to be.. which is usually at the back of the club/rave/bar/warehouse.. This shit has taken a TOLL on my ol' back, which has already been abused from carrying my little ones around. Needless to say that when the digital age of DJing arrived, I jumped on that bandwagon pretty easily.


Nowadays, I mainly use either Serato and/or a case of CDs, which still ends up to be a good amount of gear. A few months back I was in the market to find a carrying solution that would fit my specific needs. I wanted to find a laptop backpack that would be durable enough to be used as an everyday DJ pack, but not ridiculously expensive (between 100-200$). I did some research on the innernets and decided to buy the Epic Laptop Backpack by Ogio.


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Cosmetically, it looks pretty rugged, and has a pretty decent urban design. I wanted something pretty simple, but not too "business-like." The straps are sturdy and feel comfortable when I wear it. It also has a front strap clip to help disperse the weight and makes it easier to carry heavier loads (use see this type of strap on camping packs a lot).


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The most important factor to me was finding a backpack with a lot of storage options, and this thing delivers. It has 9 different compartments, each varying in size and functionality. The side-loading laptop compartment has a nice, snug fit for my 15" Macbook Pro, and also has a couple more dividers for papers/flyers/etc. The other side has 2 small zip compartments that I use for power adapters for both my laptop and Serato. They both fit well and keep them from getting lost in the main pocket.


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On the top of the bag, I have access to the main large pocket, as well as 3 different sized pockets. As you can see, they are great for storing headphones, cell phones, wallets, mp3 players, etc. The "mp3" player pocket even has a headphone opening to slip your wire through if you so choose. Due to the large number of extra pockets and side laptop compartment, the main pocket is actually pretty small.. I mainly use it for extra DJ equipment, Serato box, or a sweater.. there honestly isn't much more room for anything else. One big disappointment is that the main pocket is too narrow to fit records (including Serato control vinyl) or a large CD case inside of it.. boo.


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The back of the pack has even more storage options! The larger of the 2 pockets can zip all the way down so you can get at all the crap you might have in there. It has a great little mesh zip pocket I use for any small wires I need and keeps them nicely organized. Right now, I use this pocket to carry my external HD.. but as you can see, it can be used to carry pencils, keys, change, cell phone, and your crack pipe!


I would say my overall experience with the backpack has been really positive. It feels very sturdy and can take a lot of weight. The straps are comfortable and the front strap clip thing really helps displace the weight to make carrying a breeze. The amount of pockets is sick and I have been able to keep all my gear easily organized; I never have a problem finding what I need. The only complaint I have is not being able to carry a large CD case or some vinyl in the main pocket.


There are definitely more expensive laptop/DJ backpacks out there, but for about 100 bucks, I think this is a great investment. Be kind to your back and if yer on the lookout for an affordable, mobile laptop DJ solution, I would recommend this product fer sheez!


peas and carrots..


Don Kainoa