Review: Astro Gaming Scout Backpack

Review: Astro Gaming Scout Backpack

By: Christopher “Synther” Wilson

It is that time of year and all the kids are heading back to school.  Whether they’re going to kindergarten or college, it’s very likely they’ll need a backpack to tote around all the books and supplies.  And hey, being able to carry an Xbox360, Playstation 3, or 17” full size laptop is nice too, right?  The Scout by Astro Gaming is the king of all technophile backpacks!

The Scout backpack by Astro Gaming literally has all the bases covered.  While not specifically a LAN bag, it works quite efficiently as one.  This pack has so many pockets in it that I’ve actually thought that I lost things because I didn’t know which pocket I put them in!  The pack consists of two main compartments: The smaller outer compartment holds a number of small pockets as well as a removable mini pack for carrying an MP3 player, digital camera, smartphone, or any of a number of other devices.  It also has a strap with Velcro for stowing your favorite full size headset.

I find that the small removable pack is very handy.  Once I’m setup at a LAN, I can grab just the small pack with my digital camera in it to move around for pictures while keeping the camera safe.  The mini pack is microfiber fleece lined, too.  So, you don’t have to worry about the lense getting scratched up.  It has a small outer pocket for holding all those precious SD memory cards, as well!

The larger main compartment consists of a large zipper pocket and a microfiber fleece lined notebook pocket that secures with a Velcro strap.  As stated, this pocket will easily hold and Xbox360, Playstation 3, or full sized 17” laptop.  The overall cargo space for the Scout is 2200 square inches!  If you’re packing more than that , you’re likely taking too much.

The large compartment closes with a dual zipper design and will open the entire backpack up in a clamshell fashion.  This allows for the pack to be laid flat and open while putting things in, or to partially close it so you can stuff all those T-Shirts you get at the LAN into it.

On the top of the Scout backpack is a microfiber fleece lined zipper pocket for holding your glasses.  An excellent place to store those 3D glasses for your monitor or your Gunnars!  The microfiber lining is yet another fine attention to detail that Astro Gaming has shown with this pocket as it helps insure that the lenses of your glasses remain scratch and smudge free.

And you’ll probably get pretty thirsty packing all that gear around in the Scout.  Once again, Astro has you covered!  The side of the Scout includes a collapsible mesh zipper pocket specifically for holding your favorite water bottle.  The pocket includes an elastic draw string with fastener so it can be adjusted to fit just about anything.  At several points, I’ve been able to fit a full sized Monster Khaos can in there with no fear of it sliding out.

Finally, to top off this excellent backpack, the back is covered with contoured padded “plates” that give it a ridged construction while saving your back from carrying the heavy load.  This padding reminds me a lot of what I’ve seen on internal frame packs and it works exceptionally well for the Scout.  The straps are adjustable with ample padding and include a chest strap to stop the pack from sliding off your shoulders when carrying a heavier load.  The bottoms of the adjustable straps are capped with rings.  This allows you to adjust the straps while wearing the backpack for a more comfortable fit.

This truly is an amazing backpack!  Whether you’re going to a LAN party, packing up for school, or just need a really good day pack the Astro Scout backpack should be able to cover your needs.  The price isn’t going to drain your wallet too bad either!  Anyone who’s ever gone backpack shopping knows that a good pack can cost you a pretty penny.  The Scout outclasses the competition in all regards but still is able to keep the price reasonable for just about any budget.  Quite simply, you just can’t go wrong with the Astro Scout backpack.