
The REI Member Dividend
The REI dividend is a unique benefit of membership in the REI co-op. It's comprised of your member refund—typically 10% back on eligible purchases—and/or your REI Visa® card rebates.
Each March, active REI members and REI Visa cardholders who earned a rebate receive a refund in the form of an annual dividend notice.
Only active members receive annual dividend notices. To maintain your active status as an REI member, you need to make net merchandise or shipping purchases of at least $10 per year, unless you joined that year. Member numbers are issued in one name and only that person receives the member refund. Your number can be used by others in your family, but it cannot be transferred to someone else.
Questions? Call us at 1-800-426-4840 for more about your dividend or its redemption.
Imported.
Item 836578
Spend $100 or more, Earn a $20 Member Bonus Card
Offer good June 21-30.
Single-use bonus card must be redeemed July 3-15. Details
| Specification |
| |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best use |
| |||||||||||||
| Bag style | ||||||||||||||
| Gear capacity (L) | ||||||||||||||
| Gear capacity (cu. in.) | ||||||||||||||
| Number of exterior pockets | ||||||||||||||
| Laptop compartment | ||||||||||||||
| Fits laptop size (in.) | ||||||||||||||
| Carry-on size | ||||||||||||||
| Checkpoint-friendly | ||||||||||||||
| Material(s) | ||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | ||||||||||||||
| Gender |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Reviewed by 9 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-9
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
I switched to this bag after using a side bag with a shoulder strap because it was causing me to have muscle problems. The Ethnotek Laptop Travel Backpack is much better with weight distribution and is alot more ergonomical. Though it is comfortable to wear I would like to mention that when it is loaded up more and becomes much heavier, I've considered that the straps should be wider and have more padding to distribute the weight. Take note that this bag does not have a hip strap system. When the backpack is loaded with laptop and lots of other items that fill up the main compartment or side pouches, then it feels heavy to wear. If I'm standing in one place and not moving, then I often have to take it off and rest the bag at my feet. In this situation I think a hip strap would be useful to spread the weight of the pack from the shoulders to the hips. So, if you plan to carry around a lot of weight, or want to use this bag for extended travel, you may want to consider an option that has a hip strap to alleviate the strain of carrying a heavy load.
Otherwise, this bag has a fantastic design, is produced in a environmentally and culturally conscious way, and is made with high quality durable materials that are made to last.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
Great bag, used it for a four day trip to DC with all my camera gear and it was perfect. Easy to stow on the plane, big enough for all your essentials, strong and solid. A little weighty perhaps, but no big deal. Love the outside pockets, the side-panel access to the interior and the roll-over top. The laptop pocket is not large enough for a Dell XPS-16, and part of that is because the zipper does not open far enough. However, I did not get this to schlep the laptop, and it's perfect for my phone and tablet.
Service and delivery comments:
No problems here, arrived a couple days earlier than estimated.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
I really like the design of this bag. And it would be absolutely perfect EXCEPT my 15" ASUS notebook doesn't fit in the laptop pocket, most likely due to the zipper. If they had designed the zipper so it unzipped nearly completely across the top in addition to the side this would probably not be an issue. It does fit in the rear sleeve of the main compartment so I may still keep it. I'm not sure. I would have given it more stars but I think it's important the product does what it says it does.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
The laptop pocket is indeed smaller than advertised (A Dell XPS-16 will not fit), and it's difficult to get a laptop that would otherwise fit into the pocket due to the design of the zipper. However, for me that was a nice-to-have and not a requirement. The pocket works great for a tablet like a Nexus 10 or an iPad. Otherwise, the bag is cavernous, holding tons of stuff in the interior, and more in the exterior pockets which were nicely arranged and functional in use. Put the stuff the TSA wants to see in the top of the bag, your toothpaste and other "fluids-in-ziplocks" in the exterior pocket and they are happy campers at the security checkpoint. It fits the overheads perfectly, and the top closure strap works great to secure a rolled-up jacket or sweater.
It's a great bag for 3-4 days of hotel or hostel-hopping travel.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
Don't believe the ad. The laptop opening is too small for a 17 inch laptop; tried it with 2 different laptops. Had hoped to take this on vacation but am sending it right back
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
I've used the pack on multiple global excursions and marvel over how much space it boasts...like a black hole, it just keeps going and going and going. And then going some more. Totally dig the easy laptop compartment and all of the pockets for storing my passport, moleskin, globe-trotting hamsters and more. Durable as ever, I've carried my Ghana 5 pack with me to South America, Europe, and across the United States. It has risen to every challenge. The icing on the cake is that Ethnotek is socially-responsible. With every bag, they are giving back to artisans around the world and preserving age-old customs and crafts. The fact that these bags are super-functional for travelers as well as socially-responsible makes Ethnotek a winning combo. I'm proud to wear my Ghana 5 pack, and tell everyone with whom I come into contact the story behind the brand.
Service and delivery comments:
Delivery was uber-prompt and the service was above and beyond - so much so that I received heartfelt, personal emails back from the dudes when I shared my story with them behind the bag and how I found out about them. So great. Just so great. That's it. That's all I got. Period.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
I went to REI for a backpack and ended up helping to change the world! The display for the new Ethnotek bags caught my eye. I liked the stylish, attractive covering of the backpack (found out this is called a Thread) right away. The functionality of the bag kept me interested. Great laptop compartment, pockets for lots of uses, and functionality inside the pocket itself are awesome for travel or going to school or work. The fact that the Threads are interchangeable so I can change the look of my backpack without buying a new one sold me on it! Then, reading the mission statement of the company, I will keep coming back to their products in the future! This company is putting out a quality product and helping to improve the lives of the people they employ.
Great look, fantastic bag, and changing the world. Can't ask for more than that!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
This is a great pack. I use mine almost every day. The side straps make it easy to turn the large pack into a low profile pack when you dont have a ton of stuff and then expand when needed. If your like me and always end up returning home with more then you left with this is a great feature.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Ethnotek Tek-Thread Laptop Travel Backpack:
I had the opportunity to check out these bags in detail about two years ago and meet the creator of the brand. I have to say this product is not only tough enough to withstand world travel, which the designer constantly subjects it to, but unique in that each bag's "thread" perpetuates textile making in an array of traditional regional styles world-wide. You are literally wearing a piece of ethnic history that looks equally at home on a mountainside or at a coffee shop. Amazing product, amazing brand.
Displaying reviews 1-9
How are we doing? Give us feedback on this page.