The PR letter that came packaged with Tom Bihn's Smart Alec backpack touted it as something of a legend amongst backpack users in Seattle. Upon first glance, I didn't quite get it. Don't get me wrong -- the back is very cool looking in a stealth sort of way. Nice and sleek in black with a charcoal back panel, comfy wide straps, sturdy waterproof zippers, and the like. But I couldn't tell what made it so unique. Well, the look is unique, but "legendary"? Hmm...

And now, a month or so of using it later, I get it. The cool stuff is hidden, the cool stuff is simple, and the cool stuff works. This is a great backpack if you've got a laptop you need to carry with you on a regular basis.

The Smart Alec I received came with a Monolith hard-shelled laptop sleeve. The Monolith can be used on its own (it's got handles and a sturdy zipper), but what's great is that it clips into the Smart Alec in a suspended vertical configuration that keeps your PowerBook safe, sound, and aligned with the structure of the pack itself. Smart, smart, smart.

The Smart Alec's minimal-chic styling belies a wealth of hidden pockets. Two external pockets on the sides of the bag feature hidden zippers and are just the right size for cell phones, PDAs, iPods, and all those other things we geeks need to tote around everywhere. The interior lining of the wealth features too many elasticized pouch pockets to count. This is a good thing if you like to have things like AC adaptors, USB cables, CDs and DVDs, pens, pencils, notepads, keys, eyeglass cases, and, I don't know, bubble gum with you.

The pack is comfortable to wear. Not quite as comfortable as my daypack that was designed for mountaineering (like I'd ever climb a mountain, but still), but pretty comfortable at that. A sturdy top handle means you can carry it like a briefcase, which is better for your back, but removable, padded sternum and waist straps help distribute the load when you do wear it as a backpack.

The whole thing is constructed of 1000 denier Cordura¨ and 1050 Ballistic Nylon, and has a total capacity of 1475 cubic inches - 24.16 liters to our Metric-speaking friends. In layman's terms, that means when I took the Smart Alec with me to visit my parents over Christmas, I managed to cram it full of a few day's worth of clothes, a paperback book, my iPod/Cell Phone/etc, and, of course, my Monolith-protected TiBook. Perfect. And cool looking.

The Smart Alec isn't cheap -- the pack is $100, and the Monolith is another $40. But it is on sale for 20% off until February 4th, and of course comes in other color combinations. And they offer pretty generous return and guarantee policies, so what do you really have to lose?

Tom Bihn's complete line of Mac-specific Backpacks, Messenger Bags, and Laptop Cases are available direct from their Web site. To commemorate the Mac's 20th Anniversary, all Tom Bihn products are available for 20% off until 2/4/04. Just use the the coupon code APPLE20 during checkout to receive the discount.

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Noah Kravitz is an educator, musician, and writer who calls Brooklyn, NY home and takes his iPod with him everyday on the commute to work at a school in Spanish Harlem. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Teaching and Learning with Technology and the drummer for Automat, who's soon to be rocking the bars and clubs of New York City once more.