The streamlined main compartment of the Smart Alec opens wide, providing easy access to your gear, and zips open and shut with a #10 YKK Uretech® splash-proof zipper. Inside the main compartment you'll find two removable clips (they're called Annex clips) used to fasten our optional Vertical Brain Cell or Horizontal Brain Cell hard-sided laptop cases should you choose to use the Smart Alec as a laptop backpack. (Use our Laptop Bag Fit Guide to find out which case you need for your laptop, or read on for more information.) You'll also find inside the main compartment three medium-sized organizer pockets: one near the bottom of the bag, and two at the top of the bag that zip shut so that when you open the main compartment, the small stuff in the pockets won't fall out. The main compartment has four o-rings: one o-ring comes with an 8" Key Strap attached, ready and waiting to help you keep track of your keys. The other o-rings are there so that you can move the Key Strap to another location in the bag, add extra Key Straps, or clip one or more of our Clear, Padded, Cork, or Cordura Organizer Pouches inside of the Smart Alec.

If you need more pockets and organization for your gear, or if you carry a lot of papers or folders, you may want to add the addition of our Freudian Slip insert. The Freudian Slip slides inside the Smart Alec and features four slots of files and folders on one side, and organizer pockets for cables, small electronics, business cards, pens, and more on the other side. Best of all, you can pull the Freudian Slip out of the Smart Alec and hang it nearby your desk, giving yourself easy access to your accessories while keeping them organized.

The Smart Alec has two long pockets on either side of the bag that zip open and close with a #8 YKK Uretech® splash-proof zipper. One of the side pockets has an expanding water bottle pocket that can fit water bottles up to 1-1/2 liters. This pocket also has an eyelet at the bottom that will allow water inside the water bottle pocket to drain (just in case.) The other side pocket has two pen slots and a wallet/PDA sized pocket, and can also fit other items such as a paperback book, notebook, scarf, or other smaller accessories.

The exterior of the Smart Alec is made of 1050 denier ballistic and 1000 denier Cordura® nylons, and the interior is lined with Dyneema/nylon fabric.

The comfortable shoulder straps on the Smart Alec are made from 3/8" (10mm) padding that offers serious comfort without bulk. While the Smart Alec is not built to be a mountaineering pack and we don't suggest you use it as one, we did test the comfort of the shoulder straps by taking it on an 18-mile day hike in the Olympic National Park. The verdict? The shoulder straps left our shoulders feeling fine (how our feet felt is another story.) The Smart Alec also features removable sternum and waist straps, just in case you do take it on a hike, urban or otherwise. If you do decide to remove the sternum and/or waist straps, you'll be pleased to find that they leave no hardware behind.

The Smart Alec can be turned into a protective and efficient laptop backpack by adding one of our laptop inserts -- the Vertical Brain Cell or Horizontal Brain Cell (both are hard-sided cases that clip inside the Smart Alec), or Soft Cell (a soft sleeve that does not secure inside the Smart Alec). These inserts come in a variety of sizes to fit a wide range of laptops. Apple laptop owners will want to select Size 1 (for the 17" MacBook Pro), Size 4X (for the 15" MacBook Pro), Size 6 (for the 13" MacBook) or Size 6X for the MacBook Air. Do you have another kind of laptop? To find out which size of insert you need for your laptop, please consult our Laptop Bag Fit Guide. .