Harber London Slim Laptop Backpack review: a stylish leather bag for your everyday carry

Looking for a backpack that serves as a stylish briefcase replacement, rather than a piece of tactical equipment designed to scale Everest? That’s where the Slim Laptop Backpack from Harber London fits in.

This isn’t a backpack for carrying clothes, toiletries, or anything else you’d describe as bulky. It won’t really hold your water bottle either. But that’s fine, because instead it provides a stylish, elegant and comfortable way to carry a laptop and your everyday-carry essentials, hands-free.

Harber Slim Laptop Backpack review: Price and availability

There’s just one size for this backpack, and three colour options – tan, black and deep brown. All versions are priced at £379 and available now at Harber London, although at the time of writing (January 2026) the latter two colours are on pre-order.

Harber Slim Laptop Backpack review: Design and features

As the name suggests, this is a slim backpack by anyone’s standards. It isn’t bulging with pockets for carrying absolutely everything you might need for a week away. There isn’t really any space for clothes, unless you’re only carrying a pair of socks.

But that’s not the point of this bag. Instead, this should be considered as either a briefcase replacement or the next step along from a sling bag or laptop sleeve. It’s designed to hold laptops with screen sizes ranging from 13 to 16 inches, and there’s a second slot for smaller items like a tablet or e-reader.

The main compartment sits ahead of this, and is great for headphones or a book and a couple of magazines, but not much else. Total capacity is just five litres, and the external dimensions are 41 cm tall, 27 cm wide and 5 cm thick. So, really, it’s all about the pockets and less about cramming much into the main compartment. Opposite the laptop and tablet pockets you’ll find a zipped, full-height pocket for cables, notebooks, fragrance and the like.

A piece of leather stitched to the outside of this pocket makes up three more stowage spaces. Two are wide enough for a couple of pens each, while the central one could be home to a wallet or passport. It’s a little baggy though, so your options here are a bit limited. As with other Harber bags, the inner lining is black cotton. It feels hard-wearing and matches some external details, but the darkness can make it tricky to see right into the depths of the inner pockets. Best making use of the higher pockets, or you’ll be rummaging around to find smaller items.

The main compartment is closed with a single zipper with a nice bit of black leather attached to pull it shut, or attach a bit of decoration (or an AirTag). A second zipper pocket on the front of the backpack measures 24 x 23 cm and is a handy place for a notebook, Kindle or passport. Harber includes a leather keyring clip that attaches magnetically to the interior of this pocket. Attaching and removing this is a little awkward, since the zipper gets in the way, but it’s still a nice way of keeping your keys in one place. No more hunting for them when you return home from the airport.

Finally, the rear of the backpack has a carry handle and a sleeve for hooking the bag over the handle of your suitcase. These, along with the entire exterior and the adjustable shoulder straps, are made from beautiful full-grain leather, as Harber London is famous for.

Harber Slim Laptop Backpack review: Performance

I was looking forward to trying this bag, and it didn’t disappoint. I used it on several trips over the festive period and, while it isn’t suitable for clothes and a washbag of any meaningful size, it’s a lovely way of carrying a laptop, tablet, magazine and other small travel items.

All are held securely and, although the shoulder straps are quite narrow, they’re soft and nicely padded so remain comfortable. Since this is a small bag, and is unlikely to ever feel particularly heavy, the narrow straps feel well-judged. I also like how both external zippers are covered, and therefore somewhat weather resistant.

The leather details fixed to each end of the main zip are purely decorative, but do a nice job of adding aesthetic interest to an otherwise simple bag. Likewise the small black hoops on either side of the smaller zipper, although you could potentially clip something to them with a small carabiner.

Another positive is how the excess part of each shoulder strap is tethered, so it doesn’t hang loose. It’s a small detail, but something you’ll notice as soon as you go back to a bag with straps swinging down by your legs. I also like the front pocket, which is more spacious than I was expecting, with enough room for a 400-page paperback.

At 1.3 kg, it’s not the lightest bag for its size. But as with other Harber products this one looks and feels like a high-end item. The leather is luxurious, the stitching is consistently neat and every element feels like it’s been designed and built to last. The “aviation-grade” aluminium buckles, complete with subtle Harber branding, feel especially tough, although I was a little disappointed to see a couple of small chips on one. I’m not sure if this was a manufacturing issue or happened during my first couple of weeks’ use. That said, it’s a tiny blemish that I’d likely forget about over time.

Another small negative is the lack of protection on the bottom of the bag. I expect the leather will slowly pick up stains and scratches with repeated use, especially if it spends a life on Underground carriage floors, train station platforms and in overhead storage bins. I know from years of testing its products that Harber leather stands up well to frequent use, so you can expect a gentle patina to develop, rather than any sort of failure.

As with other Harber bags, the Slim Laptop Backpack comes with a branded black tote bag to protect it when it’s not in use, adding to the premium feel and reminding you that you’ve bought a luxury product.

Harber Slim Laptop Backpack review: Verdict

If you need a backpack that replaces a briefcase but won’t make your next meeting look like a school trip, this is the one for you. The Harber Slim Laptop Backpack is as subtle as it is stylish, with a premium leather construction, weather resistant zips and a sensible amount of storage for your everyday essentials.

There’s generous laptop and tablet stowage, plus plenty of room for headphones, cables, chargers and a magazine or two. It’ll swallow a 400-page paperback and a Kindle in the front pocket, with room to spare for your keys, wallet and passport – all without stretching out of shape.

It’s not the cheapest backpack around – especially given its compact dimensions and lack of space for clothes – but that’s not the point. This is a premium backpack for days in the office, lightweight business travel (plus a suitcase, of course), or an afternoon at your favourite café. In those environments, it absolutely excels.