Laptop backpack with a waist belt that doesn't look like I'm going for a hike?

[drspouse]

I have awful shoulders due to having broken both of them at different times.
My current laptop backpack is giving me awful shoulder pain - it's a black padded backpack with birds on, Cath Kidston.
I really want something non-outdoors but with a hip/waist belt so the weight isn't on my shoulders.
Any ideas? It doesn't help that most online pictures don't show the front of the inside, or both!

I have a real nice one I bought 6 months ago. It's a nice pink but you can get in other colours. It's by osprey and is called a "Flapjill". It's v comfortable and has a laptop section. I am a teacher and use it for work. (I sometimes walk to work.)

Supposed to say really not real!

Thanks - that one is discontinued but all their laptop backpacks seem to have some sort of belt so worth looking at. They are still quite "technical" looking but at least they aren't all black or fluorescent.

Oh thats a shame it's discontinued. I've only had mine a few months! I didn't want it to look too technical either and thought the pink colour helped with that. Have you looked at the fjallraven ones? They don't look technical but are pricey!

I don't think any of the fjallravn laptop backpacks have a waist strap.

I have an osprey radius....maybe radial? It is an outdoors style type backpack but very comfy with only a thin waist belt which to be honest I don’t use. Has a laptop bit.

flap Jill

I've found a few others e.g. some of the skiing ones from Dakine. I wouldn't go for pink (don't wear it much and it seems a bit "women's Bic pens") but I quite like the blue and green colours from Osprey.
But they still ALL look like they are for backpacking. Aargh!

I don't think there's any such thing as a backpack with a waist belt that doesn't look like you are going for a hike.

The belt will always make you think "hiking"

But if I don't want the belt on any given day nobody would notice. It's the rest of the pack that screams "HIKING" to me. As a PP says, the fjallraven don't look hike-y. They would still look OK with a strap too.

Ah so you want a removable belt?

And for backpack-sans-belt to not look hikey?

It doesn't have to be removable. I don't think most stylish laptop backpacks would look any more hike-y with a belt.