A backpack is, first of all, expected to have lots of room, and needs to keep its contents safe without breaking down shortly after purchase. Appearances certainly play a major part, but affordable pricing makes all the difference in this particular case. A high-tech design would surely increase the production cost, so I prefer the current external design along with the $46 price tag.

Most users, including, of course, gamers, will look for a backpack into which they can fit all their stuff while keep everything safe and orderly. The Fortress is reinforced with a shockproof structure that will absorb vibrations to its large pockets inside its main compartment; pockets capable of housing a large laptop or tablet. Moreover, it has an incredible amount of storage space, and with the multi-layered structure, all of the contents will be secured well. Since we are talking about gaming gear mostly, we can safely assume that whatever is put into the Fortress will be expensive, which makes keeping anything put into this backpack safe a high priority, and it having an integrated lock sounds like a good idea as well.

Since such a backpack can easily grow large and heavy, a set of embedded wheels or the possibility to be able to fit it into a trolley base frame sound like nice features. Unfortunately, the Fortress does not have wheels and will not fit into a trolley base frame.

Cleaning your backpack can be time consuming unless its externals are water resistant, and such externals also help protect the internals from a sudden shower of rain, for example. It is a shame that the Fortress is not water resistant. At least, it can easily be cleaned with a wet tissue.

Cougar put lots of effort into manufacturing an affordable backpack for all kinds of gamers and users in general. However, the lifespan of a handbag, piece of luggage, or backpack not only depends on the assembly procedure and materials used as it is also heavily dependent on how well you treat it. An over-stuffed bag of any kind will eventually burst open; its zippers will start to misbehave and the joints will be torn apart. Having used the Cougar Fortress extensively these last couple of weeks, I have formed an overall positive opinion of it because of its low price tag and general performance. Cougar's attempt to offer an affordable backpack can be considered a success in my expert opinion, so I can easily recommend it.