TUMI 15 Inch vs 17 Inch Backpack: Which Size Should You Buy?

The short answer on a TUMI 15 inch vs 17 inch backpack: buy for your laptop’s footprint, and stay with a 15 if your laptop fits one. Going by the tag measurements, the 17 inch is the longer bag, while the Large 15 is wider and deeper. A 17 does not automatically hold more.

Amaboxly lists five TUMI outlet backpacks across these two size labels: three 15 inch models and two 17 inch models, priced from RM1,199 to RM1,619. The table below puts the tag measurements, colours and prices next to each other. The sections after it match each bag to a type of user.

TUMI 15 inch vs 17 inch backpack: tag measurements side by side

The measurements here are the ones printed on the TUMI tag, copied as written. Two listings do not include tag measurements, and the table says so instead of guessing.

The tag does not say which figure is which. On a backpack the largest figure is normally the height, and that is how this post reads them.

Put the 17″ Backpack next to the Large 15. The 17 is longer on the first figure (45.5cm against 43cm), narrower on the second (32cm against 35.5cm) and slimmer on the third (18cm against 20.5cm). The 17 is the taller, leaner shape, and the Large 15 is the shorter, fuller one.

The Medium 15 Expandable shares the 35.5cm middle figure with the Large 15 and is shorter on the first, at 40.5cm. Its third figure is 18cm, with 25cm printed as the expanded size. Expanded, it is deeper than the Large 15’s fixed 20.5cm.

Each tag also prints a second, smaller set of figures, and the listings do not label it. A 2.5cm third figure suggests a flat internal compartment such as a laptop sleeve, so this is the line to hold your laptop’s length and width against. The two 15s share 26cm on the middle figure, and the 17 goes up to 29cm. If your choice depends on it, ask us on WhatsApp (+1 603 440 9886) to confirm what the line measures before you order.

The three 15 inch options

The Slim 15 has the lowest starting price of the five, from RM1,199, and is listed in one colour, Pavement. Its listing does not include tag measurements or a material breakdown, so check the product page or TUMI’s own spec sheet for both. The name signals a slimmer profile than the Medium and Large, but confirm the figures before you rely on that.

The Medium 15 Expandable, from RM1,319, has the widest colour choice: Spruce, Castle Rock Grey, Navy and Pavement. The material for these colours is listed as 90% Ballistic nylon, 5% polyester and 5% leather with 100% polyester lining. It is the only bag here with Expandable in its name, and its tag prints the 25cm expanded figure.

The Large 15, from RM1,409, is listed in Spruce, Castle Rock Grey and Pavement, in the same material mix as the Medium. No Navy option is listed for it. It starts higher than the Medium and gives you 43cm and 20.5cm on the first and third tag figures, where the Medium has 40.5cm and 18cm before expansion.

The two 17 inch options

The 17″ Backpack, from RM1,519, is listed in Navy only. Its material is 98% Ballistic nylon and 2% leather with 100% polyester lining, a higher share of ballistic nylon than the two measured 15s. Its second tag line, 42.5cm X 29cm X 2.5cm, is the largest of the three bags with tag data.

The Large 17″, from RM1,619, is listed in Castle Rock Grey and Navy and has the highest starting price. Its listing does not include tag measurements or a material breakdown, so we cannot tell you here how much larger it is than the standard 17. Check the product page, or message us on WhatsApp and ask for the tag figures.

A pick for each type of user

• You carry a laptop and little else, and want the lowest starting price: the Slim 15, once you have confirmed its measurements.
• You want one bag for workdays and the odd overnight trip: the Medium 15 Expandable. It reads 18cm on most days and 25cm expanded.
• You carry a full load every day: the Large 15, which is 20.5cm all the time.
• Your laptop is too big for the second tag line on the 15s (38cm X 26cm X 2.5cm and 40cm X 26cm X 2.5cm): the 17″ Backpack, at 42.5cm X 29cm X 2.5cm.
• You want a 17 in Castle Rock Grey, or the largest size label on the list: the Large 17″, after checking its tag figures.

Colour can settle it too. Spruce is listed only on the Medium 15 and Large 15. Pavement appears on all three 15s. Navy is on the Medium 15 and both 17s, and Castle Rock Grey is on the Medium 15, Large 15 and Large 17. For a colour or model that is not listed, you can ask us to buy it for you from a US store.

Prices and how ordering works

Starting prices climb in steps: Slim 15 from RM1,199, Medium 15 Expandable from RM1,319, Large 15 from RM1,409, 17″ Backpack from RM1,519 and Large 17″ from RM1,619. Each “from” figure is the lowest option on that page, and other colours can cost more.

All five are preorders. We buy the bag new from the TUMI outlet in the US after you order, and estimated delivery is 30 calendar days. You can pay in full or, where the product page offers it, pay a 50% deposit now and the balance later. Checkout shows when the balance is due for your country.

Delivery is free within Peninsular Malaysia. Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan pay RM21 per item, or nothing on orders over RM 2,200. Every other country sees its fee at checkout, and the shipping fees page has the details.

Returns matter for a size decision, because exchanges are only for items that arrive damaged. You can return within 30 days of delivery, but a change-of-mind return must be in new condition, carries a 10% restocking fee, and the cost of shipping it back to the seller is deducted from your refund. Report any damage with photos as soon as the bag arrives. The refund and returns page has the full terms, so measure your laptop before you order.

If you are weighing this against buying in the US yourself, look past the US list price. Currency conversion, delivery to your country and how a return would work all belong in the sum. All five bags are on the TUMI brand page.