Best backpacks for everyday use, school, and work

 Best backpacks for everyday use, school, and work

The Cypress Hero bag is part of the Targus EcoSmart product line, which not only includes a bunch of other eco-friendly backpacks and cases but also some clever computer accessories such as the Sustainable Energy Harvesting EcoSmart Keyboard (made from 85% recyclable material, powered by solar, and includes an antimicrobial coating) and the ErgoFlip EcoSmart Mouse (made from 85% recyclable material, antimicrobial coating, and easily flips from right-handed to left-handed). 

There are lots of other backpacks and bags on the market made of recyclable materials, but the material on the Cypress Pro is surprisingly soft and feels very high-quality. You'd never guess it was made out of water bottles.

Targus Cypress Hero is made from 26 recycled water bottles

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

There aren't a lot of nits to pick with the Targus Cypress Hero. It does everything well. I have the same complaint about its side water bottle compartment as I had with the HyperPack Pro -- I wish it was deeper and more snug. I don't trust it with my more expensive and fragile Hidrate water bottle and so I ended up stowing the water bottle inside the middle compartment when traveling, which takes up valuable space. 

I wish the Cypress Hero's laptop compartment had the same suspended cushioning as the HyperPack Pro, which would have been easy to implement in this bag. It's also not as water-resistant as the HyperPack Pro.