Recommendations For A Good Laptop Bag?
Posted by
timothy
on Tue Dec 23, 2003 08:22 PM
from the 11-inches-of-heavy-padding dept.
from the 11-inches-of-heavy-padding dept.
YOU LIKEWISE FAIL IT writes "So, I was jogging to the bus stop this morning when suddenly - snap, the weight of the laptop on my shoulder vanished, and I heard the dull thud of my powerbook bag hitting the pavement at a wince-inducing speed. The laptop seems to be alright, but the bag (a WWDC giveaway) is completely knackered. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good, impact resistant laptop bag that won't come flying apart under stress? Perhaps it's not too late to guilt work into buying me one for a late Christmas present."
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Recommendations For A Good Laptop Bag?
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Jansport (Score:3, Informative)
(http://goat.cx/ | Last Journal: Wednesday August 18 2004, @02:34PM)
Make it Bomb-Proof (Score:5, Informative)
Historically, I have found Eastpack to be a better quality backpack that Jansport. But that may have changed after Coleman bought them several years ago. Guaranteed for life... maybe longer.
Re:Make it Bomb-Proof (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.dbzn.net/)
In any case you don't want to simply put a laptop unprotected in a regular backpack.
EMS backpack (Score:5, Informative)
(Last Journal: Monday August 20 2001, @10:08AM)
Then again, it's not as stylish as an actual bag. But I work at a university, so I fit right in.
Re:Jansport (Score:5, Insightful)
Targus (Score:5, Informative)
(Last Journal: Sunday October 05 2003, @05:40PM)
Re:Targus (Score:5, Informative)
Great for travelling too - fits in the overhead locker a treat. When I travel it's laptop + bathroom in the rucksack, everything else in checked luggage.
Re:Targus (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.godsrudewireless.co.uk/ | Last Journal: Thursday June 03 2004, @05:22AM)
Pepsi doesn't trash keyboards,
People trash keyboards.
The idea that soft-drink manufacturers should somehow be responsible for what a few whackos choose to do with thier product is stupid, as well as in direct contravention of the Second Amendment.
Re:Targus (Score:5, Interesting)
(http://therapyshopper.com/)
I had an executive series for my powerbook in 93. In 95 I was carrying about 80 pounds of change for my bar when the handle tore a bit from the main partition of the bag. I never bothered to call them about it until 97, when they said send it in and we'll take a look at it to see if we can repair it or replace it.
Well, they replaced it with a brand new unit that had more advanced features in the 4 years that I owned it. For free I might add. They really honoured the lifetime warranty. Too bad the ex took it with her when we broke up.
A backpack! (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.jthundley.com/)
Re:A backpack! (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.neothermic.com/ | Last Journal: Monday June 05 2006, @07:29PM)
To say the least, I'm very pleased. Its got a lifetime guarantee, and is very very strong. I once nearly got in a fight with a kid who had an attitude big enough to fill the Grand Canyon. I just walked away, but he came in from behind and punched at my bag repeatedly. In my bag was my laptop, and a few books. I was worried that he had damaged the laptop, but there wasn't even a single thing wrong when I checked it out.
The bag is also large enough to hold three laptops in relative safety.
Their website is www.techair.co.uk
The exact bag I have is called a New York Black; http://www.coluco.com/tecair/product.asp?ProductI
Hope thats helpful enough.
NeoThermic
Re:A backpack! (Score:5, Funny)
(http://singinst.org/)
--
Re:A backpack! (Score:5, Insightful)
Willow Design maybe? (Score:5, Informative)
(Last Journal: Saturday November 29 2003, @03:51AM)
They're relatively heavy-duty and not too bad-looking, although they could be better.
Here's a good first step. (Score:5, Funny)
(http://sanghahost.com/ | Last Journal: Wednesday March 23 2005, @08:47AM)
As Wile E Coyote would say "gravity makes a great servant but a terrible master"
thinkpad standard bag (Score:3, Informative)
I recommend Targus Bags. (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.pvponline.com/)
It's very sturdy, has a very strong shoulder strap & handle, and has enough room to carry my documents, my powerbook, iPod, iPod Dock & headphones, iPod & Laptop adaptors, extra power cable, and digital camera USB cable. It does everything I need it to, and it was pretty cheap too ($65 at Best Buy, IIRC).
And if you want to know if it's strong enough...I let my friend carry my powerbook in the bag. He tripped and dropped the powerbook, only to then land on top of it. Everything inside was just fine, and everything outside is fine too; barely a scratch on the bag itself.
Re:I recommend Targus Bags. (Score:5, Funny)
(http://spandexjustice.com/)
Shouldn't that be "former friend"?
Brenthaven (Score:5, Informative)
(http://www.zorched.net/)
It was a bit on the pricey side compared to what I was thinking (about $100), but it's a really nice, well constructed bag and the padding will pay for itself if you ride the train like I do and would otherwise bang up your laptop.
http://www.brenthaven.com/products/index.html [brenthaven.com]
Re:Brenthaven (Score:5, Informative)
ThinkGeek: Sutf for Smart Masses (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/
Crumpler Bags Rule (Score:5, Insightful)
(http://www.mcherron.com/ | Last Journal: Sunday May 09 2004, @03:42PM)
They started off doing bags for bicycle couriers and developed from there. Very strong, very well designed, pockets for everything and no dirty great "Hey, I've got a laptop in here so steal me!" logos and designs.
I have been using their "Crisp Suit" bag (look in the computer bags section) for over a year, including four weeks using it to carry two (yes, TWO) laptops around Asia while working in Korea, Thailand and Japan. The bag goes with me whenever I carry my laptop (read: almost every day) and I'm still in love with it.
Definitely worth finding the nearest Crumpler store / distributor and picking one up.
Re:Big 17 inch, too? (Score:5, Funny)
While we're on the subject, can anyone recommend a car that gets good gas mileage I can fit into the trunk area of my Ford Excursion that I can use to motor around the city streets? The Excursion gets awful gas mileage in the city so I'd like to carry an extra car with me to use for those short 4-5 block commutes between buildings on campus. I've thought about a golf cart or such but they're not particularly fast. Would a Ford Focus fit?
Timbuk2 (Score:3, Informative)
San Francisco's finest: Timbuk2 [timbuk2.com].
They do a bunch of different bags, including commuter and courier bags with padded laptop sleeves. I got one after lots of friends steered me in that direction. Had it for a couple of years; it's bombproof. And also waterproof.
Pelican cases (Score:5, Informative)
If you don't know where to find them near you, check with surveying supply shops, and electronics parts supply (the commercial type, not Radio Shack)
Tumi cases are worth it (Score:4, Interesting)
Tumi sells a lot of different bags made with different material and with different features. Their "Fusion Z" material, which is what my case is made of, is simply amazing. It's extremely durable -- my bag doesn't even have a worn spot on it yet -- and it's self healing in the event of punctures.
More directed to the original post, the case also has a suspension system for the laptop. The computer sits in a sling, a few inches off the bottom of the case, and the sling is made out of stretchable material. So if you drop the whole bag, your computer never really even hits the ground. Very, very cool. I looked at Tumi's web site and I believe that this feature is called "SafeCase" but I'm not sure.
try Spire (Score:5, Informative)
I've been using an Endo for a few years now, super rugged.. even survived the washing machine when it got super stinky once (another tale for another time) with no ill effects. Looks good enough for meeting rooms, rugged enough to handle travel, and slings across the back for bicycle/motorcycle rides or just to get the hands free.
The wife uses a Volt pack. Both come with padded sleeves for your laptop and the usual sets of pockets and storage.
Well worth the money.
Duh (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.proboards.com/ | Last Journal: Thursday February 26 2004, @02:45AM)
Sleevecase + Messenger Bag = Perfection (Score:3, Informative)
I use a sleevecase [sfbags.com] for my powerbook. The sleevecase fits the powerbook like a glove, and does a great job of protecting from bumps and scratches.
Slip the powerbook into the sleeve, and slip the sleeve into a messenger bag [timbuk2.com] (or better yet, a leather version)... Perfection!
Timbuk2 (Score:4, Informative)
(http://jturiel.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Thursday September 18 2003, @11:01PM)
Mine is a Bolo with a few goodies and a center divider. I made mine with waterproofed canvas (unfortunately, they don't offer that fabric anymore), and I also have a sleeve for the 15" PowerBook as well. It's the best bag I've ever owned, and if I ever get another PowerBook I'll just make sure to buy a sleeve to fit. The sleeves have handles, too, for a little extra protection.
Timbuk2 also makes the best iPod holders, as well - and they make a handy case for a 1900-series iPaq handheld, too, along with a couple of SD cards. And their custom bags are US-made, which I find to be a nice bonus.
Re:Timbuk2 (Score:4, Informative)
(http://jturiel.blogspot.com/ | Last Journal: Thursday September 18 2003, @11:01PM)
Even sneaker companies like New Balance [newbalance.com] have some of their shoes and products made overseas, despite their strong pro-US manufacturing philosophy. The economics are pretty harsh. If you service a mass market, you're likely to send at least some portion of your business overseas - it's a sad reality of a global economy.
The flip side of it is that companies like Timbuk2, New Balance, and others have at least a stated goal to keep as much manufacturing here as feasible, along with the business aspects of the company as well. New Balance employs a lot of people here besides the ones in China, and a good number of the people here are making shoes. I can live with that. And I buy New Balance's shoes.
Tom Bihn (Score:3, Informative)
Tom Bihn [tombihn.com] makes and sells backpacks and shoulder bags for all kinds of laptops. They're made in the USA of nice materials.
Many of the bags that don't have built-in laptop support have snaps that can be used to hold a ``Brain Bag'' (available in various sizes) for a laptop. The Brain Bags suspend the laptop in a cradle inside a box with hardish sides.
Nice bags. Nice people.
Timbuk2 all the way!! (Score:5, Informative)
Spire (Score:3, Informative)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Seriously dude...Spire...
J
my preferences (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://forums.boiledfrog.us/ | Last Journal: Friday February 21 2003, @01:08PM)
The store-bought solution:
I'm a big fan of solid things that don't break. Thus, the item that fits the bill is a small aluminum briefcase. The briefcase I got was a bit big for what I need: 14x12x3 inches - a bit too big for my laptop (I foolishly didn't pay attention to what I was ordering). For a larger laptop it would work quite nicely - and in my case, it will fit the bill for a general carry-all, being as there's enough room for course books and a laptop side by side, as well as an envelope for things like pads of paper. There's also a sturdy synthetic fiber strap. It's maybe 3 or so pounds.
Additionally, I saw an iBook (more in your line of interest, it appears) at the local ibook shop in a similar case - only it was about 1.5" deep, and seemably just big enough for an iBook. (This briefcase was what I was looking for; alas, I never found it online)
Now, for the inventive geeky solution:
Another option I've found that might work nicely is a nice homemade bag. buy some 1cm rubber foam (or some other sort of impact-insulative of your choice) and some canvas of your choice. grab an old packing box (ofthe cardboard variety) as well. Then, wrap the foam around the laptop and cut it so that it would be a fairly snug fit around all but one edge - so it would cover 5 of the 6 surfaces - and cut it appropriately; secure with duct tape. then take the cardboard and fold it to fit over the rubber foam, and duct tape it so it makes a nice little sleeve for the laptop. tape over the edge of the foam/cardboard to form a 'single' glove. I wrapped ductape all around the cardboard on mine, so as to provide water/liquid resistence. This alone makes a nice carrying device if you use a backpack or briefcase to carry things around, as it's quite protective (I wrapped a palm pilot pro in such a manner - minus the foam - years ago, and it's been used since then, with many an encounter with the ground. no such encounters with the laptop thus far).
Then, if you're interested in actually having a 'laptop bag' take the canvas and stitch it together to form a fairly form-fitting sleeve for the cardboard/foam sleeve.
I'd recommend getting a plastic-fiber strap of some sort and sowing each end to the bottom of this bag, securely - then stitch it up the sides so as to prevent your little laptop falling incident. if you need a shoulder pad, sheep hide/fleece works quite well - just wrap a piece of canvas around it and sow it up. Use a nylon strap from an old backpack w/ the clasps to provide a nice closeable pocket for the laptop. I put a smaller pouch on the outside of mine for the AC adapter and some cookies.
I've toyed with the idea of using tanned deer hide (quite soft and very strong) for a "professional" cover for my sheath.
One Case to Rule Them All (Score:5, Informative)
A little pricey, but worth being acting nice all year for. Well hard protection for your preciouss.
Holiday Cheers, Jouni
Re:One Case to Rule Them All (Score:5, Funny)
(http://www.macetech.com/ | Last Journal: Monday February 16 2004, @01:44PM)
For extra-good messing-with-security fun, have a friend dressed similarly and with an identical case stand near you and set his case down near yours. When he leaves, he takes your case and you take his. Then get into a shiny black limo.
Roll your own, cheap and easy. (Score:5, Informative)
The ideal situation I found was this: Fill a cheap walmart school bookbag with 16 inches of foam. I used a mattress-enhancer [lots of foam for around 12 bucks, and in convienient sheet form]. Cut as appropriate and fold the sheets in a coil, until the entire bookbag [get a smaller one, obviously], is almost bursting at the seams with excessive foam load. Leave just enough room for your laptop [and don't forget foam on the bottom and a few layers to fold over the top. I once dropped this down a flight of stairs. It just bounced happily to a rest, no damage to the laptop.
Plus, it looks crappy enough you can take it anywhere without it being a target for theft, like as a swanky specialized laptop case would be.
Spire (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.net-kitchen.com/)
I'm a satisfied customer.
This is the one (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.highergroundgear.com/
Absolute best laptop case I've seen. Hands down.
Timbuk2 (Score:3, Informative)
(http://slashdot.org/)
Oh, and they also make a neat little iPod case that'll go on the strap of the bag. (As well as a cellphone case, radio case, and strap bag. Totally handy stuff.)
shinza.com zeroshock sleeves....WOW (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.soloseo.com/)
From my experience... (Score:3, Insightful)
(http://www.fallingbullets.com/)
Otherwise, it depends on the laptop you have. My iBook is sturdier than hell (800MHz white etc) and it goes with me to all my classes (being a comp. sci. major and all). From what I've seen, the cheaper laptops such as low-end Dells are as fragile as Middle-East peace.
So, what bag do I use if I have so much experience? Well, I bought a $10 neoprene sleeve made by Sony for their Vaio laptops and I throw it in my backpack (which is made to carry 40-50 punds of stuff). That bag will never freaking break. The other nice thing about school bags is that they never seem to fail all at once, they tend to rip and give a little, givinng you plenty of warning to replace it. Just make sure not to put your laptop right in the back near your back and below all your books or whatnot.
I've jogged to many a class and that set-up refuses to show any signs of giving up.
Best Bag I've Ever Had ... (Score:5, Informative)
But, the fact of the matter is, you get what you pay for. Tumi spends an incredible amount of time & money researching typical usage patterns, wear & tear damage, and the types of storage compartments that people actually use.
I'm currently on Tumi bag #2 in my lifetime (I switched from a backpack to a saddlebag two years ago). All the pockets seem to be in the perfect place, there's no significant wear to speak of... the bag looks great & protects my laptop very well. I'll continue to buy Tumi for all my luggage as long as I can afford it.
Do yourself a favor & spend the extra dough.
--Mid
From an equipment expert (Score:4, Informative)
1) Backpack Brandname 'Lowe'. They've got one called 'Megabyte' and it's made of some super-extra-hyper thick cordura stuff that looks like Flakwest material. Indestructable, looks cool, costs a little.
2) Eagle Creek. With them I like the bags more than the packs. They got a set that look unobstrusive, yet are specially polstered for laptops. In case you drop it again. Again this is reference grade quality and will cost appropriately. These you can take out to serious business meetings and you won't get queer looks.
3) Big Warehouse inhouse noname brands. Honestly. If you (can) trust your judgement, this is a secret tip. Most brands, exept for the ones I mentioned above, have gone seriously cheapo within the last few years, so it actually is worth a try. My current laptoppack is a no-name from "Horten" (german Warehouse joint), it cost about a third of the brandname stuff, doesn't look to flashy but is of top quality and has some neat extras. Here you have to be carefull and triple check for sloppy seams, cheap material, cheap zippers and brittle cheapo-plastic fastex-rippoff buckles. Keep an eye on all that and you might find a real bargain.
Brand isn't too important (Score:5, Insightful)
(Last Journal: Monday August 28 2006, @12:43PM)
They may not look as professional, but your shoulder and your computer will thank you and you will never go back. Just make sure it is big enough for your computer, your periferals, and some other stuff.
Plus it doesn't look like it contains a computer. Security though obscurity does sometimes work. And while I wouldn't leave my computer lying around, it is also less likely to be stolen by a mugger etc...
courier bags are made to handle abuse (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.monkeynoodle.org/)
while laptop bags are made to look okay in a boardroom. I use a Timbuk2 [timbuk2.com] messenger bag with a padded laptop insert that I removed from some Targus PoS when it died. It's lasted through five years of Fight Club-level travel, and I'm confident it could handle five years of Arthur Dent-level travel too.
The bag is also large enough to accomodate some tools, a book, and up to two days of clothing, meaning that I haven't checked baggage for a business trip in a long, long time. The smoothness of your travel experience is directly related to your ability to get from one end of a major hub airport to the other in the ten minutes between getting off of plane A and plane B's planned departure. If there are trams involved, this sort of trick is very likely to result in the death of your classic laptop bag's shoulder strap.
Multiple choices (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.thegallos.com/)
1)A Domke satchel - Jim Domke designed what is probably the most used professional camera bags back when. These are the bags pros use for their "working" bags, (Not storage/shipping cases). You see almost every TV crew with a bunch of them. Well, they make a satchel....
2)Someone else mentioned Eagle Creek - not bad, mine held up
3)You might want to look at what Blackhawk Industries, Eagle Industries (NOT Eagle creek - different folks), Tactical Taylor, LBI etc offer. I know Blackhawk offers a briefcase, I don't think Eagle does. Folks, if it's made by one of this last group, they are built like your life depends on it, frankly because, for most of their customers, it does (They supply "after market" stuff to various military and police units - the ones that say "We'll spend our own cash on better than issue") You can find links via Lightfighter.com
Comprehensive List (Score:4, Informative)
(http://slashdot.org/~coolmacdude | Last Journal: Sunday March 23 2003, @12:22PM)
Some of them are geared toward the Apple Powerbook, but most are general purpose ones that would work well with any computer.
shoulder bags & bikes (Score:3, Interesting)
A laptop bag with a shoulder strap will tend to shift as you move, which is alright while walking, but intolerable on a bicycle or motorcycle. Because of this, I purchased a triangular shoulder bag -- the kind with a single large padded strap over the right shoulder, and a small side strap on the left to prevent the bag from shifting. Several laptop bag makers offer [ebags.com] this style [ebags.com] of bag.
It worked great until I was hit by a car while on my bike, and landed on top of the bag. The resulting tension concentrated on the single strap of the bag and broke my collarbone in two places (at the edges of the wide strap). I now have a 7" scar, a nice metal plate, and 8 screws in my collarbone to help me remember the event. No more shoulder-bags for me, and most laptop backpacks are uncomfortable (the strap presses on the bolt-heads).
I now use a Mountainsmith [mountainsmith.com] lumbar pack (a slightly more dignified version of a giant fannypack). This offers all of the no-shifting benefits of the backpack, without much risk of additional upper body injury if I feel the need to fling myself in front of a car again. As an added bonus the pack offers a small degree of back protection. The "Passage" model is/was designed for a 15" laptop + almost 2" of papers, has both a briefcase-style handle and shoulder strap that stows away. When I'm on the motorcycle, I use both the waist and shoulder strap, just in case one fails. I'd hate to see $2500 of equipment go skittering down the road without me. The Passage bag is very well made, has held up perfectly for more than a year, and provided adequate protection for the laptop in a few minors bumps/drops. It's available here [altrec.com], here [ebags.com], and some other places [google.com].
Jon
(Oh, and yes, the laptop survived the accident above -- inside an Otterbox [otterbox.com].)
Targus or Brenthaven (Score:3, Interesting)
(http://vftp.net/ | Last Journal: Saturday December 09 2006, @09:52PM)
When will laptop makers design in some sort of way to transport CDs? I take my DVDs with me, and there never seems to be a good place to stick a CD wallet in laptop bags. I've been making do with binding together pages from a large CD wallet and hanging them in the Brenthaven's folding file area.
Kensington Saddlebag (Score:3, Informative)
(Last Journal: Tuesday October 16, @02:57AM)
I got a Kensington Saddlebag in '98, and I've still got it today. It's ballistic nylon with thick suede re-inforcement, and it has a buckled flap rather than a zipper over all the inside compartments. Completely indestructable, mostly weatherproof, and not that expensive. It works well either as a shoulder bag or backpack (with hide-away straps included), or can be toted around like a briefcase. It's taller than it is wide (you slip the notebook into it sidewise), and this makes it more maneuverable than courier-style bags.
Your friendly neighborhood Apple Store will have a black-on-black model with an embossed Apple logo in black on the flap. CompUSA will have the more prosaic models... I have the black-and-tan, but my next one will be the black-and-grey.
I've got a hyuuuge Targus backpack that's been holding up well, but it's overkill unless I'm carying around all my Java books, and the zippers leak in the rain. The belt strap is a nice touch if you're walking long distances with a ton o' junk, tho.
SoupIsGood Food
Kelty Payload backpack (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.mzla.com/keith | Last Journal: Thursday February 02 2006, @03:47PM)
bag made by a good backpacking gear supplier (Score:4, Insightful)
A book bag or soft briefcase made by a company that make rugged outdoor gear is less likely to come apart under typical use/abuse, and doesn't attract as much attention as a Logo'd laptop case. Put your laptop inside a neoprene sleve inside the soft briefcase or small backpack, add a thick magazine (Wired, etc.) on the display side, and you will have a rugged case that doesn't yell "steal me!" in crowded public spaces.
And if you need an expensive briefcase to be seen along with your Armani business suit at some client meeting, carry your laptop in the backpack and your clean shirt/underwear in the expensive case on the trip thru the airport (but this is Slashdot, so never mind...)