Laptop Back Packs? 31
Cownonymous Award asks: "The company I work for recently gave me a laptop. Nothing wrong with that, of course. But: with it came a huge (and I really mean _huge_) laptop case, big enough to carry an RS/6000. Anyway, I look like a complete idiot when I take this humonguous "I'm a laptop, please steal me"-case with me. So I'm looking for an alternative, preferably a back pack. My question is: Has anyone had any (good) experiences with laptop back packs, especially ones like Eastpak's PC Pak'R or Timberland's HAKK?"
Eagle Creek Bags are good. (Score:1)
The bag has three compartments, one large one for the laptop and papers, and two smaller ones for all the extras, cables, digital cameras, calculators, extra battery, etc... The really nice thing about this bag is that you can carry it like a brief case, attach a strap and carry it over one shoulder like a "satchel", or pull out back-pack straps from a small compartment and it becomes a backpack. Three in one, for what every you need.
It is built very well, and actually has already outlasted one laptop (a lemon of one :( ).
When I picked out this bag, I threw everything I wanted to fit into it, including the laptop, into a more standard backpack I already had, went down to the store, and sat there, seeing which bag everything fit in the best. Made a few sales people nervous, but made sure I got a bag that worked with a minimum of hassle. Anyway, my two cents.- ----------------------------------
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Targus (Score:1)
An Excellent Choice (Score:1)
If I suddenly had the need, I would not hesitate to buy another backpack from Spire.
Three options (Score:1)
A final option is to buy one of those neoprene laptop sleeves that simply shield your laptop and can then be placed in any backpack you already have. This is very discreet and can be found at almost any travel luggage store for little money.
Be sure to buy something that isolates the laptop from the rest of the stuff in the pack and from the outside world. I've broken MANY hinges and latches on laptops ignoring this. I convinced my employer after many days of "lost productivity" to spring for the expensive TUMI pack for me.
A word of warning on travelling with laptops. On trips to Europe as well as in the continental United States, I saw many laptop thefts in airports and elsewhere. In airports, do NOT let someone get between you and your laptop for long. Wait until the last second before you step through the metal detector before placing your bag on the x-ray belt. Teams of thieves set up diversions to delay you at the security check while a cohort of theirs simply picks up your laptop bag at the end of the belt. While out and about, don't make the contents of your bag too obvious (like the Micron label on laptop cases). A friend of mine had her laptop stolen when the thief cut the strap of her backpack as she exited a bus. It happens so easily...
Eastpack bag... (Score:1)
Ryan
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Stop censorship befo&IPUHhuunu*he/j((J"#Ejr'ead
Trager bags are sweet (Score:1)
The Zoom from Spire USA. (Score:1)
I wish I had thought of asking /. When I was looking... it might have made things easier.
--Sultin
Brenthaven: Executive Backpack (Score:1)
Targus Notebook Backpack... (Score:1)
Laptop Bags == JANDD Mountaineering (Score:1)
They started their businesss over 10 years ago making saddlebags for bicycles. Today, they make probably 40-50 different bags and all of them are tough, bombproof, etc... as their roots are in saddlebags which have to take a lot of abuse.
About 3 years ago they started getting a lot of requests from the customer base on having a laptop bag with cushioning and all, so they modified a large selection of thier bags with an interior support system.
Today, I simply will not buy a non-jandd bag at all, given that I've never had one of their bags wear out. The drag part is that they got burned a long time ago and have not developed a web presence so you have to call information in Santa Barbara, CA, get the catalogue, etc... But it is well worth the wait as you'll have an awesome bag that everyone will ask you where you got it and you won't have to get another one for 10-15 years. It will outlast 2-3 laptops no problem.
North Face packs are nice too! (Score:1)
I don't have one yet, and the model he has doesn't appear to be available anymore, but I'm still looking.
His has a number of pockets for geek stuff (a common theme, I see!) and the added plus of some bungee cargo webbing that will hold just about anything on the outside back of the pack.
It also has the waist strap for support on those "heavy days" (oohhh... booo... hiss...) and looks a heck of a lot nicer than most backpacks designed for PC's, because it wasn't.
The insert's made out of nylon and has some kind of attachment to the inside of the pack which I haven't been able to get in there and look at yet.
(Hey, the things full of STUFF every time I see it!)
I'm going to buy one as soon as I find a similar model... I have a Port laptop bag and hate it.
No more heavy obnoxious Port laptop bag with no space for anything else other than the laptop for me. That thing's twice the size of most backpacks and I can barely bring along both the floppy drive and the CD-ROM when mobile.
Company issue, go figure. ;)
p.s. Disclaimer: eBags is a customer of mine, but I don't receive any direct compensation for anything they sell (other than if they're successful, I am too!) I personally shop there regularly and really like their selection and prices. They're always adding new stuff to the site, it's fun to watch.
Re:Laptop Backpack from LL Bean (Score:1)
It looks like any other backpack, and has adequate padding for a laptop and peripherals.
I've been using it pretty hard for a year or so, and I've noticed no appreciable wear. I got the leather-bottomed one, though, because I figured I'd wear out the nylon-bottomed one.
Re:I have one (Score:1)
I also have a Kensington Saddlebag [kensington.com] and like it. It's not a really good backpack; the straps aren't all that well designed and it tends to wiggle more than I'd like (it needs a waist strap), but it has a nice shoulder strap for "tote bag" style use and the grab handle is a real handle, not just a loop of webbing to hurt your hand with. It's great for doing the "short connection mad dash" at airports.
It does hold a fair amount of stuff; spare batteries, CD portfolio, etc.
Note that there are two versions, one with black trim and one with ugly brown trim. The picture on Kensington's website will give you the idea. (CompUSA only carried the ugly brown one last time I checked...typical.)
EastPack All the way. (Score:1)
tHx
Re:Targus Notebook Backpack... (Score:1)
I have a leather Targus now. The construction is a little better and it really looks nice. It doesn't look so out of place going to a business meeting. I'm happy with it.
Never underestimate the power of wishful thinking to filter what the eyes see and what the ears hear
Spire Zoom backpack (Score:1)
I shopped like mad every night for a week after coming home from a project this summer where I walked a good dozen blocks from train station to client. I'm too small to carry a heavy pack that doesn't work, and my Armada weighs a ton.
I wanted a bag with a real (wide) hip belt, sternum straps, and compression straps so the bag wouldn't slosh. The Spire pack's other bonuses: awesome padding (a thick back-and-bottom pad and a separate removable padded sleeve for the laptop), great looks (doesn't scream "Intel Inside!"). Downside: cable stowage is at the bottom of the bag (under my books, so I have to unpack to get at the power cord), and the outer pocket is flat with a very small opening (I only use it for receipts), the mesh outside pocket is also nearly useless (train schedules.
When it's time to carry it, the Spire is all that, and I thought the Tumi and some other expensive bags were not. The Compaq backpack two colleagues have falls apart. The Kensington Saddlebag was awful. The Ports and Targuses are obvious laptop bags. The Spire looks like a lightweight climbing pack, and feels great. I throw it into the car and set it down on hard floors without worries.
http://www.spireusa.com/Products/Notebook/Zoom/zoo m.htm
Re:What about VAIO's? (Score:1)
Most of these packs have a main pocket, and a smaller flapped-in pocket. Well, I took some foam packing material and made a sleeve that fit around the VAIO and fit into the smaller pocket. I used toothpicks and model-airplane glue to make the sleeve (high tech). The sleeve comes out when I need the pouch for something besides the laptop.
The result is a real book-bag that happens to also carry my laptop. There's also room for the AC adapter or the extra battery. The myriad of pockets and zippers usually makes room for things like USB mice, PCMCIA cards, etc., but they're not tailor-made for them.
It's nice, because I don't feel like I'm wearing a sign that says "rob me, I'm carrying something worth $2000 on my arm". And, I live in New York. I've also done a lot of travelling with it.
I've been meaning to make a web page with instructions on this. Maybe I will soon.
Eastern Mountain Sports (Score:1)
Re:Sun's Java backpack (Score:1)
Port Backpacks (Score:1)
Bags good.....Backpacks better (Score:1)
What about VAIO's? (Score:2)
Sun's Java backpack (Score:2)
Laptop Backpack from LL Bean (Score:2)
My LL Bean lasted through my senior year and hasn't quite yet. I give it a recommendation because of the abuse the I put backpacks through.
I looked on their website, but couldn't find it. It was one of the Campus Organizers.
Besides being durable, it's big enough to carry my books too (3 classes worth). The backpack doesn't look like a laptop bag either so it's not so conspicuous.
I've got the Eastpak (Score:3)
The handle on top is nice for carrying it, and the shoulder straps are really nice, because they're coated with some grip-tape like substance. Oh, and the back is padded, so you don't feel your laptop on your spine constantly. I'm pretty happy with my purchase, and I've got a couple friends who got the same bag, and seem to be equally pleased. Check around your local Target for it, I got mine for $50 there, $15 less then the price on Eastpak's website.
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I have one (Score:3)
I use it a lot, I love the damn thing.
The best (Score:4)
Unfortunately Jansport no longer appears to make this particular bag, but they still do a laptop bag which I found here [jansport.com].