(Mostly) Indestructible Laptop Bag/Case?

Hi, I'm going to be heading off to college, and taking my laptop with me almost everywhere I go.
I've had some bad experiences in the past with warranties, so I've mostly just given up on them.

Does anybody have suggestions for a really good 15 inch laptop bag or case?
I'm hoping for it to protect against both drops and impacts from all directions.
It can be a briefcase, case, shoulder slung bag, or backpack, it doesn't matter.

Unfortunately, there isn't much research or "specs" I can look at for laptop bags, so it's hard to tell which is good. The typical cloth bags barely protect the laptop at all.
But most of the cases that look reliably protective and strong are extremely expensive, usually around $300.

Any suggestions?

 

there are aluminium suitcases like this:

some have shoulder straps (you can see side hook) and they usually come with padding inside. Those are not purpose made for laptops, but you can use them as such. I bet you could drop it from second floor into cement pavement and nothing would happen to the laptop , if you had proper foam protection inside.

 

I've found cases like that are designed for laptops, but they typically range in the $300 range, which is a bit expensive for me. High quality hard cases like this that are advertised for being good protection for laptops are extremely expensive. Makes me wonder whether they have something special, like padding that doesn't block air vents or something, which makes it a bad idea to simply use a standard briefcase.
All in all, either hard cases or soft are fine with me, as long as they work well, and aren't too expensive.

 

I don't know where are you located, but this UK e-bay has them for 18 pounds. So yeah those $300 are big, big ripoff. You buy case, you get hard foam, cut it to size and you're done
http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/aluminium-case
I have 2 cases like that, for non laptop purposes, I didn't even know they sell them for laptops as well, but as I said, outer metal shell shouldn't cost much, foam you probably need to cut to size anyway, so look for general purpose case. I would sell you mine for cheap since I don't use it anymore, but it's all beat up.

 

Maybe I'll even get fancy and poke holes where there are air vents, cut the foam to be open in the charging port and stuff.
Perhaps this is the best path to go. I do wish there were companies that made quality products and did not try to rip you off, for laptop bags.

 

Logitech's Kinetik backpack was very nice. Not aluminum strong, but far better than all the rest. I done tons of stuff to it, and it's still with me 6 years later. It can accommodate 2 17" 8740w with the power bricks (quite literary bricks) and few other stuff, imagine that. So I think you'll be fine with it, if you manage to find one, as I think they are not making them from quite some time.

 

It looks like a nice bag. The hard shell is protective enough of impacts, and although there doesn't seem to be much padding on the bottom, I can add some myself.
You seem to be right when you say they don't make them anymore, but at least I have a reference bag and I can look for similar bags.

My only qualm would be that it isn't as spacious as I would like. For a shoulder slung bag, I would be fine with less space since I can wear a backpack along with it, but if I just wear a backpack, it needs to fit everything I need. Either way, good suggestion, I'll be investigating similar bags.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hornettek-Dat...sbs_147_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QQF4P6EZPJM9DH04Z0Y

Have fun

 

I actually found this just recently: http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-Pr...f=sr_1_20?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1433256485&sr=1-20
It looks pretty nice, hard cloth shell (not metal, but EVA foam). It lacks bottom side padding for drops, but that I can add that myself.
It also has some fancy features, like allowing air to pass through so the computer can be used inside the case.
It's pretty moderate level protection for a reasonable price (and the pictures make it look nice).
But because it's designed for the Macbook Pro 15, it doesn't fit normal 15 inch notebooks.


Ultimately, it seems the best case available is the Pelican 1095: http://www.amazon.com/Pelican-Produ...8&qid=1433256436&sr=1-3&keywords=pelican+1085
It's a hard plastic shell with inner foam lining. The foam is pick and pluck so you can shape the foam yourself (foam is made up of many cubes which you can remove to make a hole to fit your laptop in). It doesn't have air breathable foam (although you could pluck out the foam near the air vents), but it is designed to allow the laptop to be used inside of it. It's waterproof, dust proof, pretty much military grade stuff (very fancy, pressure gauge stuff), and it isn't overpriced like the $300 products (but still very expensive at $64). It's too small to carry your charger as well as a 15 inch laptop, but if you carry another bag with you or put this one in a larger bag, it'll be fine.

I'm still waiting before I buy any specific case because I won't need it until August, but I thought I might share what I've found so far in case anyone else who is looking for a strong hard case like me might be interested. It's nice how both these cases are designed so the laptop can be used inside of them.

 

Better idea for you, get a laptop built to take mobile road warrior life. Frail, thin and light machines aren't built to survive much of college.

 

Am I simply lucky or over protective with electronics? I always get confused when people here say you have to get a well built laptop for the tough environment of college. What exactly do you people do in college that requires a better than average build to "survive" it?

 

I try to take care of my laptop, but sometimes things can and do happen. I like knowing my equipment can stand anything life dishes out at it. I like well built. I like reliable, well supported, and rugged. If you must buy that stout of a case, I recommend getting a laptop which needs less case. It weighs less.

 

Well, the Hare Krishna people sometimes pelt everyone with rocks.