Looking for laptop bookbag...Mountainsmith Explore

SO far out of all the ones that I have seen, I like the Mountainsmith Explore the best. I plan on getting the Acer 2012 next Thursday from newegg.com and I want to get a bag for it as well.

i will be in Europe for nine months with my new laptop. I prefer the bookbag style and this one seems just right...hope it will fit a 15.4 inch screen!

Anyone here ever try it?

Here is a link to the product and some reviews afterwards:

http://www.ebags.com/mountainsmith/explore/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=6485

It retails for 99 bucks and htat is right at my limit....any comments or alternative suggestions?

 

I have http://www.targus.com/us/product_details.asp?sku=TSB212
and it is great.

For the rest of Targus bookbags check out:
http://www.targus.com/us/cases_notebook_backpacks.asp

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Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
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With 1500 cu in of space, you're not going to have much room for anything else in the bag. JanSport makes a bag, The Optimizer, which is very roomy and retails for around the same price. It doesn't have the water resistancy, but a can of 3M spray can take care of that. If you need a true outdoor bag that can accomodate a laptop (not neccesarily built for one), check out http://www.campmor.com. You may just be able to go with a regular pack and good a hard cover for your laptop.

Afterthought: Europe is nice, but tourists are spotted a mile away. If you'll be staying at any hostels, I'd again recommend an internal frame pack. The MountainSmith bag just says "steal my laptop" all over it and hostels aren't always the safest (or securest) places.

 

Thanks a lot for the info....now I am not so sure about this bag....I could rem9ove the big yellow things from the backpack, but I cannot make up for the space problem......I will definitely have other things int he bag.

Really, I do not plan on carrying it outside of my dormitory, but the building I am staying in has a computer lab where I can hook up my computer (I hate HAVING to rely on school computers so I am buying my own and will only go upstairs to use the internet). I will want a bag to lug the computer and any papers and books I need while in the lab.

more than likely I will not bring th elaptop outside of the dormitory UNLESS I get some kind of urge to go to an internet cafe...but since those are not free I dont reckon I will ge thtose urges! ;-)

Anyway, thanks for your input.

 

No problem. Since you're in a dormitory type situation, I would definately recommend the JanSport Optimizer. With 1800 cu in of space, you'll have plenty of room for say your laptop, books, clothing, walkmans, pens, etc. It also has excellent drop protection and secure straps so you ease your mind if your bag takes a spill. There are a good number of pockets which makes storage a dream. You can store you cables in one area, your pens and small devices in another. Being in a school situation, I think the Optimizer would meet your needs, the amount of storage space being the biggest reason. I did a review for it and have been using it for the past 1.5 months or so so I can attest that it is a nice bag. You could also check out Targus, Victorinox (pricey), and BooqBags (I think that's how you spell it). Like I mentioned earlier, if you can't find a 'laptop' bag that meets your needs, you could just as easily get a regular knapsack and buy a hard or soft case for your machine.

 

Big Calhoun,
where can you find hard case that can fit a 15 inch or 16 inch laptop?

I was looking before for a hardcase but the only one I saw was one in http://www.pelican.com/cases/cases.html They are quite bulky.
I am looking for one which is hard enough to protect the laptop from bumps but not bulky so as to slip it in a knapsack.

 

Most hard laptop cases will be somewhat bulky. That's a matter of the material used and, IMO, the desire to reduce costs by having one product that has multiple uses...or in this case, multiple fits.

I have seen this case recommended from time to time: http://www.tombihn.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=001&Product_Code=TB0330
It's a hard case that seems to have a slim profile and can be placed in a bag.

I recieved a hard case/sleeve with my Victorinox bag. It can be purchased seperately: http://www.swissarmytravelgear.com/webstore/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=3197&category=59
This one is puncture proof and has good drop protection. While it fits nicely in my Victorinox bag, it is somewhat of a bulky fit in smaller bags. It would have sat nicely in the Jansport Optimizer if the bottom cushioning were removable.

I also read somewhere that Sumdex (http://www.sumdex.com) makes an aluminum sleeve. Also check E-Bay; you can also find unusual cases from smaller manufacturers or overseas companies.

 

How do you compare the drop protection of tombihn versus swiss army???

Are they noncompressible in case you include other accessorues like clothes, books???

 

Couldn't tell ya, I've never had my hands on the Tom Bihn case.

 

How about the swiss army, what can you say???

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by red_chief