My Backpack Solution for the HP 8740w (along with others) - Photo Essay

I've been using a Tom Bihn Brain Bag with an insulated sleeve good for 12" to barely 15" laptops for almost a decade now. It's held up fantastically well. I can only hope the models sold today are as rugged and long lasting.

It has two cavities, and I'd only been using the front cavity as I only had one sleeve. When I'd transport a 2nd machine, the larger of the two would usually be relegated to the back, un-insulated cavity. Now that I have my HP 8740w [yes, w/DC2], un-insulated transportation would not do.

So I finally stopped procrastinating and got the 2S sleeve. Their 2M sleeve would fit the machine [8740w] a tad better being larger in both larger dimensions, but as that's a horizontal sleeve and would not fit in my 'legacy' Brain Bag unless I put it sideways, I went for the slightly more snug 2S vertical sleeve, which I knew would have enough pliability to work.




The sleeves come with two Velcro attached flaps on the bottom that connect above the bottom surface to create a cavity of air between it and the bottom surface.




But if left that way, ya really can't fit the 8740w in all that well... (inside the bag next-to the sleeve is my E6500 within my original much smaller sleeve) < edit > I should mention that when I purchased the sleeve and first put the laptop in, it stuck-out only about 1/4 - 1/2 an inch; I was actually able to close the top, but you wouldn't want to leave it that way. I then went thru a few cycles of opening and connecting the bottom Velcro sleeve flaps before taking pictures. The time I did it when I took this picture, as controlling the air gap is tedious and time-consuming, the cavity I made @ the bottom just ended-up being much greater than how it came. I decided to leave it this way to illustrate in an exaggerated sense how it sticks out if you leave the bottom Velcro flaps attached to one another. But as mentioned before, if it sticks out a 1/2 inch or two inches, that's a 1/2 or 2 inches too much and you wouldn't want to use it that way. < / edit >




So the 'trick' is to reach your arms down into the sleeve up past your elbows, pull the Velcro'ed spongy material apart, and push them straight down to expose and touch the thick spongy material placed on the bottom which is another level of protection of the sleeve.




Does that leave the 8740w unprotected? For one, you still have that white spongy material on the bottom, and the fabric's edge touching and supporting the laptop in the sleeve as it's long enough on both sides to want to fold together and touch. And I'm someone who never forgets he has laptops in his bag, so I'm never putting the bag down hard enough to ever harm the machine. So losing the cavity on the bottom of the sleeve is an allowance I can live with and still feel the 8740w is well protected.


So it fits in the sleeve now; just.



It pushes the sides a bit as the bag's about a 1/2" smaller than the laptop's depth. But as the sleeve is far higher than the laptop, that serves to pull the large top and bottom towards the laptop, making for a perfect fit, if you can live with the fact that it 'may' push the laptop's lid button and unlatch the screen from being closed. I'm going to try to bend the hard material within the sleeve to see if I can't take pressure off the screen's latch to stop that from happening.


The sleeve closes well. These sleeves never do close with a 90 degree square ontop, as you can see on my smaller sleeve within the bag containing my 15" Dell E6500 which is about a 1/2" from touching the top flap of the sleeve, so it's not providing any pressure to push it up; that just happens.




Above you see it outside the bag, and below tucked nicely inside without any jamming or force to pull the bag's back flap over it.






I tuck the 8740w's charger down in-front of the front sleeve, as there's a good deal of room within that cavity along with the sleeve. In this photo I have the E6500's charger in there too, as I'm using the nice 'made to fit' accessories carrier that I got along with the bag and original sleeve when I bought all of it. I usually don't use the organizer tho. Instead I usually just place the smaller of the laptop's chargers plus all my phone and ipod chargers (and hats, and other stuff) ontop of the front sleeve whenever I travel.




So... we have here 27 pounds of computers and bag zipped up, pulls pulled snug, and all ready to go!
(psst.... One of the offending parties responsible for all the dog-hair over everything is seen in the out-of-focus area below )
With 27 pounds of laptops weighing it down I highly recommend using both the front and back handles if carrying it at your side.




Or better than the strong top handles, use both of the very well padded and thus very comfy back straps. (the bag works really well over only one shoulder. But when I'm laden with two machines, I use both straps so-as not to unduly stress and perhaps damage the shoulder strap's stitching of this bag that's been holding-up for so very well for me. A little care can go a long way!)




As you can see several photos back when the front and rear cavity of the bag was unzipped, the side straps were [super] easily loosened by lifting the pull snap (does it have a better name?), yet hold strong when you pull it snug and never slips after nearly a decade with a simply pull; holding the goods within the two cavities pretty much nullifying any possibility for shifting within the bag.




Hope you enjoyed my annotated photographic journey and see fit for it to be 'rep worthy'. Regarding this computer bag manufacturer.... can't recommend the whole setup enough.
TOM BIHN Bags - Laptop Bags, Laptop Backpacks, Laptop Cases

 

I have the newer brain bag and I use the 2s size vertical brain cell for my thinkpad t400. I think the brain bag is a very good bag.

 

...for any coming along and looking for a backpack solution for a monster machine.

Ping, Bump, TTT ... whatever you perfer.

 

you dog looks awesome.

 

Hehehe... At risk of taking my thread OT, taking photographs of Nala (and all my dogs for that matter) are a particular obsession of mine...

http://public.fotki.com/m8o/dogs-life/best-of-nala/
http://public.fotki.com/m8o/dogs-life/misc-nala/

A favorite series of mine my my other 'supermodel' Shiba named Zoe [she's tall, thin and gorgeous ]:
http://public.fotki.com/m8o/dogs-life/zoeandartzoeasart080301/

 

Nice tutorial.

Reading the tutorial, however, made me wonder if it would be possible to "connect" a size 2M Horizontal Brain Cell (or any Horizontal Brain Cell) vertically to the inside of a Brain Bag.

Thank you in advance.

 

The bag looks really durable. Does it come in a bigger size?

 

I believe the Brain Bag is their largest backpack with a volume of 36 liters (2200 cu. in.)

 

I realize only now that I missed this question in this thread. I think it would definitely be possible (and give a tad more room to the 8740w) and would fit inside the Brain Bag. But you'd then always be taking the sleeve in & out of the bag to be able to put the laptop in and out of it. I have considered dealing with that however, and getting one for myself to have the slightly larger brain cell.

 

Yes, I want to know what Muffy thinks. If he approves, then it's got to be ok.

 

My backpack solution is a Swiss Gear Ibex, it's awesome and $70. I have the Note Book with the 9 cell extended battery in the pouch, a back up 12 cell, a power charger, all with plenty more room to spare. Great quality and price.