Need a good bag for school

I need a laptop bag, one that can hold some textbooks and other school necessities along with my 14 in. laptop. I like the crumpler backpacks does anyone have a sheepscarer that they could tell me about. I'm not partial to backpacks I wouldn't mind a messenger bag either. I like the patagonia half mass but haven't seen one in person so I don't know how well it works for school applications.

 

How much are you willing to spend?

 

Do you need a bag with a special pad for laptops or could you live with a sleeve and a nice bag. Usually, regular bags are cheaper. I bought a Tumi messenger bag for about $100, it's small but not cramped. It holds a few textbooks and a sprial or so with my laptop. So far i am happy with my purchase. Good luck!

 

What are some good messenger bags without laptop compartments?

 

I have a budget of around $100. I could go with a regular backpack and a sleeve. But I'd rather have one made to carry a laptop, books etc.

 

I have a mobile edge bag for my dell. http://www.mobileedge.com/products.asp?cid=3&scid=3

 

I'm looking at the Victorinox Menash, myself. http://www.ebags.com/victorinox_swiss_army/menash/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=53042

However, I drool over a Tom Bihn Smart Alec and Monolith http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/300/TB0103

 

Hey check out North Face packs as some models have laptop compartments.

I prefer these bags to laptop backpacks because those can be bulky and ugly, but these packs are everyday stylish packs that can double as camping gear.

Kinda pricey, but if you live in the states you can find an outlet that is cheap.

Cheers,
Mike

My friend is getting me the Recon bag from North Face in Atlanta

 

I checked out the North face recon in a store and found that the laptop compartment is padded on one side only (actually the back padding of the bag). Only a thin layer of material separates the laptop from the contents of the bag, not an ideal situation in my opinion.

 

ccbr01: what style of mobile edge bag do you have??

 

I have the "Mobile Edge Deluxe Backpack for Select Dell Inspiron Notebooks" ( http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...y_id=5488&first=true&page=productlisting.aspx)
The backpack is just a larger version of the Premium Backpack on the Mobile Edge website. (Larger to accomodate 17" notebook) I really like the backpack. I researched Targus before my purchase, but I couldn't find any that I favored. The bag has enough room to have my i9300, calculus book, and chemistry book. So, I would suggest buying one from Mobile Edge.

 

I like the way the express looks better but I'm still not decided fully between messenger bag and backpack. Does anyone know anything about crumpler bags (backpack or messenger bag)?

 

I'm looking at buying the swiss army synergy backpack. But the notebook pocket might be a little bit too big for my dell m140. Its a 14" widescreen. anyone have one or know about it? Whether ornotit would be a bit too big, or not that big of difference to worry about?

 

Take a look at some of the samsonite backpacks. They cost around $40-50 for the one my sister has, and it is really quite nice... It has many pockets and a nice soft gell like area for your laptop, and It would really protect it!

 

If your looking for true protection for you laptop in a backpack the only option is the Tombihn.com brainbag backpack and monolith sleeve. Gives you lots of room for books and binders and serious padding for your notebook. They aren't cheap but they make good stuff with attention to detail.

www.tombihn.com

Also check of www.shaddymac.com for a piece of microfiber cloth to put inside your notebook when its closed to stop the keys from getting pushed into the screen. Its stupidly simple but I love the thing.

 

This is a great idea, but can't you just use any thin piece of cloth?

 

I located the website, I got an error when I tried to access your link, but its www.shaggymac.com

Heres its description

Avoid screen damage from dirt, oils, and residue. Utilizing our TrueMicro fabric, the ShaggyMac Laptop Screen Protector boasts over 1 million fibers per square inch, which translates into the best possible screen protector available. These are tailored to fit all laptops with a 14"widescreen - Including: HP, Compaq, Dell, IBM, Toshiba, Gateway, Sharp, Sony, Averatec, eMachines, Fujitsu & more. The ShaggyMac Screen Protector even doubles as a screen cleaner to safely wipe away dust & debris. Sensible insurance for your screen.

heres the specs for the 14 in.

Specs:
Material: TrueMicro - (>1 million fibers/sq. inch)
Size: 12.125in x 7.25in (30.81cm x 18.42cm)
How thick or thin? - 0.8mm
Product of U.S.A

seems like a great product, I'll be buying one of these.

 

I have a great tech air laptop bag, its really great for school, its a messenger bag and looks really casual, carries all my books and my laptop (although my laptop is only tiny) and I dont need my power adapter because the laptop lasts the day, so I dont need to put that there. Its got really good protection with these sort of airbags, only problem is I'm not sure if there're available outside europe. You could always try searching on the web.

http://www.techair.co.uk/store/products.asp

Cameron

 

The crumpler bags are very nice in appearance. They are well-made and casual and don't scream "laptop inside." I particularly like the Considerable Embarrassment messenger bag, which would work for you. Besides the laptop it will hold about 2 reams of paper and weighs 28 ounces. It has adequate padding if you are careful, but not if you toss your bag around. The laptop compartment has a velcro closure and so does the case, so if you are running between classes or what-not you don't have to worry about buckling the bag.

The Salary Sacrifice (if I'm remembering correctly it replaced the Sheepscarer, but I may have the names confused) is the smaller of the 3 laptop backpack sizes. It really is designed for a 12" laptop and even with a 12" laptop, it can hold little else. This is not a backpack designed for lugging books (I returned it because the messenger bag held far more and I wanted something with a larger capacity). The large size (which is the middle sized backpack- I think the old name was Base Toucher and the new name King Single would have the right sized sleeve and has a nice capacity. However, it will fit a guy or a tall girl better than someone short. My daughter is 5'3" and it was too high for her.

She used the Considerable Embarrassment through a semester of law school. Sometimes she needed an extra bag to lug all her books, but the laptop was fine in the sleeve of the messenger bag despite the bag being stuffed to capacity. She does use the shaggymac screen protector for added insurance, btw.

One more thing- Photococan on Ebay is a great place to buy the bags. They are very reputable. I landed up trying out both backpacks and returning both; I lost the shipping but nothing else, despite having one bag for months.

 

Check out Targus

http://www.targus.com/us/cases_notebook.asp

 

well it looks like I'm going to go with the north face recon 2. The backpacks can hold more and seems less expensive. Crumplers backpacks look really good but they are kinda pricey. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice and help.

 

jessai, so far I have seen very flimsy and/or agonizingly ugly bags at futureshop/bestbuy/name-your-canadian-retailer-here, and three-digit priced eye candy (small print: freely available in the us, read - two times more expensive because of s&h + duties at the border).

so I'm making my own bag, or rather modifying an LP-oriented messenger that I got in Europe this summer... wish me luck :hardfind:

 

that's the same pack i'm getting and after further reviews from stores, i decided on it because of style, price and cause it'll server as multiple purposes rather than strictly a notebook protector.

 

Got this one :: http://www.shaggymac.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_5&products_id=35

I love it!