Need some help finding a stylish college laptop bag

Hey, I'll be heading off to college in a bit and I've been looking for a nice laptop bag for my 15 inch laptop that able to hold the laptop and a couple of books stuff like that, wondering if anybody could give me some ideas as to what to get. Also I would like this to look good, so nothing too utilitarian.

 

Budget? What kinda books? (size wise) Obviously style is also highly subjective, got any examples of a "good looking bag" from your point of view?

 

you referring to a backpack or a messenger bag(for the sake of your shoulders, tell me its the former).

 

I don't know your budget but if you want the bag to look good then have a look at these laptop bags.
I would also recommand swissgear bags. Swissgear is really top quality. I have used ibex and its fantastic.

 

Try looking on eBay.

I'm a geek so personally I don't mind the most garish, sci-fi-looking laptop bags out there, but when I recently bought a new laptop for my wife I wanted to get something a bit more fashionable.

Don't know if this will be your cup of tea, but my wife (and her sisters / family) certainly liked what I wound up getting her: I found her a woman's laptop carrying case on eBay (eBay seller was "scarlettsbags").

Stands to reason that there should be plenty more "off the beaten track" laptop carrying case options out there.

 

As stated, we're going to need more info to help you.

What's your budget?
What notebook are you carrying around(not all 15" are the same)?
What kind of bag are you looking for(messenger vs backpack)?
What's "stylish" for you(an example would be nice)?
Are you carrying anything else in the bag?

 

Sorry for not putting up the details, let's see
I'll be carrying an HP envy
*Not much in the way of a budget, I'll have a pretty good amount of money and I'm willing to pay for quality
*I would like a messenger style although I'm not completely against backpack style if it's not too bulky
*Something stylish would be in the line of like crumpler or timbuk2 or sfbags. Which are a couple I've looked at but I was wondering if anybody else had some ideas.
*I'll be carrying the laptop in it and a couple college level textbooks, pencils, pens, and some notebooks. Might carry cables and whatnot from time to time.

 

Have you had a look at Dakine and Mobile Edge bags? Those are pretty "artsy" (as in, have motifs and stuff on them).

 

No budget ehh? Thats dangerous, especially with Vogelbung around.

Anyways, the North Face backpacks are not bad looking at all (IMO). I own a Timbuk2 Outtawhack bag ( review) myself (discontinued), and I have a normal Manhattan Portage messenger which I use with with a sleeve. The TB2 is mainly for traveling.

If you are going to be carrying laptop + textbooks daily then I'd go for a backpack purely for comfort/health reasons.

 

I second the backpack recommendation.

And yes, I'm waiting for Vogel to show up too! lol

 

Well, I probably wouldn't be carrying the laptop everyday but I would more than likely be carrying a couple textbooks plus classroom supplies all weekdays. Would a backpack be that much better? Because I have a bad habit of just wearing backpacks with one strap on a shoulder instead of both straps. I also usually like messengers more because backpacks tend to look really bulky, or at least the ones I've looked at.

 

Then a messenger bag should be fine.

I haven't seen the new line of TB2 bags myself, I have always liked Crumpler's designs myself but their sizes tends to be alittle odd. Sfbags' stuff are very well build and well recommended around here, I don't fancy their designs too much but if you like it then it's good!

 

Be sure to check out ebags.com! You can get some pretty good deals there!

Here is a LINK for the Laptop bag section for yah!

$15 off $75 = Use Code: LINKSB2010
$100 off a $300 Tumi: ONLTUMI35


Cin...

 

You called? Anyhoo, consider me inured to the 'you WHAT?' reaction

I'm going to throw the Glaser Day Bag or Flaptop into the ring, especially since you're in the US.

Decent value for the materials involved / style IMO - classy without being stiff or obnoxiously preppy. Prices range from $850 to $1K - but these are the sorts of bags that'll see you through way beyond graduation if taken care of.

Good sell, eh?

If budget is less than ~$500, I'd suggest a ballistic nylon / similar bag as per usual recommendations as my experience is that cheap leather bags have a habit of falling apart.

If you want something pretty casual, very individual, try Freitag - who make bags out of recycled truck tarps in Switzerland. Typical price: $250, with higher prices for the 'F-Cut' bags, which are made out of tarps that you virtually cut yourself on their website.

 

o.o well ahem, maybe I was a bit hasty in saying there wasn't much of a budget I was thinking more from 200 to 300 bucks on a bag, any more and it seems a little out of my price range. So how about some stylish stuff in that line of pricing?

 

Well, I did throw in a link for Freitag for casual stuff around that range. Take a look and play with F-Cut.

 

Those Freitag bags don't seem like my style of bag, they seem a bit too out there for me, I kind of just want something that isn't too wild but still looks good and is definitely not utilitarian in style.

 

I'm quite partial to the look of Knomo bags - the messengers are pretty classy, neat bags with some smart laptop-friendly features, just not built to the standard or materials quality I want. That said, they're no worse than anyone else at similar prices.

http://www.knomobags.com/usa/women/?___SID=U
Click on MEN (of course).

They do have distribution in the US e.g. through the Apple Store, and the prices are in your ballpark.

A small additional point: A major issue I had with nylon or nylon-backed shoulder bags is clothing wear with the relatively intensive use the shoulder bags get AFAIC. I don't appreciate shiny patches / frayed pockets on my clothing in a matter of months due to the heavy wear-causing aspect of of ballistic nylon such as Cordura on weaker fabrics. When a $300 bag makes shiny patches on a >$10K suit, I get upset.

Quality leather or specially formulated backing (as on my custom bags, designed to provide tack to stop the bag swinging around without causing wear) is what I'll stick to these days - spend a lot more + feel a lot better about purchase + save money in the end is how I like to work now.