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Hi, just thought I'd share some tests I did with my new M1210 setup.
I wanted a messenger bag, and a sleeve. I didn't want to go with a backpack because despite the fact that I am a college student now, I wanted a bag that I can also use as a work bag, and I feel a backpack is not professional looking (not a slam against those who do use them, I just don't favor it and nobody in the industry I am in uses backpacks, only messenger bags and rolling bags).
I wanted a bag that didn't scream "Intel inside!", since I do a lot of walking and at night I don't want to have to worry about someone spotting a distinct booq bag or a laptop mini sleeve/bag and try to stab me with the sharp object of their preference and "liberate" my computer.
I also wanted a capacity that was enough to carry a laptop, some books, a notebook, palm pilot, Ipod and my fun stuff like my Nintendo DS, a paperback book, and some snacks/water etc. My benchmark was: If I can carry enough comfortably to walk around all day, go to class and not have to come back home to change things out then I was happy. I think that for most students, this is also their benchmark. Ability, if needed, to get through a day without a trek to the car or to the house.
The reasoning behind this sleeve/bag combo is that in the SF bay area, with winter approaching, we get a lot of rain here. I wanted a bag that offered protection, but also to have the extra protection of a sleeve to make sure it keeps my 1210 nice and dry. I wanted a bag that had good water protection and good padding for the computer.
I water tested some of the bags I have here already (with a cardboard mock up, not my 1210, I ain't that stoopid
Anyway, none of the bags I had, Jansport, Gap, H. Sierra, Targus, Dell's nylon laptop sleeve stood up to the water test. I filled my brita filter and slowly poured water from a height of about 3 feet. Within a few seconds all the bags were soaked through and the cardboard cutout was soaked as well. This was my control group. The basic backpack/bag we all have lying around and think "I could just use a sleeve with this and get away with it ok, no need to spend money on a bag".
I ended up looking at a lot of bags (in person, not online), Crumpler, Dakine, Manhattan P. etc. before finally deciding on the Timbuk2 bag.
The reasons were:
Waterproof. I asked some bike messengers downtown SF how well their bags stood up to water (4 out of the 5 sitting there had Timbuk2 bags, btw) and they all said that timbuk2 had superior construction and were very good protecting stuff from the elements. One of them poured his water bottle on his bag then wiped it off right in front of me when I asked how weatherproof they were. The bag also has a nice plush lined and well padded laptop compartment. Given that I was planning to use a sleeve as well, I measured the space to make sure the sleeve would fit too. Crumpler looked good, but the price point for comperable bags was around $50 more, and I couldn't justify spending that much more money for what amounted to:
A shoulder pad
A less durable torso strap
bigger, tougher zippers
cool logo
Once I made up my mind that Timbuk2 was for me, I started narrowing down from the 2 messenger/laptop bags they have. The Laptop Messenger and the Commute.
I settled on the Timbuk2 laptop messenger over the commute for 3 reasons:
1) the laptop messenger is much sturdier looking in terms of the handles, buckles and all the connections. The build quality compared to the commute was far superior. Timbuk2 even notes that the L.M. has a more "bike friendly" design, meaning more durable, tougher stitching, closures, etc.
2) the laptop messenger's stability strap was much tougher looking to me. The stability strap was important. When I'm forced to lug 2 giant books, a laptop, notebook, lunch etc. I want to be comfy. I had my doubts about the strap working, but it works very well. It goes across the torso, and puts the weight on your back, not your shoulder.
3) the internal size of the L.M. is greater then the Commute
I also settled on a sleeve. The sleeve is neoprene, double zippper and made by Sony (VGP-AMC1) I bought it @ compUSA for $20. The sleeve is designed for the Vaio S-Series, however, I can 100% confirm that The Sleeve perfectly fits the m1210 with the extended battery and closes without pushing, twisting or stuffing. In addition, it is not a "stress fit" it does not bulge or look like the sleeve is about to fall apart. The sleeve is neoprene, lightly padded and water resistant, giving me that little extra protection that I felt I wanted to make sure my laptop was safe from bumps and from water. The sleeve comes with a smaller neoprene case that also perfectly fits the power adapter from dell, OR your nintendo DS, he he
I bought these two items the other day and have spent the last few days testing them.
Water testing was done the same way on this bag as on the other bags.
Results? In a word: Awesome.
The full brita pitcher failed to get a drop inside the bag. Water on top beaded up and was brushed right off. Even with the closure unsecured, still no leakage. The Sony sleeve did not get wet, let alone the cardboard I put inside it.
the sony sleeve proved good for a light wetting. I tossed it into a bathtub of water and counted to 5 and pulled it out and it was wet inside, though not too much. When I poured water onto it, it did not penetrate. Id say if you're looking for moderate protection, basically, to protect the computer during a real deluge, should the bag fail and leak, I am confident the sleeve will pick up the slack.
The bag is well made, solid, and the weight, with the special strap, is easy to re-distribute for a heavy load. The access to the bag is my main gripe. Despite the fact that I am right handed, I carry my messenger bags "goofy style" and use my off hand to access everything in my bag. The L.M. is setup for right handed use, and its a bit of a pain to get used to.
The capacity is awesome. I am able to fit:
my 1210 w/ power cables and a mini-mouse & flash drive,
palm pilot/ipod/headphones/nintendo ds
1-2 textbooks, I mean BIG textbooks. To give an example, I can fit both my O. Chemistry book and my Calculus book in it at the same time. If you're a liberal arts major, look to fit a good sized reader and 1-3 textbooks inside it. In essence, for a student, this bag holds more then enough to get you through a day and not have to trek back home to drop stuff off. This was a huge influencing factor to me
Notebook
Folder for papers
a newspaper or a magazine
and not be full to capacity! There are not a lot of "organizer" pockets on the outside, as this is a messenger bag and I think the idea was to keep the external bulk and shape to a uniform size. The L.M. compensates by having an extraordinary amount of internal storage.
In addition, even with all this, the bag did not feel big, unweildy or really that heavy. If it did, I just clipped up the strap and it was fine.
On the downside, the bag does not come with a shoulder pad. For $100 it really should. No big deal, I just grabbed the pad off of another bag I had and slipped it on over the straps.
Ditto with a cellphone holder. No biggie here, I just grabbed one off of another bag.
I don't have pics as I just RMA'd my digital camera, but I can say from my tests, that if you are a student, have a 1210 and want a bag that can transition from University to the workplace, this is an awesome bag.
I would reccomend a coat of scotch guard on the bag to bulk up on the rain protection, but other then that. A solid combo.
XPS M1210 + Sleeve + Bag
Discussion in 'Accessories' started by MadKhz, Sep 26, 2006.
