Laptop Bags: Finding the perfect one.

In light of our anticipated laptops, the W3J, I know a lot of your are going out and buying your accessories for it and whatnot. Cool. But before you buy just any 14" bag for your preordered computer, I thought I could give my personal opinion on what to look for in a computer bag. As an industrial design student, I do expect a lot from the products I buy, and trust me, I've bought a few bags myself, only to return them the next day for design flaws that I didn't catch at the store.


Things to consider:

1) Padding and toughness: We're buying a $1800 dollar machine, let's protect it. It needs a decent layer of padding all 6 surface areas of the laptop. All too often, I've seen great pading on all 4 sides of the laptop, plus the top...but the under side was just a peice of cloth (being one of the actual outside surfaces of the bag). Also take torsion flex into consideration. Flimy case = flimsy protection.

2) Compartments: You want a bag that can comfortably fit all of your accessories/necessities inside without making things TOO TOO tight. think about how often you carry around miscelaneous items such as DVD-Rs, papers, pens - as well as AC power adapters and other peripherals. I had this problem with my last bag as everything fit perfectly, but when i zipped up the pocket, it tightened up too much and put pressue on the top of my laptop. A good bag has a good place for the AC adaptor and maybe a mouse if you're into that.

3) Thought-out-design: You don't want a bag that will allow your laptop fall to the ground if you forget to zip it up. Preferably, you're looking for those inner sleeves that you need to slide the laptop into when putting into the bag. I personally like the ones with sleeves AND the velcro strap, thus further securing the laptop. Also, I saw a poorly designed laptop bag where the zippers touched the laptop lid when you closed the bag. What?! Scratches on our beautiful Aluminum brushed lids?! Smooth/soft/anti-jagged surfaces should be the only things touching the machine.

4) Strap: I like a strong shoulder strap. You'd be surprised how much a strap with nice padding differs from one with a lesser pad...especially when toting for extended periods. Look for metal connectors (as opposed to plastic) to mate the strap and the bag. And thicker straps with heavy duty stitching will last longer than thinner ones.

5) Non-Slip/padded/ergonomic Carrying handle (briefcase type): Sometimes, you don't use the carrying strap for moving the bag short distances (unloading/loading into a car, for example). This is a minor detail, and maybe I'm just being anal, but I, for one, really appreciate a well designed handle. Look for metal connectors (as opposed to plastic) to mate the handle and the bag.


Maybe this is all obvious information, but I thought I'd just throw it out there. If you're comfortable enough, I strongly suggest that you physically bring the laptop into the store and test fit it. It really is different from just bringing a ruler and some measurements.


Let me know if you find that elusive perfect bag for the W3J, and I'll do the same



-Arvin

 

You might want to check out Crumpler.

They make quality bags for normal use and for computers. You can get them in several sizes and colours.

Don't mind their silly website

 

http://www.axio-usa.com/

these are cool looking

 

You probably may find what you need from this thread.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=50734

 

I bought a Tom Bihn Smart Alec and a Monolith for my W3V

Very happy with them.

 

For my W3A I had a LowePro bag similar to http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Shoulder_Bags/designed_digital/D-Res_240_AW.aspx but big enough to hold the W3A in the computer pocket. The front pocket (see alternate view 4) had wonderful capacity for not just the PSU but also many other items, with plenty of pockets to keep them organised. I would describe the padding as adequate but the result was a bag which could hold a lot without looking excessively large.

I recently bought a Samsung X60 (15.4" widescreen) which is just too big for the LowPro bag. I was looking for something similar and the best I could find was this bag from Belkin http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Product_Id=254648 .However, on the outside it is a much bigger bag but on the inside it holds less. And that is after I removed the separate notebook sleeve. My search will have to continue.

To summarise, if you are paying extra for a slimline computer, you don't want a heavy duty bag.

John

 

That's a good link Joey - gracias.

I've been all over the place on this - first thinking about Booq (prob. more than I want to spend for a sleeve bag combo, plus heavy).

Lately I've been thinking of the Shinza Zeroshock sleeves (thanks TheRunaway) http://shinza.com/product_info.php?products_id=46&osCsid=be0624a20181093dcc95083a9c68fd55
and either one of the Chrome bags or most likely an Osprey http://www.ospreypacks.com/category/11/Daytool/ since they're pretty affordable plus have a deceiving amount of carrying capacity.

 

Thanks fellas

 

Tom Bihn bags are good, I have one, and it's HUGE! It's also very pricey. I use it for school with textbooks, etc. When I'm on the road, and I just want to carry my laptop + mouse + AC and a couple papers, my Targus bag works great

I also had a Crumpler, but it was way too big for my needs

 

I just received the "Glove" by STM for the 14" iBook. I bought it from radtech, but i'm not sure if it will fit inside the sleeve. Does anyone know if the iBook and the W3j have the same dimensions?

 

w3j is 330 x 247 x 327 (mm)
ibook is 323 x 259 x 342 (mm)

ibook isnt a widescreen like a w3, and it's thicker.

 

I purchased a crumpler Horseman bag so that I'll have plenty of room to carry the W3J as well as all the books and other items I'd need. Certainly plenty of room and I think the durability and padding of the bag are great.

I'd like to have a smaller bag as well. Someone had gotten me a Tumi T-Tech bag but it feels somewhat next durable compared to the crumpler. Perhaps I'll just get a smaller crumpler?

 

I have been thinking about getting a crumpler too because it looked cartoonish but definitely not lame which means it doesn't scream "look theres a laptop in here"
How are you liking your's A-Lit?

 

a lil OT, but what do you call someone who uses a crumpler in short? a crumplerer?

anw, nice review on the sleeve adam!

oh, do u rem who was the one who went to get the victorinox sleeve?

 

if i were to get a zeroshock for w3v, which size should i look at? 15"?

 

I ordered this Booq PowerSleeve L90 for my V6j. It wasn't cheap, but an expensive, top-quality notebook deserves a bag equal to the task.

 

I'm actually jealous JB...dang!

How's the cushioning supposed to be on those?

 

Thanks, dys, glad you liked it

I've only had my Horseman bag for a little while but so far I like it a lot. It's HUGE which is absolutely what I wanted so that I could have plenty of room for a long day at the library. It definitely feels like a quality bag, and is really quite sturdy. Despite its capacity, it doesn't feel cumbersome when wearing it.

I actually may look for a smaller one, too. I figure I can sell the Tumi, get a small crumpler and have $$ to spare.... ooooh, the possibilities

 

You can see the pics? For some warped reason, no attached pics are visible on my screen.

I really like these PowerSleeves. This one will be my second. I had an older PS for my Sager 3790, back in 2004, that worked very well. The new PS looks like it's a bit thicker and has that inner compartment for other stuff. I'll post pics of the V6j with the PS when I receive them.

 

Affirmative - I can see them.

Looks like it can double as a full time (light weight) bag too - something like that might be all I need...

 

JB, that bag looks awesome. Could we possibly bride you into writing up a mini review or just posting up some comments when you get it? I would like to know about the rigidity of the bag and its padding. It looks awesome and if it performs anything like it looks, then its definitely worth the price.

 

Sure. I'll receive the bag in about 5 days and will do a mini review w/pics. Looks like my notebook order won't be fully processed until the end of next week. We have a tedious employee purchase process where I work, but since they're paying, I can deal with the wait.

 

^ That's what I call a good problem to deal with!

 

Hey JackBauer, just curious if you ended up getting that bag for your V6J and whether it worked out for you. I also have a V6J and need a new bag for it. Thanks if you have any info. Hope you're enjoying your PC.

 

Pav: I've been outta town for almost two weeks, but will be home on Friday, 5/12. My PS L90 has been delivered. I'll post some pics over the weekend. My V6j order is still being processed by the higher-ups at work which means it'll be another 1-2 weeks before I get it.

How do you like your V6j?