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Recommendations For A Good Laptop Bag?
YOU LIKEWISE FAIL IT writes "So, I was jogging to the bus stop this morning when suddenly - snap, the weight of the laptop on my shoulder vanished, and I heard the dull thud of my powerbook bag hitting the pavement at a wince-inducing speed. The laptop seems to be alright, but the bag (a WWDC giveaway) is completely knackered. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good, impact resistant laptop bag that won't come flying apart under stress? Perhaps it's not too late to guilt work into buying me one for a late Christmas present."
I have a Targus bag, solely because of the fact that it was one of the only sturdy bags I could find that actually fit my 17" Powerbook and was under $100.
It's very sturdy, has a very strong shoulder strap & handle, and has enough room to carry my documents, my powerbook, iPod, iPod Dock & headphones, iPod & Laptop adaptors, extra power cable, and digital camera USB cable. It does everything I need it to, and it was pretty cheap too ($65 at Best Buy, IIRC).
And if you want to know if it's strong enough...I let my friend carry my powerbook in the bag. He tripped and dropped the powerbook, only to then land on top of it. Everything inside was just fine, and everything outside is fine too; barely a scratch on the bag itself.
A backpack is a good idea because it doesn't look like a laptop bag. Theives that operate at bus stations and air ports often look for laptop bags. Try a Froogle (http://froogle.google.com) search for laptop backpack and you'll turn up a bunch of hits.
Pelican makes excellent protective cases. Almost unbreakable, water-tight, air-tight, dust-tight. The ones with the "pick-and-pluck" foam can be configured to fit a laptop and all accessories nice and snug. They have a few laptop-specific cases, and several general-purpose cases of all sizes/colors.
If you don't know where to find them near you, check with surveying supply shops, and electronics parts supply (the commercial type, not Radio Shack)
http://www.spireusa.com/
I've been using an Endo for a few years now, super rugged.. even survived the washing machine when it got super stinky once (another tale for another time) with no ill effects. Looks good enough for meeting rooms, rugged enough to handle travel, and slings across the back for bicycle/motorcycle rides or just to get the hands free.
The wife uses a Volt pack. Both come with padded sleeves for your laptop and the usual sets of pockets and storage.
Well worth the money.
Dump the IRS - http://www.fairtax.org
I have a timbuk2 sleeve for my TiBook in a messenger bag that i totally love. I take it everywhere! from coffee shops to random places and its been great. I have no complaints about it what so ever. The quality is top notch and theres a good solid padding on it. Some say its a bit pricey for the sleeve but i figure i spent close to $3000 at the time with all my "ever so important" upgrades, i can spend a few dollars more. I spent weeks looking for the perfect bag and been routed over and over again to eBags, searched high and low and couldnt find anything else better. anyway play with their site! i believe its timbuk2.com. you can fully customize your bag, and if you think about it... when do you really buy a new bag or backpack? so spend the money!!
Well, I use a laptop at school (and still do, mind). Our school (in the UK) isn't the sort of place that plays nice, so I shelled out for a tech a(i)r bag.
d =36
To say the least, I'm very pleased. Its got a lifetime guarantee, and is very very strong. I once nearly got in a fight with a kid who had an attitude big enough to fill the Grand Canyon. I just walked away, but he came in from behind and punched at my bag repeatedly. In my bag was my laptop, and a few books. I was worried that he had damaged the laptop, but there wasn't even a single thing wrong when I checked it out.
The bag is also large enough to hold three laptops in relative safety.
Their website is www.techair.co.uk
The exact bag I have is called a New York Black; http://www.coluco.com/tecair/product.asp?ProductI
Hope thats helpful enough.
NeoThermic
Use my link above, or to view my server, NeoThermic.com
I once had a $80 kensington case [with 'special impact density absorbant padding'], but when a coworker knocked the laptop off of a conferance table onto the ground [not even three feet], it broke one of the hinges for the LCD. Ahem.
The ideal situation I found was this: Fill a cheap walmart school bookbag with 16 inches of foam. I used a mattress-enhancer [lots of foam for around 12 bucks, and in convienient sheet form]. Cut as appropriate and fold the sheets in a coil, until the entire bookbag [get a smaller one, obviously], is almost bursting at the seams with excessive foam load. Leave just enough room for your laptop [and don't forget foam on the bottom and a few layers to fold over the top. I once dropped this down a flight of stairs. It just bounced happily to a rest, no damage to the laptop.
Plus, it looks crappy enough you can take it anywhere without it being a target for theft, like as a swanky specialized laptop case would be.
---
the pen is mightier than the sword, the sword is mightier than the court, the court is mightier than the pen.
--
Power to the Peaceful
And less likely to be identified as containing a laptop by thieves.
I am hard on stuff. I have had three keyboards on my laptop thanks to the "Pepsi syndrome" A book backpack lasts me a year has always been exceptional as far as I am concerned. 3 years ago I bought a Targus Laptop Backpack and the darn thing gives every indication that it is indestructible. It cost me about $70 shipped when I got it, but it shows every indication of outliving my laptop.