What Bag Carries Your Geekd’m? A Three-Part Series Review of the Best Laptop Bags 2009
This article series is more of a laptop bag recommendation list rather than a laptop bag review. Allow me to explain…
What does a software company like LitCentral know about laptop bags? Plenty. It’s the equivalent of asking a NASCAR driver what he thinks about tires. We already know who’s the best in the business and we’re dedicating the month of May to showing you what they’ve got.
All of the bags chosen for this article series were chosen for the quality of the manufacturing, design, materials and functionality. It’s not always about money, so we didn’t factor cost into our initial round-table discussion about which manufactures to contact; we just wanted to contact the best.
Here at LitCentral Founders’ Blog we wanted to strive to do better than the mundane laptop bag reviews that inundate the web - offering a press kit, Photoshopped image and a cursory review. In this three-part article series (What Bag Carries Your Geekd’m?) we lay hands on the product, take pictures and communicate the functionality and quality of these bags. Part I of the series covers the best laptop and messenger bags. Part II covers the best laptop backpacks, and Part III showcases some of the best laptop sling cases on the market.
Part I - Best Laptop/Messenger Bags
My biggest worry with contacting Aaron Irvin and asking him to participate in this in-depth bag review was that I would not have the words to capture the irrefutable exquisiteness of his bags.
The cultured experience begins from the moment you pry open the box. Aaron Irvin cloaks his bags with a grey felt dust cover - which makes the unveiling of his bags a near sexual experience.
Walking in to pitch your screenplay or book proposal with the Microfiber Computer Bag softly whispers…"I’ve already made it."
*Although we will be giving away many of the product samples used for this article series to our faithful readers, Michelle and I are doing rock-paper-scissors over this one.
External Size: 13”H x 17.5” W x 4”D
Weight: 3.9 lbs
Holds: 17” laptop or smaller
Material: 900D polyester
Purchase Here
"The Arrival"
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Have you ever heard someone say he or she “has a quiet elegance”? That’s how I would describe Axio’s messenger. Its simple, stylish, unisex design with red accents and chrome zipper pulls, leaves me feeling less techy and more modish.
After a long hard workday my routine usually consists of packing up my laptop, a folder with papers to review, whatever book I’m reading and a few gadgets. Halfway out the door I’ll forget something like a magazine I want to look over, or a piece of mail that needs my attention. The last thing I want to do is put my bag down and unzip a compartment. This is when the exterior side compartments in the Axio Messenger comes in handy. When traveling, the exterior pockets are essential for sliding in a boarding pass, passport or wallet.
Inside the bag is spacious and expansive, easily holding all my junk. There’s also a separate padded laptop compartment. The fabric is durable and easy to clean.
This Axio Messenger has been to Hollywood, the Orange County Boat Show, Barnes and Noble and everywhere in between. Everyone here who managed a turn at sampling this bag loved it!
Cost: $84.95
External Size: 13”H x 17.5” W x 3.5”D
Weight: 1 lb 11 oz
Holds: 15” laptop or smaller
Material: 900D polyester
Purchase Here
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The Belkin Flythru isn’t in the same category as the other bags in this series, but it is in a class of its own. We contacted Belkin to participate in the review for two reasons: First, the company offers a good product at a very reasonable price point - all three bags included in the series are less than $60. Second, there is an array of Belkin laptop bags from which to choose.
For those of you who fly frequently and have a limited budget, this checkpoint friendly laptop bag will serve you well and won’t break the bank. Inside, the butterfly design has a clear plastic window over one side of the laptop compartment, allowing security to literally see through to the computer. Therefore, you do not have to take your laptop out of the bag when going through security.
Belkin offers some nice subtle touches on the Flythru. The handle is covered in nylon but just under the lip is a strip of velvet-like cloth that feels good to grip. The pad on the shoulder strap is both adjustable and removable. We counted four zipper pockets and plenty of open-faced pockets to stuff pens, passport, boarding pass, etc. Belkin doesn’t list a weight on their website for the Flythru, but they should because it’s a noticeable feature that this bag is LIGHT!
Belkin Flythru
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MacCase Flight Jacket
The MacCase Flight Jacket won the prize for the thinnest laptop bag reviewed in this article series. The exterior is constructed from earthy soft leather that reminds me of the smell of a classic boot shop. The interior is lined with a padded nylon material to help shield your aluminum MacBook from nicks and scratches.You know how Apple’s design approach to everything is simplistic and super clean? If you add the word “handcrafted” it completely describes this bag. The product sample we received accommodates the 17” MacBook Pro in a vertical position. The A/C adapter fits snug in the top zipper compartment.
The MacCase Flight Jacket is the "Top Gun" in slim-design laptop bags. This unisex bag will last you for years to come while offering a classic style that befits any couture.
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Update 8/25/09: OtterBox recently discontinued the 7030 case in an effort to refocus 100% of their efforts on hand-held technology. However, a brief Google search will reveal numerous resellers that still have this awesome rugged case in stock. Start with Ebay and Amazon.
The OtterBox 7030 Laptop Case is one of the most customizable laptop cases on the market. When you open the case you’ll notice the bottom is covered with a single, large piece of Velcro fabric. What the heck??? But then, the engineering kicks in. Because included in the shipment are 10 bumpers (3 sets) that when positioned according to the dimensions of your laptop, help to hold it in place. The 7030 is reconfigurable allowing for use with a 15” laptop and then adjusting the bumpers inward to transport a 10” netbook. That kind of design deserves a techie outburst…WOOT!
There’s another quick release Velcro strip that lies over the surface of the laptop to strap it in place. For documents and magazines, there’s a rugged document folder that also attaches via Velcro, as well as a business card/pen holder. Underneath, rubberized feet keep the Polypropylene case from sliding off of any surface.
It’s hard to dress-up the traditional square hard shell “briefcase”, but OtterBox pulls it off without a hitch. The 7030 has a modern sleek design. This case ebbs-and-flows within various environments. I would feel totally confident schlepping my laptop through the Amazon Rain Forest, entering a construction zone, white water rafting, or traversing the urban jungle. Environmental protection elements guard against a 3-foot drop and 1 meter water immersion for 30 minutes. If you need a rugged laptop case you will be very pleased with the 7030 Laptop Case.
Got a meeting in Hollywood? This case is so Men in Black.
Cost: $189.95
External Size: 16.375”H x 14.5”W x 3.375”D
Weight: 6 lb 75 oz
Holds: 15” notebook or smaller
Material: High Impact Polypropylene
Purchase Here
OtterBox 7030 Laptop Case
I love the Skooba Design motto – Better to explain the price than apologize for the quality.
It was a no-brainer placing Skooba Design on our short list of laptop bag manufactures. I have always drooled over the Skooba Design laptop case advertisements displayed throughout my geek magazines. Good quality, stylish design, versatile – now that’s what I’m talking about!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a company put so much engineering design into a shoulder strap as Skooba Design has with the Skooba Super Bungee Bag Strap. I mean come on…this thing has a "sport-tuned suspension system"! It’s designed to absorb the shock from the weight of the bag. And the best part about it is, although the shoulder strap is sold as a separate item on their website ($25.95), it is INCLUDED free with the Satchel 2.0.
The LitCentral team took numbers waiting to try this baby out!
Cost: $99
External Size: 16.75”L x 12”H x 6”D
Weight: 2.75 lbs
Holds: 17” or smaller laptops
Material: Ballistic nylon, neoprene trim strip, nylon interior, patented Air Square in laptop compartment
Purchase Here
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It was 2006, LitCentral had just ordered tablet PCs with glass screens. I had read horror stories on the internet of tablet users dropping their laptop backpacks and shattering the tablet screen. So, I frantically searched the internet looking for laptop bag cases with shock absorbing engineering. Tom Bihn’s Brain Cell was our saving grace. Thus, when we first decided to do the laptop bag review article series for the blog, Tom Bihn was one of the first manufactures we called upon.The Checkpoint Flyer meets TSA (Transportation Security Agency) standards, which allows you to leave your laptop inside the case when passing through airport security. Simply open up the tri-fold bag and lay it atop the conveyer belt. I only have one question, “Tom Bihn, can you make a checkpoint friendly shoe?”
Tom Bihn included a horizontal Freudian Slip organizer with the product sample that allows for more inside bag room when removed. Also, if you want to leave your laptop at home, you can detach the laptop case completely and just use the bag for reading material, screenplays, notes, etc. In addition, the laptop case itself is detachable. This means that if you currently have a 15” laptop bag, but you’re planning on upgrading to a 17” in two months or you already have two different size laptops, you don’t have to buy an entirely new bag. For $70 you can purchase a 13” or 17” laptop case that fits the Checkpoint Flyer
I was really impressed by the weight of the Checkpoint Flyer bag. It’s unbelievable that this much “bag” is bundled into 1.1 lbs!
* Tom Bihn also designs great travel bags and totes (Michelle loves their Shop Bag!).
Cost: $220
External Size: Model reviewed 15” (14.3”W x 9.8”H x 1.7”D)
Weight: 1.1 lbs
Holds: Varies depending on bag size 13” – 17” laptop
Material: 1050 denier ballistic nylon
Purchase Here
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree, most laptop bag articles are written from the same perspective as the reader which is “I saw this on the internet”. Well whoopdidoo! How can you advise me to buy something you haven’t even touched yourself?
Great first-hand experience article!
There are some bags in the article that I wasn’t even aware of. Thanks!
[...] just for us but for many of you. We were excited to hear the folks at LitCentral are publishing a 3-part series covering these bags and they’ve already uncovered some I’ve never seen but would like [...]
Well, Tom Bihn actually does have a luggage line. Its not a big line, but what’s there is choice!
–Ken, a happy Tom Bihn customer
OMG! Could you have not published this BEFORE CHRISTMAS! Some of us have wives you know. Wives that won’t stand for another laptop bag in the house.
Too bad, I’m going for the checkbook man. Cover me.
Those are some great bags! But do you have any that are a little more on the cheap side? It’s great to see some new bags also, a lot of these I have never seen! Where are you able to find all these bags??
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