So I just bought a laptop for school and I need something to carry it around in. I think it should be a messenger bag style or something similar. I’m not sure whether I’m going to carry my books in the same bag as the laptop, so it probably doesn’t have to be huge or anything. I think it should be pretty well padded, with plenty of compartments for all my laptop junk. Lastly, it should be nice, but nothing insanely priced. We’ll say, $60 or less.
Any suggestions?
I have a nice Targus carrier. I got it for around $60 at either Office Depot or OfficeMax. I’m very happy with it. It’s comfortable to lug around and does an excellent job of cushioning.
The Targus website has many more cases available, in all kinds of styles.
My advice, carry it in a good-sized backpack. Laptop bags on campus tend to scream “Take me, I am full of expensive electronics!” Whereas backpacks say “If you’re lucky I might contain a calculator and loose change.”
1.) Make sure the bag you choose is sized appropriately for your machine. All laptops are not created equal, and many models are very easy to damage if subjected to pressure or bending. This obviously varies quite a bit from machine to machine, but the best bags generally support the laptop firmly on all sides, but not too firmly, and provide adequate shock protection.
2.) Another important concern is the laptop screen. Many models are prone to screen damage if the case is closed too tightly or if the laptop is carried with pressure aginst the lid. You can check for close fit and pressure points with carbon paper and should also be watchful for any screen scuffing during the first few weeks of use. LCD screens are very thin and can flex inward, causing contact and rubbing with the keyboard or lower unit.
3.) The type of damage described in #3 above is very common in laptops which are toted around a lot in thin shoulder strap bags, particularly among those carried low on the hip, such as in messenger style bags.
4.) Make sure that any accessory pockets are designed so that they do not create inward pressure that contributes to bending or screen damage.
5.) If you will be away at college and carrying books at the same time, I would highly suggest you consider a neoprene laptop sleeve sized to fit your machine along with Hawksgirl’s suggestion of a padded backpack. There are also a number of laptop backpacks on the market- just be sure that yours fits well within the bag and there is enough support for the laptop and padding to prevent damage from carry flex. A stiff separator panel will help ensure that additional loads (e.g., books in the main compartment) are distributed evenly.
6.) However, if you are really into a more traditional style bag, I was recently given a very nice Dell case that came with a co-worker’s new laptop: This case has a nice ballistic nylon exterior and the laptop sleeve snugly accomodates my 15" TiBook. There is quite a bit of padding and ample storage pockets on the inside, yet the accessory pocket is sewn on, not into the laptop case, reducing inward pressure.
Hope this helps.
Wow…thank you very much. I think I’m going to go with the Dell bag.
Thanks for the help, everyone.
Probably throwing in my two cents a bit late, but I’d recommend giving Samsonite bags a look. I picked up a laptop backpack from them a couple years back and it’s built like a frigging tank. And, as hawkgirl pointed out, anybody who’s looking for a laptop to steal would take one look at it and think “gym clothes”, no “expensive piece of hardware”.