My very first laptop is in production and soon to be shipped, so I am now in the market for a good laptop bag. I’d prefer a model with a shoulder strap, vs. a backpack model, because I’m probably going to be hauling this thing through airports when I already have a backpack (or two) to deal with. Attractiveness is a bonus, but functionality is key. Cost-effective is also nice, but I am willing to pay more for quality.
Anyone have some good recommendations? The laptop in question is a Dell Inspiron 1501 with a 15.4" screen, and I’ve been having some trouble finding good bags that are big enough for it to fit into.
I realize you say you don’t want a backpack, but for the sake of others who see the thread title that come here looking for recomendations, I have this backpack, made by SwissGear, and I really like it.
To address another point in the OP, 15.4 is a very standard size, and most bags have a model that will accomidate it. It shouldn’t be too much trouble finding a bag that it’ll fit. (I have the same model, actually! :))
If you’re really going to carry it, get the lightest you can find that can reasonably be expected to hold up for a while. After four years of schlepping laptops and other stuff through half the airports in the U.S., every ounce of weight makes a difference to me. If you’re going to be traveling with a rollaboard suitcase, a bag with a passthrough pocket on one side that allows it to slip over the extended handle of a rollaboard is nice to have (probably the only reason I haven’t replaced my standard-issue Dell bag with one of the others I have around my place).
If you’re not going to be traveling with another rolling bag, it seems over half the consultants in America have one of these, based on my observations while traveling – it’s the ANSI standard bag for the technical road warrior these days. And yes, I have one, albeit an older model than this one. It has enough space for the laptop, manuals or other documents, and a change of clothes and toiletries, plus lots of pockets and mesh pouches in the front compartment for USB flash drives, travel mouse, power adapters/chargers, etc. If you’re going to be traveling with a carry-on bag or suitcase anyway, the Potomac bag is essentially the same but without the overnight compartment, so it’s a bit smaller. Neither, however, would be any fun to carry rather than roll, and neither has a shoulder strap.
I wasn’t at all impressed with the durability of the Wenger luggage I had (though it was the most functionally capable bag I’ve had until it died during a trip to San Francisco) but the laptop bag has held up well through four years of traveling nearly every week, and has been a godsend when I’ve been staying near a customer site and walking to work.
Having had a couple in my time, I’ll tell you this: the recommendations of others are no substitute for actually getting the case in your hands, feeling it, and figuring out how it’ll work for you. Every case I’ve bought that has been someone else’s “favorite ever” or “I just love this bag!” has been a disaster for me.
The best case I ever had is the one I still have: a $100 calfskin leather case I bought at Office Depot. It fits my laptop snugly (15.2 inch screen) and safely, and most importantly, the case is super-comfortable to carry. The durability is superb, too; it lasted me through three years of law school and beyond, toting the computer and many pounds of books with ease.
So, my advice is: don’t commit until you can actually manhandle the case yourself and see if it’ll work for you.
I’ve got the Targus 15.4" Ladies Deluxe Tote fromTargus. It was a priority for me to have something that looked both professional and feminine, and that describes this case. It also has a fair amount of space in it fr carrying papers and such, which was handy. It has a cute little pocket inside to put one’s cell phone in, too. (I’m sure lots of other cases would, too. I spent probably all of five minutes in Office Depot (or Office Max) picking out a case to go with my laptop. But I’ve been pretty happy with this one.
I have a Crumpler Skivvy for my 17". It’s sort of like a messenger bag that’s a padded sleeve for the laptop plus a large pocket for my adapter, mouse, headphones, and various audio cables. It doesn’t hold much more than that. If you just need a slim tough barebones bag, this is good. If you need to haul files and notebooks and whatnot it’s definitely not good for that.
I second this advise, I asked for and recieved a new Laptop bag for christmas, and the one my sister picked out was nice and all but as functional as I would have liked. (it had a organizer pocket that only unziped on one side and was not very useful) She gave me this one Because I have a laptop with a 17" display and I didn’t want a case with those goofy wheels, that add weight when carrying it and add unneeded vibration when rolling it I found this one that is really two cases in one, The computer is housed in an inner sleeve that can be used all on it’s own, sans strap with inserts to make a smaller unit fit more snugly. I like the contoured design and it carries much better than my old bag. Good accesory pocket, good organizer pocket and still has a file pocket.
Just my 2 cents, When I mentioned to my sis that I swapped and the reason for it, She didn’t mind, as she didn’t notice the limitations of the bag she selected, cause her use is much different than mine. Much of it comes to personal prefrence.
This is what I use for my 15" PowerBook. I had a hell of a time finding a back that would both fit the widescreen but slim profile PowerBook, and yet not be hugely bulky. (I dislike rollerbags, both on priciple and function.) Before this, I got a Targus backpack that I totally hated…way too bulky. This is just big enough for the laptop, accessories, and a reasonable amount of files or a couple of books, plus the other stuff I usually carry in a bag (flashlight, tape measure, a knife and/or multitool, phone). My only gripe is the limited number of colors; Timbuk2 lets you order customized versions of their other bags, but not this one.
If you’re having a hard time finding what you like in person, you should take a look at eBags.com. They have a laptop bag finder so that you can be sure your laptop will fit; they include lots of photos of the bags and details on weight and dimensions; plus many of the bags have useful customer reviews.
I actually came in here to mention and inquire about Timbuk2 bags as I’ve been thinking of having one made.
That’s the neat thing about them - you can customize pretty much every aspect of the bag - colors, types of fabric, size, pads, pockets, etc. Another plus, is they’re mostly* made here in SF by people making a rather decent wage.
Some of their “stock” things are made overseas, but the custom bags are still made here.
Thanks for all the recommendations, everybody. Right now I am leaning towards a Timbuk2 custom messenger bag, but I sent an email to their customer support address asking for confirmation on sizing. It looks like I’d have to get the large size messenger bag and then pay for an additional XL insert in order to fit a machine with a 15.4" screen, which might be somewhat cost-prohibitive, but I’m waiting until I hear back from them before deciding.
My second choice is the Crumpler “Dreadful Embarrassment” bag. As for going out to the stores and trying ones out, I may still do that, but 1) I don’t have a lot of time for browsing in the stores, and 2) the brands I like the best from what I’ve seen online aren’t necessarily available at Office Depot or Circuit City. But I’m not ruling that out as an option.
You can cusomizer the Classic Messengers, but not some of the others. Nonetheless, I’m quite satisfied with Commute bag, and whether it was made here or overseas it is definitely well constructed, though you do want to get the optional shoulder pad accessory.
Another way to go is to get a computer sleeve and carry it in a normal bag. When I travel light, I’ll eschew the Timbuk2 for an old Patagonia Critical Mass bag and a padded sleeve for the laptop, which allows me to carry a couple days clothing and and some files along with the laptop. It’s more bulky, but it’s only one bag (and comfortably within carry-on limits, though that does prevent me from carrying tools or a knife).
Nonetheless, I’m quite satisfied with Commute bag, and whether it was made here or overseas it is definitely well constructed, though you do want to get the optional shoulder pad accessory.