looking for a good laptop bag, need advice

[nismo96]

Quote:

Originally posted by BlindTiger The problem with laptop bags is that they look too much like laptop bags. And, in an urban or academic environment, it attracts theives. Laptops seem to be in high demand in many urban for sale boards. Seems it's a necessity now for students. I would just use a protective sleeve in a beat up old bag with lots of exterior pockets.

That's not a bad idea. I've got an Incase laptop sleeve that I used to use before I got a "proper" laptop bag. I Googled Incase, but their site seems to be down. I'd offer to sell you my case since it's sitting here unused, but it's most likely too small for your laptop. This one would fit a 14" screen laptop.

 

[BlindTiger]

This is what I use for now. I love all the exterior pockets, it fits my IBM T20 perfectly. Has a removeable hard divider inside and is lined with the hook fabric so velcro pouches can be secured inside. The nylon is twice as thick as I've see in other nylon bags.
It may be too small for some laptops.

 

[stymie miasma]

Crumpler have dedicated laptop bags in the guise of courier bags, as well as padded sleeves for laptops. I use one of their non-laptop courier bags (Seedy Three) and a sleeve (McBain's Lovechild) and have had no problems. Awesome construction and they look much cooler and less 'laptop' that your regular laptop bag.

They are especially good if you commute by bicycle!

 

[MichaelFranks]

Before you skimp on the cost of a laptop bag, consider the cost of replacing the laptop if you were to drop or fall on it.

I unfortunately fell during an ice storm and demolished the case of my old laptop. I was lucky, everything still worked fine, but when I invested in my new, much more expensive laptop, I included the cost of suitable armor into the purchase.

They are fragile beasts that are extremely difficult and costly to service, so think long and hard...

On a similar note, I also purchased a piece of soft cloth to protect the screen from the keyboard when closed. I got it from radtech.us, and it is the best 15$ investment I could have made. The screen still looks as good as new, and will continue to look that way! Plus you can use it to wipe off lint and smudges.

OK I am rambling now....

 

[stuartr]

I have the Victronox backpack, and it is phenomenal, but it was more than 100 dollars. I would say make sure you get a backpack -- with a laptop that big, you will be miserable if you have to carry it on your shoulder. Tumi also makes really high quality bags, but they too are ridiculously expensive. Jansport migth be the way to go here. That said, check out Lowe Pro. They usually make camera bags, but I think they came out with some laptop bags that are meant to support digital photographers -- their bags are awesome, fairly priced, and it would have customizable inserts to accomidate lenses -- something that you could modify to fit your bel canto DAC. It might be the ideal solution...another benefit, they don't look all flashy, so they will not be as likely to be stolen.

 

[Vault]

stymie miasma is right on the money with the Crumpler recommendation. Nice camoflage if you don't want to scream "Here's my laptop!" Plus very comfortable. Also doubles as a great overnight bag sans the laptop when you need it.

 

[Oddball]

Oh yeah, I can also attest to the Crumpler Bag. I went biking with my Crumpler and it started raining when I was around ten or fifteen minutes into the trail. The Crumpler bag kept my cell phone and everything inside dry while I was soaking wet. And this was a serious downpour. The crumplers are very nice!

 

[dougbrad81]

i took a look at those crumpler bags, and once again their to small for my laptop. i took a look at some aluminum cases but they were to expensive. the sumdex one looks is the only one i can find so far will fit my laptop and bel canto, except the protection it offers seems insufficient. maybe i'll get that bag and wrap the laptop with some of those big bubble wraps. would this be a good idea?

 

[nismo96]

For what it's worth techbargains.com has a link to $10 off a $35 purchase or 20% off of a purchase. It oughtto be worth checking out.

 

[shaggy me]

stymie miasma's courier bag recommendation is a good one, but i use a Mountain Equipment Co-op courier bag which I've been using the same bag for almost 9 years along with a padded slip. This or this might also be an idea.

 

[stymie miasma]

Quote:

Originally posted by dougbrad81 i took a look at those crumpler bags, and once again their to small for my laptop. i took a look at some aluminum cases but they were to expensive. the sumdex one looks is the only one i can find so far will fit my laptop and bel canto, except the protection it offers seems insufficient. maybe i'll get that bag and wrap the laptop with some of those big bubble wraps. would this be a good idea?

Ah yes, I just looked at the dimensions of your machine, and it is quite the beast

Crumpler sleeves do cater for the 17" Powerbooks, but I think you run into trouble due to the depth of your laptop.

The Very Busy Man looks like it might be big enough to accept your laptop.

Before I got my Crumpler Laptop sleeve, I used to wrap my computer in a Polartec 300 series fleece if that helps