Why do I like bags? I have no idea, but this is definitely an affliction. Especially since our business calls for us to carry lots of stuff. We need paper notebooks, computers, cords, hard drives, pens, cell phones, ipods, and many other items to do our jobs on our persons at all times. I am looking for the perfect bag, and simply compiled some of my del.icio.us links along the way when doing my research. Before proceeding, I must warn that many of these are messenger style bags…basically because I like them. But my critique of some may not because they are not great messenger bags, but because I am looking for a bag for business use that has a “messenger” feel to it. I travel frequently and am in business meetings (although often informal) almost daily. Here are a few that came across my radar:
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Love this leather products site and really want one of these computer bags. Love the 15 inch MacBook Pro bag in rd2 brown and blue. Not sure this is big on function but it does present very well. Here’s one that would make a great RD2 computer bag.
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Very cool looking bag site sent by Brian Oberkirch. I am particularly impressed with the computer bag and the overall construction. I’ve never seen one of these in the flesh though. From what I can tell, the gold liner seems very nice for finding your stuff in low light conditions. Beside the awesome assortment of bags for just about everything you can imagine, these seem like a definite bag to try sometime.
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Extremely cool bags. a little short on the cool story factor, but they are among the best I have seen. These seem to be extremely well constructed, lots of pockets for gizmos, and well planned for those who are constantly “on the go.” Michael has one of the Folee bags and I’m particularly impressed with the wire edges that are stitched into the pocket liners to maintain the form. Also, the magnetic flap is super sweet for easy access to critical items.
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Very cool messenger bags in the “look and feel” department. They do seem to be for the hard core messenger though. Based on reviews, these seem to be very well made but are lacking in the area of nifty pockets and extras that the business traveler may be wanting. Overall, big on storage space, function, and true to messenger needs.
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These bags seem to be extra cool. They are among the few who think not only about the business, hipster, cool design crowd, but they are also thinking about those who carry sweet cameras. Since I carry a small camera as well as a Nikon D200, there are some bags that really appeal to me. Their web site is sweet and fun to travel through. They seem to have average pockets, great construction, and generally a cool brand. The Luncheon is super cool for the vertical computer bag and the Considerable Embarrassment seems like a super cool bag for the standard horizontal messenger style bag. Lots of space, lots of gadget compartments, and lots of messenger cool. Oh, and by the way, the Brazillion Dollar Home might be excellent for carrying everything, including your camera(s), lenses, computer and just about anything else you may need. Check out this YouTube video I found on this enormous bag.
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Generally these are super cool bags. Great web site for making your own bag. Only trouble is that they do have some ergonomic issues for the hard core business traveler. They do seem very much for the messenger crowd and one might feel less than adequate when walking into a suit and tie meeting with one of these (unless you went all the way conservative black on a custom bag). This was my first big-time bag purchase over a decade back. Not a lot of pockets but it is enormous (Guapo) and is still in perfect condition.
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Spire: Laptop Backpack, Laptop Bag, Laptop Sleeve
These bags seem to be really nice when browsing online and reading some of the reviews. Absolutely love the pocket configuration. They seem like they have nailed that! They also have a cinch that seems to give some added protection to your laptop (not sure how useful this is but is a cool thought). Also, a lot of bag manufacturers seem to miss making really great use of the side pockets. The sides present a great opportunity for adding critically easy access for general utility “stuff.” They have a cinch on one side and a zip pocket on the other. Their prices seem to be very reasonable. My interests were mainly in the “Mojo” that they feature on their web site which is about a hundred bucks.
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Thought the blogger was going to be the bag for me. Went to see it and was impressed by the overall build quality. Extra nice shoulder strap and computer compartment! Not feeling it though since the access to the general pocket areas for quickly pulling out my stash. The process would have been too in depth…. Remove from shoulder, unbuckle flap, unzip pouch, remove item. Anal? Probably so…but one step needs to be removed from this laborious series of tasks… or, they need to add some utility pockets that are outside the flap. Excellent bag overall though.
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Large Capacity Expandable Messenger Bag – TUMI
This expandable messenger bag is super nice. Great material and very professional feel. Tumi does it again with this bag on the “look and feel.” They even have those extra nice pockets on the side for quickly stashing a cell phone, keys, small hard drives and other general stuff. They do have a feature that allows you to unzip the outside of the bag to allow the size to grow. This is great for stuffing lots of items into the bag but can also detract from the overall form of the bag. When in the larger size, the bag does not hold its form very well. Probably not that big of a deal if the bag remains full, but it still detracts from the pristine look of this Tumi. A couple of flaws with this bag though. There is no handle on top for carrying the bag which relegates you to carrying the bag at all times with the shoulder strap. Not so bad but for some reason the bag does not come with a shoulder strap pad. If you happen to have the length of the shoulder strap adjusted to fit you, there is a chance that the strap adjustor buckle may be on the top which puts the weight bearing portion of the strap right on top of your shoulder. Carry this around LAX for an hour and you start to feel it. Overall this is one of my favorite bags for computer and general stuff. A couple of enhancements and it might be perfect.
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For me, there’s always been the need to just carry a bag all of the time to manage all of the gadgets and other junk I need to carry. This is not a computer bag, but if all of your small gadgets, a paper notebook, small hard drives, a wallet and other stuff are what you simply need with you all of the time, this bag could be a nice fit. Also, as a small messenger bag, the fit is perfect. One issue for me though… Wife pulled a purse from her closet to demonstrate a point that this bag has the general shape of some purses. My friends often give me a hard enough time in that I always have a “man purse” with me, but this may be going a bit far. It’s a great purse, I mean bag, for the metrosexual male, but my style is a bit more of a cowboy boots and jeans type of look. I think the bag I am looking for might be heavy duty canvas and earth tones.
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Here’s a source on the Timbuk2 Relay Messenger Bag. I found this locally at Whole Earth Provisions. You cannot find this on the Timbuk2 web site. It’s a retail specialty item. I ended up buying this one. Why? It’s got some nice earthy color, heavy duty canvas, water proof internal lining material, great pockets, super comfortable strap, and a cool little toe clip buckle for the front flap. It’s easy to unclip and looks very nice with the leather trim. This is sort of a Jack Spade, -meets- Tumi Messenger, -meets- vertical Timbuk2 bag. It’s great and super comfortable.
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Sherpani Alpina Women’s laptop bags, baby carriers, backpacks
Cool bags for
[...] Recently, my travels took me to the BlogWorld Expo, where we had fun in the Southwest Airlines booth and took in a few of the activities in Vegas. I hardly noticed, but if you were to look into my bag, there was a hearty stash of gadgets and gizmos that make blogging interesting, easy and fun. Of course, you have to have an appetite to actually use some of the fancy electronics and do a little problem solving along to way, in order to make it worthwhile. [...]
I really like the SFBags.com Waterfield Designs bags.