Australian Company Haul specialises in making bags, cases and accessories from recycled products like billboard vinyl and number plates.  Their Foreman is made from recycled truck tyres, seat belt webbing and recycled denim.  Capable of taking a 15″ laptop and A4 folders, the bag is 38 x31x12 cm.  The rubber is not affected by water or weather and can be either left to weather naturally or shined up with rubber nutrient (such as Armourall). Because of the material, it’s not going to be the lightest bag around at 1.5kg  (3.31lbs).

Available from Haul for $179AU (approx $170US after tax removal)

Filed in categories: Bags, Backpacks, News

Tagged: Bag, messenger bag

Haul Foreman – Rubbery Bag originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 28, 2012 at 8:00 am.

New from STM is their Velo laptop messenger bag.  Packed with lots of organizational features, yet spacious enough to just toss stuff in.  The Velo could be a solid daily commute bag for your laptop, tablet, accessories, jacket, shoes, hat, raincoat, keys, journal, pens, water bottle, lunch, manicure set…  OK, maybe it won’t hold ALL that, but it looks pretty roomy and organizational-y.  Small for 13″ laptops, Medium for 15″ laptops and available in black and mushroom colors, each for about $100 from online sellers Altrec.com and eBags.com.  Got a favorite laptop and gear hauling messenger?

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: Bag, Laptop Bag, messenger bag

STM Adds Velo Laptop Messenger Bag To Lineup originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 9, 2011 at 8:00 am.

So you’ve spent all that money personalizing your new gadget bag, forked out for that rare once in a lifetime  unobtainium material. What’s the last thing you want to do? Put your new best friend on that dirty, icky floor.

Worry no longer, Workiture has you covered. Their el-bagped stand (shown with a Timbuk2 bag) is manufactured from sturdy eighth-inch cold-rolled steel, sanded, TIG welded, and powder-coated and protects your new baby from all that muck.  You can even choose from a number of (bag matching?) fabrics and patterns if you choose to have it manufactured with a shelf, as shown.  Some of these stands can even be flipped over and used as a stool.

Priced at $169 without and $199 with shelf.

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: Bag, gear bag, Stand

Do you REALLY love your gadget bag? – Protect it with Workiture El-bagped originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 22, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

There isn’t a shortage of bags and sleeves designed for carrying an iPad or any other similarly sized tablet device. Finding one that matches your particular style  might take a bit of shopping though. In an effort to give you yet another option, I want to show you the WaterField iPad Travel Express which can be used as a storage sleeve or a shoulder bag. Let’s take a look.

Note: Click the images in this review to see more detail.

The iPad Travel Express has been designed to accommodate the original iPad or the iPad 2 with or without the Smart Cover.

The bag is made of durable black ballistic nylon (the same material used in bullet-proof vests) with a narrow stripe of color. You can choose from 6 different stripe colors: Black, Copper, Flame, Green Pearl and Pine. I was sent the Flame version of this bag to review.

The Travel Express differs from most sleeves / bags in that it has a zipper that not only goes across the top, but also goes down one side. The YKK zippers are heavy duty and have an attached loop to make them easy to open. The only weird thing I noticed is the way the ends of the zipper have been sewn into the bag. As you can see from the image above, they are sort of wrapped around each other. Visually, it’s not a big deal, but functionally, I found the zipper doesn’t want to completely close. A small fingertip sized opening remains. This will probably either bug you a lot or not at all.

The zipper issue has been resolved since they sent my sample. You can see the improved design in the image above.

If you’re willing to add an additional $5 to the price of the bag, you can have 2 metal D-rings added so that an optional shoulder strap can be attached. One D-ring is located on the Left side.

The other D-ring is sewn into the top back Right corner.

I was sent their suspension strap mini to test with this bag, which costs an additional $22. Also available is a simple strap mini for $12.

The shoulder pad has nubby rubber surface to keep it from sliding around while you’re wearing it.

Heavy spring loaded clips connected to the ends of a narrow woven strap that can be adjusted for length.

Unzipping the Travel Express reveals the iPad pocket which is lined with a soft knit material that protects the contents from scratches.

The front and back of this pocket are lined with a rigid plastic insert to offer additional protection.

Sewn into the front of the iPad section are 2 stretchy pockets that can hold various items. Here you see that I’ve placed a Rhodia notebook into one of the pockets. The Rhodia is similar in size to a small Moleskin notebook.

Two more pockets are attached to back wall of the bag. These are thicker pockets that work perfect for holding accessories such as the iPad’s AC adapter and charging cable.

The Travel Express can even accommodate the Apple wireless keyboard.

Like other WaterField products that I’ve reviewed and used over the years, this bag is constructed very well. I could find no defects in the materials or workmanship. I can honestly say that if you buy this bag, you’ll probably never need to buy another as it will last longer than you’ll have your iPad. I’ve been using the same WaterField wallet for almost 6 years and it still looks great.

Here I am wearing the Travel Express. It’s a great bag that can hold just the right amount of gear.

If I had the ability to make a couple changes to to this bag, I’d fix the zipper issue (see above) and add an additional flat pocket on the exterior that could hold a magazine or plane tickets. That it would make a perfect travel companion – for me. As is, I still really like this bag because it fits my style. It’s not flashy, but stylish at the same time. It’s made extremely well and does exactly what it’s meant to do – protect a tablet and accessories.

Filed in categories: Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Bag, iPad, Tablet

WaterField iPad Travel Express Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 26, 2011 at 3:25 pm.

Are you a marine in need of carrying all your weaponry?  Or are you a Gadgeteer in need of a awesome gear bag for all your tech toys?  Either way, Maxpedition’s Multi Purpose Bag would be perfect for you!

Maxpedition’s Multi Purpose Bag is made of light-weight ballistic nylon fabric coated with Dupont’s Teflon to resist water and grime.  Maxpedition’s Multi Purpose Bag is made to last.  It feels rugged and definitely can survive a gadget lover’s usage and a soldier’s war.

Product Features :

• Main: 14″(L) x 6″(W) x 10″(H) with hook-and-loop Divider
• Front: 6″(L) x 2″(W) x  9″(H) with ID/Pen Holder
• Rear: 5″(L) x 2″(W) x 5″(H) and 5″(L) x 2″(W) x 4″(H)
• Both Sides: 13″(L) x 2″(W) x 9.5″(H)
• Exterior Dimensions Overall (including main, front, rear and side pockets): 16″ (W) x 11″ (H) x 10″ (D)
• Carry: 2″ Strap w/ Non-slip Shoulder Pad
• Approximate Combined Capacity: 1530 cu. in

Top down you can see that all the zippers have a paracord pull attached to them for ease of use.  All zippers are YKK Zippers for durability and reliability.

The right side has a medium sized zippered pocket, velcro ID pocket, and 4 slot velcro covered pen holders.  Inside the medium sized zipper pocket are 2 pockets where you can separate your many gadgets…or ammo.

The left side has 2 small sized zippered pockets.

The front has 2 loops on the top which can hold a long flashlight or as for me, an umbrella.

The main compartment is closed by a velcro flap with double zippers.

The front compartment has many pockets to hold documents, pens, chargers, cell phones, etc.

Outside the back compartment is another velcro spot for accessory attachments.

Inside the back compartment are 2 medium pockets and a larger pocket.

The main compartment is padded #AS-100 high grade closed-cell foam padding material for superior shock protection.

There are pockets on both sides of the main compartment.

Maxpedition also included a removable stiff panel which can be used for cord management or as a handgun holster.

The Multi Purpose Bag by itself is pretty light but it gets quite heavy after you fill it up.  I recently used this bag as my travel carry-on for my business trip.  All I can say is that this bag is like a black hole.  It can hold so much in such a reasonably sized bag.  I carried a laptop, a tablet, cell phone, 3 magazines, a hard covered research book, 2 notepads, a few folders, chargers, sync cables, snacks, pens, digital camera, and a few other smaller items.  It was organized and easily accessible.  Only thing is that this bag is not TSA certified.  So I had to take my laptop and tablet out to go through the x-ray scanner.

Maxpedition’s Multi Purpose Bag costs $139.99 direct and comes in 5 colors (black, OD green, khaki, foliage green, and orange foliage).  I think it’s worth it for any techie or marine in need of an extremely reliable and durable Multi Purpose Bag.

Filed in categories: Gear, Laptops and Gear, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: Bag, maxpedition, Travel

Maxpedition Multi Purpose Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 27, 2011 at 11:00 am.

I consider myself a personal electronic device transportation solution enthusiast.   OK, I have a gadget bag fetish, alright?  Like many of us, I’m constantly on the lookout for a better way to haul my must-have gear.  When I stumbled upon the Transport “urban bag” by Setgo, my interest was piqued.  With its low-profile, over-the-shoulder design, it reminds me of the ammunition bandolier sported by a certain Wookiee co-pilot.  Front features include two quick access pockets for phones or pods, an inside zip-up pocket and slide-in metro card.  Back features include three internal pockets for gear storage, a large main zip-up pocket.  Nylon and available in black.  $80.00.  Rrraaawwrr!

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Bag, gear bag

Setgo Transport: Chewbacca’s gadget hauler? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 18, 2011 at 9:26 pm.

I grant you Saddleback Leather’s Waterbag is not a gadget or tech device of any kind…..its not even specifically designed to carry around tech gear and/or their accessories. But it is an incredibly well made, stylish piece of travel gear, designed to (easily) withstand the test of decades of travel and the hard/rough-road taken. When I opened the box from Saddleback I literally heard the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme rumbling through my head. The Waterbag is classic, timeless, rugged, manly, tough as nails, bad to the bone ( )…..all terms that come to mind when I think about anything created by Saddleback Leather, actually.

The Gadgeteer Team has reviewed quite a few Saddleback products over the years and a majority of them reference Indiana Jones or the Raider of the Lost Ark movies in their reviews. As you have read, I have done the same thing. All of Saddleback’s creations radiate old-world craftsmanship, handmade artistry, over-the-top rugged design, and the highest quality materials; all backed by a lifetime warranty. If you have researched Saddleback Leather Company’s products at all, you know they are definitely not the cr@p#y, mass manufactured, thin-leather bags from China. Saddleback products are hand-made in Mexico.

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 20″w x 9 1/2″d x 6″-18″h (50.8cm x 24.1cm x 15.2cm – 45.7cm)
• Weight: Approx 10 pounds
• Leather: 100% Hypoallergenic 4 to 5 oz (2.0mm to 2.2mm) thick Full Grain chrome tanned leather
• Construction: The body is made from one solid piece of leather
• Thread: The double zero continuous-filament Polyester thread

Features:

• Constructed of full grain leather
• Made of one solid leather piece
• Fully tanned leather
• Hidden nylon reinforcing straps
• No breakable parts
• Sewn together with industrial thread
• One big long seam

The Waterbag is available in four colors:

• Chestnut
• Carbon black
• Dark coffee
• Tobacco

Build Quality and Design:

Like all the Saddleback Leather (SBL) bags I have seen/reviewed over the years, they are built to last and last and last. So far, I have yet to have one of their items even break in. The Waterbag is the most rugged SBL item I have used so far and I do not foresee it even breaking in for a VERY long time, let alone wear out. Saddleback Leather bags are constructed of 4-5 ounce full grain leather, which comes from the top layer of the cow hide (the toughest part).

The main body of the Waterbag is formed from a single piece of their ultra thick leather, stitched together with double zero continuous-filament polyester thread. The two main (front and back) flaps are held closed by three straps that are attached in the back of the bag and buckles to the front. The two side flaps fold underneath the front and back flaps. This design keeps your contents secure, but the buckles also mean that you won’t be able to quickly open the Waterbag.

As you can see, the three straps are securely attached to the back of the Waterbag. As with all critical points on Saddleback products, they are secured via stitching and rivets. This is just one of the (many) configurations the Waterbag can be transformed into.

There is nothing of note on the bottom of the bag. Although the base of the Waterbag is just as tough as the rest of the bag; I envision it taking the most abuse (being dragged around and scuffed more than the other parts of the bag).

The sides of the Waterbag have several connection points to attach the various straps. There are two d-rings on each side, meant to attach the shoulder strap for carrying the bag in the classic, over-the shoulder method. The right side of the bag has a single o-ring at the base and the left has two, one on each corner. These o-rings enable you to wear the Waterbag as a backpack.

The handles are well padded, strongly stitched and easy to carry the bag with. When I traveled with the Waterbag, I occasionally needed to take it off my shoulder and carry it via the handles to give my shoulder a (needed) rest.

To give the Waterbag form and the interior extra protection, Saddleback includes two rigid, leather covered liners, 6″ and 9″ (pictured) high. When new and not broken in, the Waterbag can stand on its own. But once the leather begins to soften, the liner will allow the bag to stand open on its own.

The Waterbag comes with a thick, relatively comfortable shoulder strap with two pads, for carrying the bag over your shoulder or as a backpack.

It also comes with a secondary handle to be used in some of the Waterbag’s many configurations. This smaller handle is as well made as the rest of the bag.

Form and Function:

I travel quite a bit for my day job, bouncing around the US for varying periods of time.  A majority of the time, I go on an overnight or two/three day trips that requires more space than a small bag allows for but not enough to take a large roller bag. The Waterbag’s ability to expand when needed is ideal for this type of travel.

I can carry the obligatory pants, shirts, undies, and two days worth of workout gear and size thirteen running shoes within the Waterbag: total weight 22 pounds. I compared it to my small roller bag and the weight is comparable. The difference is that my roller bag has wheels (obviously) and the Waterbag is designed to be worn over the shoulder, as a backpack, or carried by the handle; all methods are more of a burden than dragging along a wheeled bag.

My typical travel wear easily fits into the Waterbag.

While the Waterbag has a nice volume to travel for a few days, it is heavy…..over 10 pounds heavy, empty and over 20 filled. If there was one single Con throughout a majority of the Saddleback reviews we have done here at The Gadgeteer, its the weight of their products. For me the Waterbag weighs as much as the three days of clothes I pack into it. But that is fine with me, I am tall, in relatively good shape and strong enough to manhandle it. So, humping around the Waterbag is not too much of a hassle. I found the key to packing this bag around is managing what other bags you bring with it. On my first airplane (cross country) trip with the Waterbag, I also brought my booq Boa Flow backpack to carry my tech-gear. In retrospect, a tactical error on my part….both bags needed to go over my shoulder and were definitely in each others way and too much of a burden (from a logistical & weight perspective) as well.

I have reviewed several Saddleback bags over the years and they have yet to disappoint me. And to be honest, the Waterbag is by far my favorite from not only a look/style but a form/function perspective as well. It did a great job carrying my non-tech stuff from Seattle to Raleigh and back. During this trip, I received no less than a half-dozen compliments on the Waterbag from the little old lady at Starbucks to the TSA agents running the security screening. It did get a few minor scuffs and scraps going in and out of the overhead but they quickly faded. Admittedly $645 dollars is not cheap; but considering the build and material quality, craftsmanship, look and style, it is a far better value than the designer bags you can purchase for much more. If you can manage the Waterbags overall weight, I could not recommend it more.

If you are interested in getting one of these or just curious, here is a great video by Dave (founder and owner of SBL) that shows many of the configurations the Waterbag can transform into. Well worth a watch…..

Note: The links to Saddleback Leather on this page are affiliate links, which earns a small percentage of any sales that come from The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: Bag, Leather

Saddleback Leather Co. Waterbag Medium Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 7, 2011 at 11:00 am.

There are certain manufactures where I truly love their products; Apple, Vaja, Surefire and Waterfield bags, to name a few.  Yep, definite fanboy and I am not ashamed to admit it. Quality is what matters. With the purchase of my 13” MacBook Air, I have been doing my best to take it with me as minimalistically as possible. For the most part, I have been transporting it in my booq Flow backpack (which I love) and my Speck TuckBack slipper case. Neither of which are as sleek or slim as I would prefer. It had been quite a while since I have used a Waterfield slipper case. So, when I discovered that Waterfield was creating a slipper case (SleeveCase) especially for the new MacBook Airs, I requested one to review to see if they are as great as I remember them to be.

I requested the Cadillac of what was possible for Waterfield to create. I chose horizontal orientation, flap, side D-rings/shoulder strap, accessory pouch and leather bottom/highlights.

On the right is my old Waterfield slipper case that I carried around my 17” MacBook Pro. As you can see, their design has not changed much over the years (why futz with a good thing). That said, I really like the new leather bottom/highlight option. It transforms a nice looking case into one that looks stylish and professional.

My MBAir slides snugly into the sleeve. Waterfield has done their usual great job of creating and sizing a form-fitting slipper case. The exterior of the slipper case is a rugged ballistic nylon. The interior is soft padded felt material that will protect and definitely not scratch your precious laptop. Without a doubt, Waterfield’s material and construction are up to their usual high standards.

As you can see, the case really does look nice. Other than the black nylon pull tab on the bottom, D-rings on the sides, and magazine pocket on the back, the MBAir sleeve is very simplistic in its design.

I opted for the D-rings which are well engineered into the sides of the sleeve.

These are meant to attach not only the (suspension) shoulder strap (which is as well constructed as the case itself)…..

….but the accessory pouch as well.

The pouch is lightweight and ideally sized to carry my tech-essentials.

Everything fits within the pouch with a bit of room to spare.

The Waterfield laptop SleeveCase for the new 13” MacBook Air and accompanying accessory pouch is very nice and extremely well constructed. However, it is not engineered to protect your laptop during a significant drop or impact like the booq Flow. It is designed to protect the MacBook Air from minor bumps, bruises, and scrapes.

Waterfield allows you to customize your sleeve; the flap ($15), leather bottom ($10), D-rings/suspension (shoulder) strap ($22),and  accessories pouch w/leather trim ($27) are all upgrades to the base model sleeve (which comes in vertical and horizontal orientations). The base model is reasonably priced @ $39.  The way I customized mine is a pretty steep upgrade at $113. No matter how you configure it, I would recommend Waterfield as one of the best places to get a sleeve for any device you are trying to protect.

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, Macbook

Waterfield Laptop SleeveCase for the 13″ MacBook Air Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 18, 2011 at 1:08 pm.

Since 9/11 there has been increased popularity in military-inspired products.  Known as ‘tactical’ gear (or ‘tacticool’ by some), many of these items go beyond merely inspiration and are in fact quite well designed and built and are functional and rugged.  Civilian Lab, a company in this tactical gear this category, has a growing portfolio that includes the Hazard 4 brand of products.  I had the opportunity to review the Hazard 4 Tonto mini messenger bag, and to put Hazard 4′s motto “progressive tactical” to the test.  Let’s see how it fared!

Inside the Box

Opening the shipping box, I found the Tonto bag itself, the shoulder strap, and a 2010 Hazard 4 product catalog.  Everything looked very professional and well built from the start.  From the outset, the bag had a nice, hefty feel to it, which is important to me in making a good first impression.

Shipping box contents

Overview and Dimensions

I found Tonto’s name to be interesting.  Fans of classic TV from yesteryear will remember the name Tonto as the Lone Ranger’s sidekick, forever faithful and often pulling the ol’ Ranger’s fat out of the fire.  The marketing folks at Hazard 4 must have had something similar in mind with the Tonto bag.  The Tonto bag is classified as a mini messenger, presumably due to its fold-over flap with buckle fastener design, features which are common to all messenger-style bags.  The Tonto I reviewed was in ready for night ops in all black color, and it is also available in a desert scheme coyote tan, both of which are popular ‘tactical’ colors.  The majority of its construction is from DuPont® Cordura® 1000D, a water-, stain-, and rip-resistant nylon.  Tough stuff indeed.  Its approximate external dimensions are 7.5 x 10 x 5 inches (19 x 25 x 10 cm).

Carry Handle

Starting at the top of the bag is a carry handle with an interesting design.  The core of the handle is a nylon strap that traverses from the left side of the top of the bag to the right side.  This nylon strap is surrounded by a flexible rubber outer layer.  The top of the rubber portion has small circular holes, while the bottom is a bit more exposed. All this in combination results in a strong, ventilated handle with a nice, grippy texture.  One of the finest I’ve evaluated.  Just feels great in the hand.

Carry handle - top

Carry handle - bottom

Front Flap Pocket

Moving down the front of the bag is a zipper pocket that is actually integrated into the front flap.  This pocket has two zipper pulls (as do all the zippers on this bag) and inside is a strip of Velcro loop material for mounting modular accessories and also a divider with Velcro strip closure.

Zippered pocket on front flap

Velcro Patch and Flap Bottom

Continuing on down, in the top portion of the front face of the bag sits a rectangular section of Velcro for affixing IDs, morale patches or other items.  The bottom portion of the front face, which is the bottom of the flap, is made from a tough material that has a vinyl-like feel, presumably because this is a high-use area where one would tend to routinely grab when opening the flap.  A nice touch.

Front of bag showing Velcro patch and tough material on flap bottom

The rear of the bag has two notable features, a belt-strap and a concealed pocket, each described in greater detail below.

Back of back

Belt Strap

The back of the bag has a short strap that is stitched at the top and attached with Velcro at the bottom.  I presume this is a belt strap, but this bag seems a bit largish to have hanging from my belt.  Perhaps it could also be used to attached the bag to a MOLLE-style modular webbing system that is found on many other tactical-type items.

Back showing belt strap

Concealed Back Pocket

The back of the bag also has a long pocket that is secured at the top with Velcro.  This pocket runs the entire width and almost the entire length of the back of the bag, but is rather thin and might be best for papers, maps and so forth.  However, it is nearly concealed, and that might come in handy, perhaps for packing a small pistol.  This is a tactical bag, after all.

Rear concealed pocket

Buckle

Also at the bottom of the front of the bag is the main buckle, used to secure the flap.  This is one of the most well-designed buckles I’ve encountered.  It is large, robust and feels very solid.  It can be operated one-handed, sliding home with a tactile and audible click.  It also includes a slide button that indicates “Lock” and “Open.”

Buckle with locking slider

The buckle is on a wide nylon strap that has some excess length that can be loosened or tightened depending on the volume of the bag’s contents.  There is a plastic D-ring attached to the end of the strap’s loose end so that an item can be clipped to it.  The loose end of the strap can also be tucked into a smaller strap on the bottom of the bag, to keep it from flopping around:

Tucking the strap underneath

Under the Flap

Under the front flap is an elastic strap that connects via Velcro on end.  I have to admit I’m unsure of the purpose of this feature.

Mystery Velcro strap under flap

Another concealed pocket, this one under the flap

The entire flap itself actually has a pocket in it that closes with a strip of Velcro.  Like the thin, concealed pocket on the back of the bag, this one might be good for maps, notebooks, and so forth.Also under the flap, on the front the bag, is an array of MOLLE-style modular webbing into which can be clipped all different types of items.  I’ve placed a few different types of pens and one of my EDC knives in the view on the right as a demonstration.

MOLLE-type webbing under flap

Front Fold-Down

There are two double-pull zippers under the flap.  The zipper towards the front of the bag accesses a fold-down panel that contains several organizer pockets of various sizes on the vertical side, and a large, transparent pocket with a Velcro closure strip on the fold-down side.  There is also a narrow strap on either side of the fold-down flap that only allows it to go to horizontal, and no farther.  My assumption here is that the transparent pocket can be used to protect a map from the elements and when the fold-down flap is opened, the two straps keep it level so that the user can read it hands-free.

The front fold-down, loaded with pockets

The organizer pockets can be used for all sorts of things like notebooks, flashlights, batteries, rulers, chop sticks, Pixie Stix…you get the idea.

Organizer and front fold-down detail

I’ve included a close up of the logo patch because, well, it looks pretty cool.

Hazard 4 logo patch

Main Compartment

The  main compartment of the bag is accessed through the second double-pull zipper.  Incidentally, all of the zipper pulls on this bag are knotted paracord, which cuts down on sound for operations in which silence is essential.  They are also easier to grab, in my experience.

Under flap: main compartment access

The main compartment of the bag has several interesting features as well. The main body is padded, which affords a level of protection to the contents.  It’d like to report that the main compartment has enough space for an iPad, but alas, it does not.  Though iPad compatibility may not have been one of Hazard 4′s design considerations for the Tonto, I consider this to be somewhat of a miss, considering the popularity of the iPad.  Perhaps this can be updated in Tonto 2.0.  The main compartment also has a thin pocket on either side into which items can be placed.  These pockets are thin enough that they can be pushed out of the way to accommodate larger items in the main compartment if needed.

Main compartment

Along the back wall of the main compartment are two horizontal Velcro strips that can serve two purposes.  The first purpose of the Velcro strips is that they can be used to retain modular Velcro items.

Main compartment divider, tucked aside till needed

The second is that the Velcro strips can work in conjunction with a fold-over partition located on the inside front wall of the main compartment.  This partition is sewed into the bag on one end like a hinge and attaches to the bag with Velcro on the other end to keep it out of the way.  When needed, the Velcro end of the partition can be removed from the front wall of the bag interior and attached to the corresponding Velcro strip on the back wall of the bag interior, thus creating a divider to separate items in the main compartment.  The divider is padded to keep the contents from being damaged by bumping into or rubbing against each other.  You might use this to separate your DSLR and a lens, or a bottle of water from your bag of Doritos.

Main compartment divider in action

Sides

Not to be outdone, the sides of this bag contain several features as well.  First, there are two sets of suspension rings, two along either side of bag, and two on either side of the top of the bag, to allow the user some flexibility in how they wear it–high and tight or low rider style.  The right side (when the bag is viewed from the front), has more horizontal MOLLE-style webbing for attaching modular items or holding small items that you may want to access quickly.  In the image below, the right side of the bag is show with several items for demonstration.  The left side of the bag has a vertical strip of MOLLE-webbing over a zippered compartment.

Left and Right outside

The zippered compartment on the left side of the bag has a thin pocket (similar to the two in the main compartment) that can be sued to hold items or as a divider.  The compartment also is large enough to hold a can of soda or a bottle of water.  And by Jove, it actually does.  Look at that!

Left side zipper pocket

There is a also a small spring-loaded hook attached to the outside front of the zippered compartment for keys, a small flashlight and the like.

Left side spring hook

Shoulder Strap

This bag has one of the most comfortable shoulder straps I have ever used, and it also has several integrated features.  The strap itself is made from a durable nylon material, wide enough to feel comfortable by distributing the load.  There are not only one but two buckles to adjust the length of the strap.  The hooks are swivel-type, durable plastic with metal spring-loaded latch mechanism.  In addition, the shoulder strap includes a separate stabilizer strap which can be used to help keep the bag in place while you are out on maneuvers.  The stabilizer strap is fully adjustable and can be removed and repositioned easily via a Velcro connection to the main strap and a hook to the bag.

Shoulder strap

Shoulder strap pad

The strap pad is removable and slides along the strap to adjust for comfort.  The top of the strap pad has yet more MOLLE-style webbing to attach gear.  The strap pad is thickly padded for weight distribution and comfort and the bottom of the pad has a mesh texture that helps grip and also allows moisture to dry.

Actual Use

The bag is easily adjustable for various heights and preferred wearing styles.  I tend to wear my gear bags across my chest and slung behind me in the classic messenger bag style rather than over one shoulder and hanging beside me in, well…purse style.  I found that in my preferred mode of carry, both with or without the stabilizer strap, it rides quite comfortably.  I like to throw in my camera, some protein bars, pen and notebook and still have room for other stuff.  I can also report that on a weekend trip to the Indiana Dunes, my 9-year-old daughter wore the Tonto while hiking.  It adjusted down to accommodate her size quite well and she enjoyed using it.  One other thing to mention here is that some may make comparisons between the Tonto and a purse-like or Euro man-bag.  Although I can understand this perception, with the color, style, and ruggedness of this bag, I see this as a weak comparison.  This bag looks much more hard-core than haute couture.

WITHOUT stabilizer strap

WITH stabilizer strap

Final Thoughts

Hazard 4′s Tonto 4 mini messenger bag is the real deal.  It is very solidly built from high quality materials and well constructed.  Many features have been packed into its small size, and it has been well designed to include not only lots of pockets and compartments to stash gear of all shapes and sizes, but placement of the features make ease of use intuitive.  It can be adjusted for multiple wearing preferences to suit the user’s preference.  The only drawbacks I could find are that it is not large enough to accommodate an iPad and its remotely purse-like appearance (though a very manly, hardcore purse).  It’s a great kimosabe to accompany you on missions, whether they be of the tactical, urban, or rural variety when you don’t want to lug your ginormous gear bag.  I’m looking forward to trying out more of Hazard 4′s products.

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, gear bag

Hazard 4 Tonto Mini Messenger Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm.

As many of you who read The Gadgeteer know, I am a bit of a fanatic about gear bags and have reviewed my fair share of them.  From the Ellington Europa Field Bag (no longer manufactured) to the Duluth Trading Fire Hose Bag, I have tried many bags over the years.  All of them have, to some degree, left me a little cold.  In some cases, it wasn’t quite large enough to hold everything I really need to have with me on a daily basis, or they were a little too large for my needs.  My primary uses for a bag are for bringing my laptop and papers to school with me (a job that the SF Bags Waterfield Medium Cargo Bag has performed nicely for the last two years), taking with me when I go out for a weekend trip (including the Victorinox Horizontal Tote, the Fire Hose Field Bag, the Europa Field Bag, the Olympia tote) and to hold my gear when I take my annual storm chasing trip (the Roadwired Pod, Podzilla, Photo/Video Convertible Bag, CityWalker pack, Lowepro D-Res waistpack, among others).  After Julie’s reviews of Saddleback Leather products, I have been trying to justify dropping a huge chunk of change on a Satchel for some time.  I spent a whole day last week doing nothing but trying to find every single photo, video and review of the medium satchel online.  I finally called the nice people at Saddleback, had a very good conversation with the woman who answered the phone, and managed somehow to purchase the Medium Satchel in Dark Coffee Brown while talking.  Funny how that can happen!  Shipping prices got expensive in a hurry, so I went with ground shipping.  As Tom Petty said so eloquently, the waiting is the hardest part!  I figured after a couple of years of agonizing over this purchase, another week wouldn’t kill me.

It was not on my porch one moment, then it was.  In a brown box.  I took it inside, slit the plastic tape keeping it from me, threw back the paper padding and carefully removed the plastic bag protecting it.  I took the rich, dark brown bag out of its confinement and held it up to my eyes.

You know how fingerprints can appear out of nowhere on the surface of an iPod?  Well, scratches are kind of like that on this thick leather.  Within moments of unwrapping it, the pristine leather surface was covered in scratches.  This bag is not a bag for someone who worships pretty leather pieces.  It’s meant to be beaten up, and the process starts right out of the bag.  If you freak out when your car gets scratched for the first time, then avoid this bag.  It WILL get messed up in a hurry.  Saddleback accepts returns, but only if the bag is in new condition.  Well, it stops being in new condition right out of the box.  Be ready for that.

Once you get over the heart attack of instant scratches, the charm of the bag hits you.  The leather is thick and supple, yet stiff.  That should work itself out with age.  The stitching is thick thread (about a millimeter thick) and the stitches themselves are wide (about 5 mm between stitch holes).  All edges have two rows of stitches, about 1 cm apart, to keep the leather pieces strongly together.

The termination points of the stitches appear to have been melted to prevent fraying.  Stress points are tacked with rivets with an aged bronze patina.

The hardware is thick and rugged, made for utility and not looks.  There is some appearance of wear and oxidation on the D rings and the O rings.  The only exception to this is the swivel clip hardware that holds the shoulder strap to the bag.  They are bright and shiny and very sturdy.

The mechanism is one I have never seen before, two jaws that interlock right at the point where they sit against the connecting ring.

The D-rings are attached to the bag with a loop of 1/8” thick leather, stitched and riveted to the side of the bag.  There is also a very long leather strap that is riveted to the inside of the bag (no stitching) with a key clip at the far end.  This strap is a bit too long to be useful, though the clip is pretty decent.  I would be tempted to slice the strap off, but I might want to resell this bag some day.

On either side of the bag are leather pockets designed to fit a water bottle.  These are pretty slim, though…I don’t think you could actually get a water bottle in there.  Since they are not sealable at the top, I would be leery of putting anything valuable in there.  Maybe they will stretch with age, but as they come now, they are fairly prehensile.

On the back of the bag is an open pocket for papers or even a magazine, as long as it is inserted vertically.  There is a fair bit of friction, however, so getting your papers into it unrumpled will be a challenge.

Here is the back of the bag with an Orion Telescope ad magazine and a Make magazine stuffed into the back pocket:

And here is the interior of the rear pocket!

The top of the bag is home to a rugged carry handle.  It’s made of a single piece of leather, very cunningly folded and stitched to create an excellent way to carry the bag in the hand.  The handle is attached to the top flap of the bag by the same kind of leather loop/stitch/rivet arrangement as the D-rings are.  It is very sturdy and quite comfortable.

Behind the handle is an O-ring designed to be used to convert this bag into a backpack.  The point where the metal closes to form the loop is pretty roughly finished.  Not that it will cut you, but it is not the polished kind of hardware you would expect to find in a high-end leather bag.  Then again, the bag is meant to exude a rustic flavor, not a frou-frou metrosexual vibe.

Converting the bag into a backpack requires you to unstrap the adjustment buckle, remove one of the two shoulder pads, attach one end of the strap to a bottom D-ring, thread the strap through the top O-ring, slide the second shoulder pad back on, then rebuckle the adjustment strap and attach it to the bottom d-ring on the other side.  It sounds worse than it is.  The conversion takes about one minute.

The front of the bag contains the strap and belt buckle that fastens the front flap closed.  I don’t think that this belt will wear out over a million opening and closing cycles.  It’s made of a double layer of leather stitched together with one row of stitches.  There is a belt loop at the bottom to keep the strap from flapping around.  After two weeks of use, the strap is now flexible enough to be easy to use.  It was a bit stiff at first, it does work itself out.

The bottom of the bag is ringed with four D-rings.  The front and back wall of the bag extend past the bottom panel, making the bag very stable to stand up.  These D-rings can be used to attach the bag to the back of a motorcycle, if you want, or to attach a small camera tripod or umbrella.  You’ll need your own straps to do this, but the rings are there in case you want to use them.  The rings on the back wall of the bag are what you attach the shoulder strap to when converting the bag into a backpack.

Now, for the inside of this bag.  With the thickness of the stitches, Saddleback recommends taking ¼ inch off the dimensions on all sides.  The bag is 12” X 9”, so I should be able to fit a 10” netbook in its neoprene case easily into it.  Nope.  Not going to happen.  The small side pockets on the inside pooch out to the point where it is not really possible to fit something the size of a netbook in a case in there.  I bought a Waterfield iPod accessory case to fit into it (10” long) and it just fits.  With the side pouches, you will probably get about 9 ½ inches of usable width out of the inside of the bag and about 3 ½ inches of usable depth without deforming the bag.  In order to give me more room, I stuffed all of my old original series Advanced Dungeons and Dragons hardcover books in there to stretch the leather a little.  It did work to flatten the inner pockets to a degree, so there is a little bit more room in there now.

The material that is used to line the inside of the bag is pigskin.  Suede can be ordered upon request.  The material is extremely tough and I am not at all worried about tearing it as I might if it were a fabric lining.  The lining is on the front wall, the bottom and the back wall, and the back inside pocket is made of pigskin as well.  The pigskin extends all the way to the edges of the flap.  The left and right wall is not pigskin, nor are the small side pockets.

The back wall has a pocket sized to fit the iPad in a case.  I was able to stuff my Toshiba netbook into it without its case, it is a VERY tight fit.  I put it in with the battery side sticking out into the bag, rather than pressing into the back wall of the bag, where it might leave permanent impressions.

I can fit my iPad in its folio case, Viliv N5 in its case, a 500 GB external hard drive in its case and the Waterfield iPod accessory bag in front of that, with the iPod Camera Connection kit, my Canon S90 digital camera (not shown because I used to to take the picture) and various USB cables.  There is also room for a small spiral notepad.  My multitool takes up residence in one internal side pocket along with an iPad stylus and a laser pointer, and the other side pocket is stuffed with pens.  The keyper is attached to a side d-ring on the outside of the bag just to keep it out of the way.  This still leaves some room in the bag, but I don’t want to push it.

I have attached my school ID badge on one D-loop and a small carabiner with an LED flashlight attached to it to the other D loop.  The flashlight is tucked into one of the outside pockets.  My Kestrel 4000 weather meter is tucked into the other side pocket.  It is now ready for school!

So is it the be-all and end-all of my bag addiction?  Not really.  It’s a great bag, but not one that will cause me to throw all my other bags away.  It is durable as any bag I have ever seen and should last a long, long time…and it looks amazing.  It will look even better as it gets beaten up over the years.  A lot of the photos I have seen of this bag show that people really like to decorate their bag.  Very often, you will see a cross dangling from the carry handle.  I decided to go my own way and put a Flying Spaghetti Monster charm there.  I took my Geocaching tie-tack and pushed the pin into one of the threading holes with a tiny dab of cyanoacrylate glue in the hole to hold it in place.

You can personalize it any way you want, this bag is screaming to be personalized.  And used.  And abused.  Over and over and over again.  If you are a fan of fine leather bags, this might not be the bag for you.  There’s nothing refined about this bag.  It’s about rough-hewn edges;  big, beefy hardware and using it to fight off bears in the woods.  There is nothing about it that screams “I’M A MAN PURSE!” to the world.  It’s like a miniature briefcase that you can carry your iPad, netbook and other essentials with you as you go about your manly way.  If you are a woman, you can feel pretty manly carrying this bag around.  I wish it had about half an inch more room on all sides, but to get more room you’d have to move up to the large satchel, which might be overkill.  I don’t know.  It is a pretty heavy bag, but in a good way.  Perhaps I’ll get to review the large satchel some day!  What is for sure is that this bag is a keeper.

(Note: The Saddleback Leather links in this review to the Saddleback Leather Company website are affiliate links.)

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, Leather

Saddleback Leather Medium Satchel Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 30, 2010 at 11:00 am.

Remember the cool wallet that I reviewed from RAGGEDedge? They are now offering iPad gear bags and sleeves made of waterproof carbon fiber sailcloth. This material is extremely strong, while weighing almost nothing. The bag features high density 1/8″ ShockTec gel padding, a magnetic flap and two exterior sleeve pockets.  They are made in the USA and are priced at $160 for the bag and $65 for the sleeve.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News

Tagged: Bag, iPad, Spotlight Gadgets

Carry your iPad in a Carbon Fiber Bag originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 5, 2010 at 3:00 pm.

We’ve reviewed quite a few Saddleback Leather Company bags, pouches and cases over the years. I’m a big fan of their rustic good looks and their rugged last-a-lifetime construction. Today I want to show you their Duffel Overnight bag. This is the biggest bag they’ve sent me so far and wow, you can sure pack a lot of stuff in it.

Note: Most of the images in this review are clickable. Click to see a larger version.

As with their other products, Saddelback constructs their bags to last forever. This one is made with 100% waterproof full grain boot leather 4-5oz. (2-2.2 mm) thick. This is thick stuff folks. It will take a missile to pierce this cowhide. I bet you could drag it behind a pickup truck on a gravel road, hose off the dust and dirt and it wouldn’t be any worse for the wear.

The Duffel / Overnight bag is available in 4 colors, including Carbon Black, Chestnut, Dark Coffee Brown and Dark Tobacco Brown. I was sent the Chestnut version.

Like I mentioned above, this bag is large: 22″W x 11″H x 12″D (55.88cm x 27.94 x 30.48cm) End pockets on each side are 2 1/2″D (6.35cm).

The top flap is held closed by 5 buckles. The 3 on the front and the 2 on the side. This keeps your contents secure, but it also means that you won’t be able to quickly open the duffel with that many buckles to deal with.

Two thick straps on either side of the center buckle, wrap all the way around the bag to strengthen and stabilize it.

You’ll notice the large leather wrapped handle on top of the bag, that will allow you to easily grab it off a baggage carousel or trunk of your car.

In the image above, you can also see that the top flap extends beyond the sides like a roof, to keep rain, dirt and dust out of the main compartment.

The back of the bag has a large horizontal slot that can be used for magazines or other flat objects.

Both sides of the duffel have a roomy flap covered pocket that is large enough for all sorts of items. Just to give you an idea of the size of these pockets, I was  able to stuff in 3 cans of Diet Coke.

A thick shoulder strap with two pads is included with the bag. The straps are  attached with strong clips.

I mentioned earlier that in order to open the main bag flap, you have to unbuckle 5 separate buckles. Three on the front and one on each side. If I have one complaint about this bag, that is it. Also, the way the bag is designed, when you open the flap, it also pulls open the side pockets.

I understand their reason for the design, but in my opinion, the side flaps get in the way when I want to access the main compartment and I’d rather they remain closed.

The main compartment is one large open area with three open topped side slots. The two side slots are flat to the bag, but the back slot is larger. One thing I didn’t like with my bag is that the leather used for the back pocket is very stiff and misshaped. I would much rather see a softer more flexible leather used for this part of the bag.

To give you an idea of how much stuff you can cram into the duffel, here it is with 7 folded t-shirts and 3 folded pairs of blue jeans. There is still plenty of room for other items, so it does make a great overnight bag.

But like all of Saddleback’s bags, this one is heavy even before you start filling it with your stuff. When empty, it weighs in at 10 lbs. 7 oz. on my scale. I definitely would not be carrying it on my shoulder. I wish it had built in wheels. If I were going to use this bag for traveling, I would most likely use it with a small folding 2 wheeled hand cart.

The $500 price tag is substantial, but I’m sure that people who buy designer luggage pay a lot more than that for their Louis Vuitton junk. Sorry, I’ve never been a fan of LV stuff. Saddleback Leather bags are more my style and from the leather, to the marine quality thread, to the hardware used to construct their bags, you get what you pay for.

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, Leather, luggage

Saddleback Leather Duffel / Overnight Leather Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 26, 2010 at 11:30 am.

WaterField Designs is hands down, one of my favorite gear bag designers. I carry their wallet and pouches with me single every day. Last summer I had the opportunity to review their Personal sized Muzetto gear bag, which I continue to love to use as an around town carry all. When I saw that they had added a new 10″ Portable sized Muzetto capable of holding the iPad, I knew I needed to get my hands on one. Let’s take a look. For the most part, the Portable size is almost identical to the Personal size that I already reviewed. The Personal size can actually hold an iPad – although it’s a snug fit and can’t hold much else.

All the Muzetto bags from WaterField are made of soft leather and canvas. The design is casual with flair. The exterior leather has a slightly scuffed look to it that makes you think it has seen some adventures. It fits in great with my blue jeans, sneakers and t-shirt style.

The bag has a long flap that doesn’t require any type of clasp to hold it closed. The flap is thick and heavy enough to stay closed by gravity alone.

When you lift the flap, you’re greeted with a splash of color. My Muzetto has a Green canvas panel under the flap, as well as the front of the main compartment. This bag is also available in Black, Copper, Flame, Pearl and Pine.

If you look at the back side of the Muzetto, you will find an open pocket that is large enough to accommodate a couple standard sized magazines. The overall size of the Portable Muzetto is 11.5″ x 9.3″ x 2.0″.

The adjustable shoulder strap is made of a soft woven material, that is attached to the bag with a metal D ring.

A removable leather shoulder pad is included with the bag.

The underside of the pad has a rubber strip with raised nubs that are designed to help keep the strap from slipping off your shoulder.

Under the flap you will find the main compartment and three other pockets. The main compartment is lined in a gold canvas-like material. In the image above (click it for a larger view), you can see my iPad in the main compartment. It’s housed an iPad sock, which is a very minimal sleeve. I can’t imagine any iPad case that would not fit in the Muzetto’s main compartment. You’ll notice that there’s quite a bit of extra room available for other items too. Heck, there’s enough room in there to hold the iPad, the wireless keyboard and other gear.

The main compartment also has a flat zipper topped slot located in the front wall. I use this pocket to hold my wallet and car keys. It could easily accommodate the AC charger for the iPad as well.

The front pocket is lined in a soft Black knit material and inside this pocket is smaller pocket made of the same material. This smaller pocket is perfectly sized for an iPhone, other smartphone or any other small device that you would like to store for easy retrieval.

Everything about this bag from materials to construction is top quality. I couldn’t find any defects or reasons to complain. At almost $200, the Muzetto might not fit into everyone’s budget, but I’ve found that WaterField products last for years, so you will definitely get what you pay for. The Muzetto is my current favorite iPad gear bag. What’s yours?

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, iPad

WaterField Designs 10″ Portable Muzetto Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 22, 2010 at 9:57 pm.

Got a lot of running or gym gear you find yourself lugging about?  Have a look at the Endurance Ultra from Endurance Bag Company.  Though it’s designed for runners, it’s got a ton of compartments that any fitness enthusiast would find useful.  Vented shoe and wet clothes compartments, two insulated water bottle pockets (with a spot between for an ice pack) and more, so you can keep your energy gels, heart rate monitor, race bib, energy bars, sunscreen and all that other stuff organized.  Winner of the 2007 Endurance Bag of the Year.  Available in Midnight Blue, Black, and Burnt Orange each for $49.99.

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: Bag, gear bag, Sports, sports gear

Endurance Bag has spots for all your fitness stuff originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 18, 2010 at 8:44 am.

Timbuk2 knows that sometimes you need a messenger bag and sometimes you don’t. So they created the Hidden Messenger. It’s a small messenger bag (12.40″ x 6.49″ x 4.92″ in) made of 90% recycled PET rip stop fabric that folds down into a small zippered pouch when it’s not being used. It’s 100% machine washable and is available in 4 colors. You can purchase it for $30 from Timbuk2.

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: Bag, Spotlight Gadgets

Timbuk2′s Magic Messenger Bag originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 24, 2010 at 9:35 am.

As soon as I opened the Skooba box I fell in love with the color of my bag! I know that sounds like a girl thing but let’s face it-I’m a girl! If you want something that sounds like a guy thing, how about my 80 year old father who said- “It has lots of pockets, it’s a good bag!.”
Seriously though, I had two major adventures with the bag. First I was caught in an unusually hard rainstorm with a tiny umbrella that I happened to have jammed in the bag. On another day, I placed the bag at the edge of my desk and walked away quickly without making sure the strap was no longer relying on my shoulder for support ergo it hit the floor. Suffice it to say, my netbook made it through each event without any water damage, cracks, dents or scratches. The bag is listed as water resistant and as I said, nothing was wet inside of my bag. The area that you place your netbook in is nicely padded-luckily for me! I did try to only carry the messenger bag for a week and use it as my purse/notebook bag. What I discovered is that I carry around a lot of stuff in my purse. I’m the kind of woman that has everything in my purse so needless to say that didn’t translate so well when switching to the one bag for all of my needs but on those minimalist days it worked very well. I wouldn’t have minded if it had a little more depth to hold more of my girly things but perhaps the manufacturer felt it would take away from the whole “lightweight” thing. The bag itself is light and adding the contents of my purse would defeat the purpose I suppose.

The bag does have several pockets to store things like pens, keys, cords, files and it included a cute hidden zipper area that housed netting to hold a water bottle. I liked the idea that you were able to put it away if you didn’t need it.  Also within the padded area for the netbook was a padded pocket that I used to carry my Kindle (and yes, it was in my bag on that fateful day it hit the floor!).  There is also a really nice zipper that goes across the top of the bag so you don’t have to undo the buckle to get access to your netbook. The carry strap is not padded but it really isn’t necessary when carrying a netbook since it hardly weighs anything. I did over stuff it a couple of times but it never became uncomfortable. I would definitely have to recommend the Skooba Netbook Messenger bag for my fellow netbook users because it keeps everything as simply as the netbook does.

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, Shoulder Bag

Skooba Netbook Messenger Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 10, 2010 at 10:30 am.

First off, I REALLY love Saddleback‘s motto of ‘They’ll fight over it when you’re dead’. That is saying something in today’s disposable society; where electronics are engineered to last a few years before their battery dies, motherboard fries, or they simply self destruct. Saddleback believes their products are so well made they guarantee them for 100 years.

I have had the opportunity to tryout many laptop bags over the years here at the-gadgeteer.com, most very nice but none of them perfect enough to make me switch permanently (aka I roll through them pretty regularly). I have read most of the Saddleback reviews Julie has done over the years and always wanted to see/try one for myself. Well, I have finally been given the chance to try one out. I will be looking at Saddleback’s Briefcase Thin a thinner, lighter version of their standard briefcase Julie reviewed a couple of  years ago.

The first thought that ran through my mind when I first saw the Saddleback Thin Briefcase was that it reminds me of the Old West. A bag not made by a machine in a factory in China but one hand-made by an artisan, constructed to last a lifetime….truly a world of difference.

The main flap is secured in place by a belt type of latch. Both sides of the closure are stitched and riveted to survive being latched and unlatched countless times over a lifetime. It has taken me some time to get use to the added time and (for lack of a better word) complexity needed to open and close/secure the flap. A minor thing that I am sure will become easier as the leather of the belt closure breaks in.

The back of the briefcase has a slim slipper pocket ideally sized to hold paperwork or a magazine. Definitely quicker access than the main compartment.

All seams are stitched with a thick industrial marine grade polyester thread. All points of stress have rivets to further ensure they will not fail. The top of the thin briefcase has a very strong, well engineered handle for carrying the briefcase.

As I said, the chrome tanned leather is as Old West as it can get. It is 2-2.2 mm thick and extremely rigid. It will take years to fully break in and soften up.

According to Saddleback, the thick vertical leather seams absorb the shock from an impact or a fall. I must concur, the 5mm thick vertical seams not only act as a shock absorber but holds the briefcase vertically when you set it down.

The three seams on the bottom of the case also help to enable it to stand upright by itself. Although I doubt it will be able to stand on it own when the bag fully breaks in and has aged a bit.

All of the corners of the briefcase have D-rings to clip things/items/stuff to the bag like a water bottle, flashlight or set of keys.

The interior is lined with a tough pigskin leather. The inside is relatively spacious and easily holds all my tech-stuff.

These are the items I travel with both daily and on trips:

• 13″ unibody MacBook w/Vaja i-volution Leather Suit
• Work (day job) credentials
• 3.5 mm input cord
• Sunglasses
• SureFire Pen II
• Verizon USB727 data-card
• Etymotic Research hf5 High-Fidelity Earphones
• USB extension cable
• SuperTalent Pico C thumb drive
• Plantronics Discovery 975 bluetooth earpiece
• iPod Touch w/Vaja i-volution Top Holster
• MacBook power brick

Saddleback’s thin briefcase is available in two sizes:

• 15″ Medium – 15″ x 11 ½” x 4 ¼” (38.1cm x 29.21cm x 10.795cm). Weighs approx. – 4 ¼” lbs
• 17″ Large – 17″ x 12 ½” x 4 ¼” (43.18cm x 31.75cm x 10.795cm). Weighs approx – 5 lbs.

And four colors:

• Chestnut
• Carbon black
• Dark coffee
• Dark tobacco

The front and rear compartments are both 2 1/4” deep and as I said….spacious. But my two complaints are the lack of interior pockets and padding on the bottom of the back compartment. Saddleback has included a single pocket and two pen slots in the front compartment. I would have preferred 2-3 mid-sized pockets. I do not like my equipment flopping around, willy-nilly. Plus it would be nice to have the option to order the briefcase with additional padding on the bottom of rear compartment, as added drop protection for laptops.

There are a total of 10 D-rings (5 on each side) plus one O-ring on the thin briefcase. All designed to either carry the briefcase or to hang/carry items on the bag.

The O-ring allows you wear the bag as a backpack. I do not know if I will actually wear this bag as a backpack but I am surprised just how comfortable it is in this mode.

As Julie has mentioned in a majority of her reviews, Saddleback bags are extremely heavy. The Thin Briefcase is no different, at 5 lbs it starts out heavy and only gets heavier as I added my tech-stuff. Total weight is over 13 lbs; that is a fair amount of weight to lug around.

To suspend the weight, Saddleback includes an equally well made shoulder strap that is engineered to carry the briefcase around for a 100 years. Like the bag itself, the ends of the strap are riveted and stitched. The shoulder pad is comfortable and the clips are nicely made as well.

Weight aside, this case sure looks good, feels good, smells good….you get the picture. I have received many comments on how nice the briefcase looks and one friend ask if they could have it if I decided I did not want it (doubt that will be the case). Overall I really like Saddleback’s Thin Briefcase, (definitely) enough to keep it around for a while. Like many other Saddleback bags, their Thin Briefcase is not cheap. At over $400, this is a relatively expensive item. But if you breakdown the cost (based on the 100 warranty), its just $4/year, $0.34/month, or about $0.01/day; a pretty darn good bang for the buck for a rugged, Indiana Jones fashion statement that is made to last several lifetimes.

(Note: The links in this review to the Saddleback Leather Company website are affiliate links.)

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: Bag, Laptop Bag

Saddleback Leather Company Briefcase Thin Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm.

I admit I am not sure I had ever heard of Tucker and Bloom before, but the high-end bag company sent me one of their North to South Messenger Bags to review and I am quite impressed… once I got over the shock of the cowhide.

The basic bag dimensions are 12.5” Long X 13.5” High X 4.5″ Deep. It features a roomy front gusseted pocket with a couple smaller organizer pockets inside, a huge main compartment with a smaller zippered pocket on the back side, a large unsecured pocket on the back, and short pockets on each side.

The bag, front view- flap, side pockets, metal buckles...

The main bag material is a ballistic nylon with a basket weave pattern that is much more pleasant to the touch than Cordura and much stronger feeling than many other nylon materials. Mine is a hunter or forest green with an orange lining that feels like a soft cotton canvas.

The nylon straps nothing too special (other than the unexpected third strap on the back) but the hardware is interesting- heavy, well-made, and visually interesting- the main buckles are similar to nylon buckles that you squeeze both sides of, but are made of heavy metal. The stitching appears well-done with only a couple loose ends showing.

One unique and rather surprising option is a cowhide flap, complete with black and white hair, using food industry by-products. (I am not anti-fur or leather as long as it is from animals we are using for other purposes, but your opinions may vary. )  While each chunk of hide will be different, mine was well tanned with good hair density and no signs of shedding.

Overall, the quality seems to be consistent with a bag that retails at $200. (Yeah- the guy who prides himself on his $20 mil-surplus laptop/gear bag is testing a bag worth more than his old bag and all of the clothes he is wearing! Boo-yah!)

In use I found this to be a BIG bag. The front gusseted pocket swallowed my HP mini 1000 netbook with plenty of room to spare. I was a bit surprised that no pockets are designed for water bottles or sunglasses, and there is not really any sort of the ‘pencil organizer’ pocket or flap- a mixed blessing since few of these ever seem properly sized for my stuff. The orange canvas organizer pocket nonetheless bothers me a bit. It is 11″w and 4″d with no closure or internal dividers, so it just sort of flops open. It has two smaller pockets sewn on front- 2″w x 3″d which really are not deep enough for things like pens or such.  The site claims that it is good for airline tickets, etc. but I rather miss a place for my small stuff.

Front pocket with organizer pocket. See my netbook hiding in there?

Large main pocket... ocket... ocket

The main pocket is cavernous. The site says it is great for laptops and vinyl albums making this the perfect bag for a DJ. You could carry a lot in the 13″w x 4″h x 14″d area. The whole pocket is lined in bright orange making it easy to see things hiding in there. None of the pockets are padded, but you could fit many laptops with their sleeves in there. There is a zippered 6″x6″ pocket attached to the top rear of the main bag with a nice HD zipper.

The side pockets are described as useful for PDAs, cell phones, iPods, etc. but the roughly 4″w x 3.75″d pockets (one on each side) are not secured or padded. I think it would worry me to carry my electronics in them while trying to maneuver traffic or crowds.

The overall ‘fit’ of the bag was OK on my wife, although it looks oversized on her. I’m a big guy and the strap is not long enough for me to do the ‘head and shoulder’ thing with it but it is not too bad hanging straight down.

This is a great, well-made, heavy bag with plenty of room in it for everything you might want to carry. I do have a few issues with it, though. The bottom is not reinforced, which may not be a real-world issue but I suspect it will show wear rather soon. The bag does not stand up on its own, which may not matter to you at all but I rather like it when they do. The buckles are strong and heavy but I often cannot open them one-handed and the leather straps they are on are not adjustable. I am not quite happy with the lack of organizer elements- I kept having to dig around for things like pens and could not find a good home for a water bottle.  I never figured out what the third strap is for and the site does not help with that.  Now- let me temper all of this a bit. Many of these comments are more because this is a MESSENGER bag rather than a gear or field bag. Messengers are defined by the large cargo capacity with minimal internal structure, and are designed primarily for couriers. This is a very good messenger bag.

I used their website quite a bit researching this bag, while on my netbook on an open network. I do not know if it is because of the network or what but I found the site annoying to deal with. It is gorgeous, but I had difficulty finding out of the internal canvas liner was available in other colors, etc. You also have to guess what category your bag will be in (‘transitions’, ‘work’, or ‘leisure’) and click a few times to find the pricing. Nothing horrible you understand, just more awkward than it seemed like it should have been.

BONUS MINI-REVIEW

Along with the “North to South Messenger”, I was also sent a “Transit Pass, Small” bag. The 9″x5″ Transit Pass, Small is a simple neoprene pouch with two zippered pockets. The 8.5″x3″ side pocket is nice for things like pencils, etc. while the main pocket has a bright color lining (mine is purple) and a flap that suggests it can be used as a wallet. It features the same quality straps and hardware as the messenger bag with the straps positioned like you often see on sling bags. In use, the zippers are vertical or even angling down. The neoprene material is water-resistant and tough, as well as offering some cushioning.

Transit Pass, Small

The medium version (shown on the website) features a few more pockets for cell phones, etc.and runs $80.

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, messenger bag

Tucker & Bloom “North to South” Messenger Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 24, 2010 at 10:09 am.

As many of you know from my reviews, I have been on the quest for the perfect gear bag for years now. I have used the Citywalker bag, the Victorinox Horizontal Tote, Ellington Europa Field Bag and even a prototype ballistic nylon bag from Infusion Threads (which I still own and will never sell). I have owned far more than I have ever reviewed, and while most bags had some great things to recommend them, there were always too many compromises to stop my search.

My search, at least for now, has ended.

I was doing my weekly search on the Internet for “field bag”, because I love the form factor. What I have been looking for is a combination of materials, organization and size for a reasonable price. This time I came across a stub at Make Online that showed a photo of the bag I have been looking for my whole life. It was on their Steampunk Gift Guide for 2008, so I wasn’t sure whether the bag would still be available. I clicked in the link, for a company called Duluth Trading Company, and was faced with what was surely the Holy Grail of compact gear bags.

Measuring 7″ wide, 5-1/2″ deep (more if stuffed) by 10-3/4” high, this bag was typical in size for a field bag save for one detail…depth. Most bags this size are 2-4 inches deep, which can hold a bunch of stuff, but that extra inch and a half intrigued me. What intrigued me more was the action shot one reviewer put of a Dell Mini 9 in the back pocket of this thing, as though it were made to fit. The reviews were all very positive, so I decided to take the plunge. I ordered the bag, and four days later it arrived at my doorstep, wrapped in a plastic bag sealed inside a plastic shipping bag with the Duluth Trading Co. logo on it.

As soon as I opened the bag, I knew I had a keeper. The whole bag exudes rugged class. It is made of treated cotton canvas, ostensibly the same material used for old-time fire hoses. This company carries a large assortment of items made of the same material. It comes in one color and one color only, an antler colored fabric with deep brown leather accents.

As you can see, this bag stands up on its own when filled with gear. This is a very nice feature, as many field bags flop over onto one side or the other.

The leather is placed to reinforce vital areas, like zipper stops. It would have been nice if the bottom had been made of leather, but it should hold up well enough. The strap is attached via a metal ring attached to the bag with a thick leather loop, the strap itself has an antique-style brass clasp attached to a 1 ½” wide strap made of the same “fire hose” material that the bag itself is made of. There is an adjustable shoulder pad made of rubberized fabric on the bottom to maximize shoulder grip, and that nice brown leather on top.

OK, enough about the outside of the bag. Let’s examine its innards!

I’m not sure what the front of the bag is supposed to be, and it really doesn’t matter. I’ll assume the front side of the bag is the one with the Duluth Trading Co logo embroidered onto it. This side contains a zip pocket that is about 3/5 the height of the bag. This is a catchall pocket, useful for items like spare batteries, an LED flashlight, medication, earbuds, USB sticks, memory cards or other such sized items. It can hold far more than I have in there. The rear is made of a smooth nylon material, the front is unlined.

Behind this pocket is flat open pocket that is about an inch deep. I keep a small notebook in here. It should fit an 8.9” netbook with standard battery. There is no padding, but it is lined with nylon and has gusseted sides.

The center compartment is about 3” wide, with two hanging pockets. The left pocket is quite deep, the right pocket about half as deep. The left pocket is the perfect size for a pocket digital camera with room to spare. I keep a pocket monocular in the other pocket, it’s a perfect fit. Since the pocket is not padded, I cut a 3” wide strip of thick mousepad and stuffed it into the bottom of this compartment, and in the open area I have my Kestrel weather meter, Garmin Colorado 400T GPSr and Sony SX-41 flash camcorder. There is room for more stuff in this pocket, I just don’t have anything else to put here! The hanging pockets are attached to a flat pocket for documents.

At the top of the bag is a handle wrapped in leather and attached very strongly to the bag. I don’t see this handle falling apart with heavy use.

The organizer pocket has a bunch of compartments for putting items. The back wall has two flat pockets , one taller than the other for easier access. My travel documents go here. In front of this is a flat zipped pocket, perfect for a passport, but with plenty of width for additional items. Sewn to the front of this are two pen pockets, an open flat pocket (which my Motorola Droid slides into) and a wider pen pocket on the other side. On the other wall is a single flat pocket, where my Sony Reader Pocket resides, though it is large enough for the larger Sony reader to reside. I don’t know if it will hold the Kindle, having never seen one in person, but it might. The Kindle would fit in the rear “book pocket”, though. This organizer compartment also has gusseted sides.

The rear of the bag has an open flat pocket with a leather strap that buttons to the top of it. I have my iPod Touch in here. This pocket is unlined.

This bag can hold more than any other field bag I have ever used. I can stuff it to 6” deep, which is quite impressive. The bag wears well, riding comfortably on the shoulder. As you can see, it holds an impressive amount of gear, and even with all of that stuff, it still feels comfortable. As you would expect from a bag made from fire hose fabric, it is at least water resistant, allowing water to bead off of it…at least in my bathroom sink trial.

I can see hanging on to this bag for years to come. I am tempted to get a second one as a spare in case this one ever comes to a bad end, possibly due to a nuclear explosion. Who knows when a company will discontinue a product? At $64.50, it’s neither horribly expensive nor very cheap, but it is solidly built, of great material, has a fantastic classic look to it and organizes a lot of gear handily. For now, my search for the perfect gear bag is over. It’s going to be very tough to beat this beautiful bag. If you like gear bags, you cannot go wrong with this one. Get it!!!

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Bag, gear bag

Duluth Trading Company Fire Hose Field Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 21, 2009 at 4:57 pm.

More then just funny capitalization (yes, that’s really how they spell it) Kamiliun uses a modular system to create a flexible backpack/bag system from mix-and-match components. I received the Chicken or the Egg package consisting of a ‘letterbox’ back on the left, above, designed to carry a laptop or other large slab-like objects, and a ‘shell’ front on the right, above. where you stuff the rest of the things you want to carry. It sounds good on paper, but is it more or less then the sum of its parts? I replaced my normal roomy multi-compartment Targus clamshell case with the Kamiliun backpack to see how it worked for a ‘business user’. I also took it on a few family outings in place of the normal backpack we’d grab, and as the ultimate test of coolness, I allowed my tween to use it for hauling her life around for a bit. The results were interesting!

Some Assembly Encouraged

The whole point of this bag is flexibility. When mated together, you end up with a two compartment backpack. The parts can be used separately as well, as a light-duty backpack and a messenger bag.

The bags attach and detach easily. Two clips on the sides, two on the bottom, and away (or together) they go.

When assembled, it wears like a normal backpack

The front compartment (the SHeLL) is a roomy 19.3 x 11.5 x 3-4 inchs (with a belly bump at the bottom adding another couple of inches of depth) bag that zips completely open, with three interior zipper mesh pockets.

On the top, set wide enough for an NFL linebacker, are the two lightly padded shoulder straps, that extend from the front of the bag, over the zipper opening, and then attach via clips to a pair of rings at the bottom corners of the SHeLL.

The shoulder straps have breathable material on their undersides, but the back of the SHeLL is the same nylon as the front, and is not padded at all.

The back compartment (the LEttERbOX) is a tombstone-shaped slab measuring 19.3 x 11.5 x 2.33 inches.

When using solo, a diagonal strap arrangement works very well.

It has a padded back, and a single large pocket with a Velcro strap – this pocket is intended to hold your notebook.

With a bit of wiggling my largish (14 x 10 x 1.1 inch) laptop just fit, as did the kid’s somewhat longer and thicker (15 x 10.12 x 1.5 inch) low-end notebook.

I expect if you’re more inclined to go for those “air” style notebooks, it will slide right in. Other then the one pocket, the rest of the interior space is open. In addition to the thick back padding, the entire LEttERbOX is somewhat padded, although there is no additional padding or protection on the bottom – take care when slinging this thing to the ground with your notebook inside. The interior and exterior material look quite durable, and the zipper (which opens the top half of the back) is very heavy duty The LEttERbOX has a handle (nylon, unpadded!) on top, four attachment points (plastic rings attached via nylon loops) at the corners, a couple of quick-release clips at the bottom, and a pair of nylon loops on the top for mating with the SHeLL or for stand-alone use with the included (and padded) shoulder strap. The back of the LEttERbOX is made of a breathable weave that might keep your shirt from getting soaked with sweat.

All for one, and one for all?

So how does this thing work? If you use it like a notebook backpack (The Working Tech Guy use case), it’s got several shortcomings, at least for me. The two that jump right out at me are the total lack of exterior pockets, and the design/placement of the shoulder straps.

First, there’s a bunch of loose stuff that goes with me – various cables, small electronic components, H1N1 defense kit (hand sanitizer, tissues!) keys, phones, devices, bricks, hard drives, etc. – that have no easy place to live in this bag. I can pick between the front or the back compartment. If they’re not gonna work themselves out of the mesh, I could put them into one of the mesh pockets.

The strap placement is really awkward. If I want to GET to anything, I have to remove the pack from my back (even if I use a helper) since the straps attach over the zippers – with any weight on the bag its nearly impossible to unzip a compartment and root around either section. So, remove pack from back, loosen up the two halves to free up enough slack to unzip, unzip (spilling out contents of the SHeLL) and then root around for whatever it was I wanted. After a week of this, I was very happy to go back to my clamshell case!

Hoping it was just me and my junk that didn’t work well with it, I moved on to use case two: The Active Family Guy. On the weekend Active Family Guy and his family (wife & tween) are often found dashing off for a day trip to the beach, or to the mall, or to Ikea. Grabbing great gobs of stuff and shoving it in backpacks, they head off. Gobs of stuff might include additional clothing, electronics (mostly cameras and/or entertainment systems), and food. Here the combined system faired much better for a couple of reasons, but still suffered from the lack of external easy access pockets and awkward strap layout. Also, a new issue appeared. But first, the good news…

The dual bag system works really well if you are the pack mule on an expedition, like I am. Once you’ve hauled the small mountain of stuff you can hand off the relevant half to one of the family members (for example, the tween and her pile of clothing and snacks) while retaining your cameras and whatnot, as you each go off to do something. We often bring a smaller pack or bag with us when traveling or even just on outings so we don’t have to haul the big backpack everywhere, and in that case the combined Kamiliun bag was very nice as well – using the SHeLL as the ‘day pack’ worked just fine. We longed for external beverage pockets and easy access external zipper pockets, but overall the pair proved effective and useful.

The new bad news was somewhat apparent in the first use case, but became more obvious with the typically much longer wearing time of The Active Family Guy. This thing is just plain uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time when loaded with gear. The shoulder straps don’t have nearly enough padding, and they are set so wide that you feel like the thing is going to slip off your back at the slightest turn. The wide set straps put the weight of whatever you carry onto your collar bone, vs just outside of your neck as a typical backpack does. The breathable material worked well, at least, so while it was uncomfortable to carry, the bag did breath well.

The last use case is Active Tween, and here the bag scores big points for coolness. I’ve watched my kid go from roller backpack to massive near frame pack bag to minimalistic three compartment backpack over the years. Nearing the end of middle school, fashion rules over function, and the more funky the better. My daughter took to this thing like a duck to water. She shoved her laptop in the back, heaped in brick & cables, crammed the front with a change of clothing and who knows what else, and was off to DJ a school dance. Ditto for normal school use – heavy books in back, personal stuff in front. Apparently the division of stuff into two lumps was sufficient for her. I asked about comfort – she said she noticed it felt different, but it was OK. I asked about the lack of external pockets – she was unconcerned. She liked the flexibility of being able to haul a lot of stuff in and out of school, but stashing the back half in her locker and using just the SHeLL during the day. This clearly is the sweet spot for this combo bag.

Putting it all together

The Kamiliun system of interlocking bags use high quality materials and look to be very durable. They’re designed to give you maximum flexibility in your ability to carry stuff. There are some costs associated with that flexibility – essentially each individual bag is not quite as perfect as a single purpose bag designed just for that function, and even the combined bag isn’t as ideal as a single purpose bag with similar configuration. You are spared the hassle of juggling multiple bags, and (if you’re of a certain age) you’ll score big points for coolness.

Filed in categories: Gear, Laptops and Gear, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: Bag, Laptop Bag

Kamiliun cHiCkEn oR tHe eGG Messenger Style Backpack Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 26, 2009 at 2:00 pm.

Before I kick off, full disclosure; I’m a fan! A fan of Tom Bihn and nearly everything that comes out of their Seattle factory. I bought my first Tom Bihn bag in 2002, an Empire Builder, and shortly after bought the Brain Bag. These were painfully expensive at the time, but when I eventually sold them I got a re-sale price that I’d never get from lesser bags. So the total cost was not so bad. Also, the functionality; the features and benefits; and the incredible build-quality loaded into every case made the expense worthwhile.

Introduction

Over the years since I’ve had a succession of Tom Bihn cases and accessories. Not because the old ones wear out, but I’m intrigued by the company’s approach to design, and am keen to sample what they make. Tom Bihn’s cases are quirky and uncompromising. Quirky in that they tend not to follow fashion, often bucking fashion completely. Uncompromising in that they seem to rarely design and build to a price. They offer a lot in terms of user benefits, but you have to pay for it. So I’m a fan, but not because of some arbitrary devotion to a brand or style, but because I’m interested in good luggage design, and these guys always deliver this.

To write a decent review takes quite a lot of testing, and time and effort in the writing. There is a reward though, and that is the sense that one’s comments inform the design of new products. I’m not sure if that actually was the case here, but Tom Bihn’s new Tri-Star seemed to be pretty much what I’d been asking for in a travel bag. I’ve gone through loads of carry-on travel bags over the years: Tom Bihn’s Aeronaut and Brain Bag, the Red Oxx Air Boss, several generations of Spire’s Meta, North Face duffles of various sizes … and so on. All were good, but none completely addressed the evolving specification I was building for the ideal travel bag. The Tri-Star takes a huge leap in the right direction. By way of a preview of how impressed I am with the Tri-Star, I should say that I have already sold most of my existing travel bags on eBay. The Tri-Star is not perfect for me, but comes very close.

Testing environment

I like to test luggage properly, so that means travelling with it, and stress-testing it. As a lecturer in higher education, the best time for me to do this is the summer of academic conferences.  The Tri-Star, arrived late August and so I had just a couple of trips left on which I could test out the new case in anger. I’ve just returned from the second of these. Both trips were for three nights and four days away and involved short-haul air travel.

Unpacking

Ordinarily I would begin a review by describing the technical and aesthetic aspects of a case before getting into some comment on its use. However, having recently returned from a trip I thought I would unpack and photograph the process, commenting as I go.

So first up you see the Tri-Star all zipped up with about 13 kg of gear. My trips required that I have a suit, and business clothing for each day. I would also need more casual gear for the evenings. Also in there is my MacBook Pro and associated teaching/presentation gear, gadgets, paperwork etc.

In the flat rear compartment we have a large, shallow area that is designed for stowing clothing.

There are a pair of tie down straps in there, but little else intrudes into this space. The tie-down straps are removable.

I put my suit in this space, and in turn this was constrained in the large Tri-Star parking cube. The packing cubes are not included in the cost of the TriStar, but as these are all designed as a kind of system, it makes sense to get them. Further, they are not too expensive; this one is $18. I should say that the suit is a dedicated travel suit made by Rohan. An ordinary suit might suffer in this area as it would become compressed by the weight of the pack pushing against one’s back. Hang up the Rohan suit overnight however, and the creases drop out fairly easily.

In the front we have two packing cubes. Again, these are extra cost; $16 and $15 for the medium and small respectively, but are custom made to fit perfectly in the front compartment. They make the Tri-Star so much easier to pack and use, that I think their purchase is a no-brainer.

In the pictures above. the smaller of the two cubes contains a pair of size 10 1/2 shoes, with socks and underwear tucked into these. The medium-sized parking cube contains three shirts, three T-shirts, flipflops, a pair of shorts and a couple of ties. (There are more pictures of these further on in the review.) Clearly, you cannot jam your clothing into these packing cubes willy-nilly. Even on a return trip, everything has to be packed just so.

Opening up the central gear compartment we have Tom Bihn’s Brain Cell laptop cell which contains my 15″ MacBook Pro, a horizontal Freudian Slip and several small gear cubes and organizer pockets. Some of these gear cubes as you can see are secured to the case by little nylon Key Straps.

Here are the contents of the gear compartment laid out on the table. The Organizer Pockets at the bottom left have the long Key Straps still attached. These things are really handy for rescuing stuff from the depths of the Tristar:

In the slip pockets on the front of the case are some more organizer pockets, travel paperwork, a paperback etc.

At the front of the bag is also a neat holder for a water bottle, you can also see one of the grab handles in this pic.

So this is what I lived with for three days and four nights away at two conferences. In addition there was obviously the clothing I was wearing; running shoes, jeans, belt, T-shirt and a overcoat.

In use – carrying the Tri-Star

Carrying this lot in the Tri-Star was easy. Mostly, I used the carrying handles or the shoulder strap, the latter being Tom Bihn’s “absolute shoulder strap.” I’ve reviewed the Absolute Shoulder Strap several times previously for the Gadgeteer, so I won’t re-d0 that, suffice to say its staggeringly comfortable even with heavy loads.

Now and then I carried the TriStar on my back using the built-in harness. This was pretty comfortable, though clearly this comfort is dependent upon the nature of the items in the rear compartment. There is also a fair chance that such items will be creased if you carry the Tri-Star on the back.

I gather that Tom Bihn designed this case to address the more restrictive carry on luggage rules that we have in Europe. So it is a quite a bit smaller (33 l.) than the aeronaut (45l.) I reviewed previously. Fully loaded like it appears in the picture it fits perfectly into the luggage size testers at check-in desks. Being about 3″ shorter than the aeronaut it was a lot easier to fit into overhead baggage compartments, especially those on small commuter jets.

Another aspect of the Tri-Star is that it actually looks like a large pilot’s briefcase, and so does not appear out of place if you take the whole thing to a business meeting. Actually, the black or grey version of the case would look a lot better in such contexts, but more on that later.

For the conference presentations this is exactly what I ended up doing – taking the whole TriStar sans clothing and packing cubes. In place of the packing cubes I would lug around handouts etc.

Features

My TriStar is in a bright scarlet ballistic nylon that is used on many of Tom Bihn’s other bags. It also comes in steel-grey, black and indigo. With hindsight I wish I’d got the grey or black version on the case. The scarlet fabric looks fabulous when new, but already its picking up the grime. The dirt does not show up in these pictures, but its there. My red Aeronaut was a dirt magnet too, and while it would clean up nicely in the washing machine, I’d rather not have to wash it so often.

Build quality is superb, no pulled seams, no frayed edges where fabric is cut but not sealed. The zip fasteners are big, beefy and waterproof. The lining, is Tom Bihn’s signature grey chequered Dynema fabric. Most of the webbing straps are black, with the exception of the tiedown straps in the rear compartment which are grey. The steel-grey and indigo versions come with an extremely loud yellow version of this liner material called “solar.” Check out the Tom Bihn website for pics of these different colour variations.

The main carry handle is a padded item in two parts. It works pretty well, though if you have small hands it can be a little tiring to carry as you cannot lock your hands around it.

No Bulging!

In the front compartment, is a zipped divider.

The divider serves to provide compartments for the small and medium packing cubes, or if unzipped allows one to use a large parking cube. The main benefit of this divider however, is to prevent the side wall of the case from ballooning out when the bag is full. I used to have the much-hyped Red Oxx Air Boss travel bag, and its a real pain in this regard; a neat cuboid turns into a soggy balloon after a couple of hours use. So, this is a really nice feature of the Tri-Star design and it works very, very well. I think its in the wrong place though. Where it is currently located it means that one locates shoes directly under the water-bottle. If the divider were located such that the small cube was on the left, and the medium cube on the right, then beneath the water bottle would be something that was more likely to “give” than a pair of shoes, and the water bottle would not jut out so much. Better still, Tom Bihn could add an additional divider so that one could locate the cubes either side.

Also in these last two pics you can see the small D rings designed for securing key straps, organizer pouches etc. There are lots of these d-rings dotted around the interior of the TriStar.

The flat zipped pockets on the front of the case provide access to different height pockets; the rear being the deepest obviously.

The curved zipper hides the pocket for a water bottle, and inside this is a clipped pocket made of Dynema to hold the bottle itself. By the way, the pic below shows a cord zipper pull attached. I had a pack of these from Tom Bihn, but eventually took them off as they made the bag look a bit fussy.

At either end of the case we have grab handles which are ideal for pulling the case from overhead lockers.

Tucked between the back and the liner is the svelte but very comfortable harness. This has more than enough padding for the weight that you would carry in the Tri-Star. It also comes with a neat chest strap which can slide to different heights / chest positions.

In the pic below the harness is partially hidden, waiting to be zipped away. Just down at the bottom left is a small handle which I found handy for hanging the Tri-Star, though it does rub on your neck a bit when carrying on the back.

The harness is anchored to the lower corners of the case via some clips. These hide away when not in use:

The Brain Cell is attached to the gear compartment with a couple of bayonet clips:

Tri-Star Physical Specifications:

External dimensions: 19″ x 13″ x 8″ / 480 x 330 x 205mm

Weight: 3.4 lbs / 1.55 kg

Volume: 33 l. (2000 cu. in.)

Accessories – Packing Cubes

We have an insane number of packing cubes in our house. These things make packing so much easier. To fully exploit the Tri-Star, they are essential I think. Tom Bihn make a range ofsizes to suit their different bags. These UK size 10.5 shoes “just” fit inside the small Tri-Star cube.

The medium size Tri-Star cube is ideal for shirts and t-shirts:

Finally, the large size is great for suits and trousers. I think Tom Bihn now have a version of this large cube which converts into a daypack. Nice.

The packing cubes are very light in weight, even the large size. They come in mesh or opaque fabric.

The Tri-Star packing cube dimensions are:

Small: 12.8 x 7.4 x 2.3″ (325 x 188 x 60mm)

Medium: 12.8 x 11.3 x 2.3″ (325 x 288 x 60mm)

Large: 18.7 x 12.8 x 2.3″ (475 x 325 x 60mm)

Accessories – Horizontal Brain Cell

The Brain Cell is essential if you are going to carry a laptop in the Tri-Star. The Brain Cell is probably the best laptop cell out there, its tough and lightweight. I’ve reviewed the Brain Cell a couple of times for the Gadgeteer so will not repeat these. Please go here if you are interested in the detail.

Accessories – Horizontal Freudian Slip

The Horizontal Freudian Slip is a panel of organiser pockets that fits into the Tri-Star. On one side are some pen holders, slip-pockets and lined zippered pockets:

On the reverse are some large slip-pockets for documents and writing pads:

The zippered pockets are lined with that very loud yellow “solar” fabric I mentioned earlier. Nothing’s going to get lost in there! The Freudian Slip is one of those items that you didn’t know you had a need for until you get out and play with it. Its really handy of you tend to work when flying – a lot of your otherwise, hard-to-find stuff, comes easy to hand. You can hang the Freudian Slip on the seat-back in front of you.

Accessories – Organizer Pouches and Wallets

I’ve got a load of Tom Bihn’s organizer pouches and wallets already, but I love these things, and one can never have too many I think. The design of the clear Organizer Pouches has been refined a little since I last reviewed them for the gadgeteer. The range of colours and sizes has increased, and the clear part now seems to be of a softer, more pliable material (it says .020″ clear urethane on Tom Bihn’s site).

Tom Bihn also now do a mini version with ultra-suede dividers. I used this for SD cards, but I might buy another soon – to take my work ID card, some credit cards, cash etc, and fix this permanently to my car keys. Just below this is a mini standard pocket which was ideal for USB adapters. In case anyone is wondering at all this dayglo, I find it helps prevent me leaving stuff in hotels. If something small but important falls under the bed, I can spot it easily.

Here is the pen / pencil wallet:

Accessories – Key Straps

Here you can see a couple of the long key straps attached to pouches. These are great for retrieving stuff from the depths of a large case, but also prevent you from loosing items under aircraft seats etc.

Accessories - Absolute Shoulder Strap

I’ve had a couple of these, and they are awesome. The most comfortable strap ever. The wide section is made of neoprene, and besides being non-slip, it acts as a suspension device for your bag. It really does create an illusion that the bag weighs less. If you want a bit more comment on the Absolute Shoulder Strap please have a look at my Empire Builder review.

Accessories – 3D Clear Organizer Cube

The 3D Clear Organizer Cube was a new item that I had not tried before, and its very effectuve. An obvious use would be for toiletries. I use it mainly for presenting gear – bits of cabling and connectors, Keyspan Remote … that kind of thing. With the two sides being clear its really easy to find stuff. Even with the clear urethane its also pretty tough.

This pic below shows the 3D cube up alongside the pen/ pencil organiser pocket.

Conclusion

The Tri-Star is not marketed as part of a system, but its clearly just that. At the very least I think its worth adding the three packing cubes, the Brain Cell and an Absolute Shoulder Strap. With that lot and shipping you are not going to get much change from $400. So is it worth it? For me, the answer is overwhelmingly yes. I think good design … disappears. By that I mean, travelling with the Tri-Star does not give me super hero powers, or street cred’, or style. Rather, it means no headaches or problems in the luggage department. It just works. Lesser bags always have one feature or another that gets in the way. The only minor problem with the Tri-Star was that “sticky-out” water bottle holder (which Tom Bihn could easily fix I think) and the “dirt-magnet” red fabric. The latter could have been fixed by me choosing black or grey. The Tri-Star is so close to my perfect travel bag that it hurts every time I think I could have ordered a grey or black one.

If you are feeling really flush, you could also add in a pile of 3D Cubes, Organizer pockets and the Freudian Slip. These are not essential, and the selection reviewed here pushes the total price up to about $500, but they really do make the whole system work well. If you can’t stretch to the $240 Tri-Star, then try a few of the Organizer Pockets – they are staggeringly useful. Everyone should get one as a Holiday present!

So, the Tri-Star and its associated accessories are not cheap. However, they do the job beautifully. Nice work Tom Bihn.

Filed in categories: Travel Gear

Tagged: Bag

Tom Bihn Tri-Star Travel Bag and Accessories Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 6, 2009 at 7:00 am.

Don't think of it as just for gadgets. It's a versatile tool storage unit for many types of work.

We geeks do love carrying around our tools and toys. Cases, packs, clothing with special pockets, and belt cases are found where ever gadget lovers congregate. Recently, a new wrinkle on the fanny pack/belt case genre has come on the scene – the Grab-It Pack. I was given one to review.

The Grab-It Pack has a belt of 2″ wide black webbing, secured to the narrow top of an L-shaped panel of nylon. From the lower sides of the “L” there is a 1.5″ wide webbing strap to secure the pack to your thigh. Mounted on this panel are three pockets: a thigh-top pocket perfectly sized for an iPhone, Treo, Pre, G1 or similar; a larger, 8″ x 5″ pocket secured with both Velcro® and a 1″ webbing strap and clip; and finally, above the large pocket, a zippered pocket about 6″ x 3″. There are three models available: one for wear on the left and one for wear on the right, each fitting waists up to 42″. There is also a “long” model of the right-side version that fits waists up to 55″. It comes in any color you want, so long as you want black. The back of the panel is a combed, very smooth finish, while the outer pockets are of a rougher finish.

If you buy one for each leg, there is a discount. It's called the "Double-K." I have no idea why.

All seams appeared tightly stitched, and all edges of fabric are bound with sewn-on fabric seam-binding tape. The ends of the belts and straps are all hot-knife sealed to prevent raveling. Excellent workmanship is very apparent.

This is all stuff I carry in my pants pockets pretty much every day. Except that one-foot ruler.

I was able to put everything into the three pockets that I usually carry in my pants pockets. (This is not an easy task.) I carry two small key rings, lip balm, eye drops, and a Victrinox Tinker Swiss Army knife in my left front pocket, along with a Levenger 6″ x 3.5″ Leather Index card envelope. The right front holds a Levenger magnetic money clip and credit card holder and loose change. A comb and a handkerchief are in the back pockets. The card holder, comb, and handkerchief fit the largest pocket with room to spare. Finances go in the zippered pocked, and the keys and stuff go in the thigh-top pocket. (I always wear a shirt with a pocket for my phone and a pen.)

The adjustment of the Grab-It Pack is both easy and complex. Easy, because each strap section has a large, easy to manage buckle, but complex, because bending over to adjust them changes your position, so that it’s wrong when you’re standing upright. A bit of a Schrödinger’s cat problem. But through trial and error, you can get to a place of general comfort for both standing and sitting.

The pockets on the Grab-It Pack, different from many pockets on cases and bags, are generously gusseted, rather than being mere open sections of fabric. When they are empty, they don’t hang loose, but fold against the backing piece out of the way. None of the stitching from the front pierces the back piece, except for one line of stitches alongside the thigh-top pocket, so there is no catch-point on the back, and no irritation from seams if you’re, say, pedaling a bicycle with this on for a long while.

In use, the Grab-It is, pardon the pun, a mixed bag. The pockets all function well enough, but clipping the largest pocket closed is a difficult, if not a two-handed affair. The pockets are, indeed, always available, which is quite handy. Not having access to your right pants pocket (or left, if you get the left-hand model) is a small price to pay for the added storage. Even though the top pocket is a tad difficult to access when seated (it’s right in the bend between leg and body), it’s still not uncomfortable. This pocket is one that I wouldn’t put small pointed objects like jeweler’s screwdrivers or network shears in, since it gets the most wear when sitting, squatting, and bending over.

Accessing the large pocket is fairly easy to do while sitting. The top zipper-close pocket is hidden behind the flap in this photo, and is a little tougher to access while sitting.

Overall, I had only two real negatives: First, it’s kinda awkward when worn with shorts, and second, it’s a much higher nerd-level bag than even a fanny pack. Depending on the length of the shorts, the thigh strap hits that place where the leg slips out from under the thigh strap when seated, and then needs to be tucked into the strap when you stand back up. Loosening the strap, hiking the waist belt up, and other adjustments never really made a change in this situation. With jeans or other long pants, it fits great, easily allowing your pant leg to slide back down when standing. I don’t have any cargo-type pants to test it with, so that may have been another – um – hitching point.

The last issue, the advanced nerd factor, is one you’re going to have to get over before you even order it. Don’t get me wrong on this – I wore a fanny pack of some type for several years, stuffed with a phone, a Palm, flashlight, wallet, camera, and other bits of gadgetry. When biking, I usually put all my pocket stuff into a belt bag and stick it in a pannier on the rack. I only stopped wearing it when my iPhone brought most of those items together into a single device. I could probably go back without much trouble actually – it’s nice to have everything in one simple gear holder. But this bag is much more noticeable, and would cause much more social distain in most circles. (My entire family, as a testament to this, commented loudly and continually throughout my testing of this bag. I had to retire it just to save my marriage.)

If you’re working in a special field (network techs, stagecraft workers, etc.), or working a table for a yard sale, auction, or street fair, having the organization afforded by the Grab-It Pack on your thigh could be a great thing. If you sit or twist into awkward positions, yet need access to many small tools or parts (office furniture riggers, desktop techs, telephone installers, cyclers, etc.), this bag will prevent losing things out of your pockets.

Filed in categories: Gear

Tagged: Bag, BeltPack, fanny pack

Grab-It Pack is highly versatile, but nerdy originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 25, 2009 at 10:37 am.

Do you have problems with your laptop and gear bags holding up to all of the every day wear and tear that you subject them to? The Saddleback Leather Company makes gear bags that are super rugged and are built to last a lifetime. To back that up, they offer a 100 year warranty on each bag they sell. Let’s take a look at one of their latest bags, the vertical messenger.

FYI: Most of the pictures in this review are thumbnails that can be clicked on to see larger sized versions.

I know that this bag doesn’t look like what most of us picture in our mind when we think of a classic messenger bag. To me it looks like the big brother to the Saddleback Leather Explorer’s Satchel. And in a way, that’s exactly what it is. It’s made of thick rugged full grain leather and is available in 5 colors: Carbon Black, Chestnut, Dark Coffee Brown, Dark Tobacco Brown, and Light Tobacco Brown. I was sent the Dark Tobacco Brown version of the Messenger bag for this review.

This is a vertical oriented bag with a buckle down flap and a wide comfortable grab handle on top. If you click on the image, you’ll notice a lot of scuffs and scratches in the leather. No, I didn’t test the ruggedness of this bag by dragging it behind my car before taking the review shots. Scratches and scuffs are just the nature of bags like these and are not to be considered a defect or a problem with the workmanship. I think of them as character making battle scars.

If you flip the bag around to see the back, you’ll find a large vertical pocket that can hold several standard, large format sized magazines or file folders. You’ll also notice several D rings that can be used to attach different items to your bag. The large ring below the grab handle is used to convert the messenger from a shoulder bag, to a backpack. The Saddleback Leather Briefcase bag had this same feature.

It only takes a minute to unhook the shoulder strap, run one end through the metal ring and the attach the clips to the bottom D rings.

You’ll notice that the strap is adjustable and has two shoulder pads.

Each side of the Messenger bag has a open topped pocket that is large enough to hold a phone, compact umbrella, water bottle, etc.

As I mentioned earlier, there are several metal D rings positioned in different areas of this bag. These rings are handy for hooking different items such as keys, flashlights, etc. The hardware is nickel plated metal, which normally used for dog collars and horse tack, making it feel very strong and rugged.

The buckled flap lifts up to reveal one large compartment.

Inside, you will find an open topped pocket on each side and a key holder attached to a leather strap. This compartment can also be customized by clipping in the included divider.

The divider is made of thick leather and has metal eyelets riveted into each corner.

Matching clips are riveted into the main messenger bag compartment.

It takes a bit of blind wrestling to clip in the bottom edge of the divider, but once installed, the bag now has two compartments instead of one. The divider does wiggle around a little, but I think this is a nice feature nonetheless.

Here we see my 15″ Macbook Pro in the bag. Since the messenger isn’t padded, I suggest that you protect your laptop with a padded sleeve before placing it into the messenger bag. With the MBP in the bag, there is still plenty of room for the AC adapter, a mouse, other cables, etc.

I had to chuckle a bit when I read a comment on the messenger bag page on Saddleback Leather’s site. They mentioned that this is a light weight sleek bag. I wouldn’t call any Saddleback Leather bag ‘light weight’. When empty, this messenger bag weighs in at 6 pounds 2 ounces on my electronic scale. For me it’s too heavy to use for my everyday bag, but then I’m only about 5’6″ and 130lbs. Most guys probably wouldn’t even blink at the weight though.

Here’s what the messenger looks like when worn as a shoulder bag and as a backpack. For me, the bag felt more comfortable worn as a backpack as the weight was evenly distributed instead of just wearing it on one shoulder.

When you see one of these bags in person, you immediately know that it’s been built to last for a lifetime. The materials and construction are top notch. I couldn’t find one defect with this bag no matter how hard I looked.

If the price and weight of this bag doesn’t bother you, then the Saddleback Leather Messenger bag is a terrific gear bag that will last for years and years to come. It will serve you well on your next adventure down the Congo, or during less exciting adventures on your commute to the office. Either way, you’ll turn heads when people see you with this great looking rugged classic styled bag.

(Note: The link in this review to the Saddleback Leather Company website are an affiliate link.)

Filed in categories: Gear

Tagged: Backpack, Bag, Shoulder Bag

Saddleback Leather Company Messenger Bag Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 14, 2009 at 10:17 am.

A few years back my car was a SAAB 95 estate (station wagon). The 95 is perhaps not so large by US standards, but for most of us Europeans its a big beast. For vacations we really did not have to care about packing – we just threw everything in the back. For the last couple of months I’ve been living with a bag that’s a bit like this; the new Meta from Spire. The Meta is big; easily the biggest, baddest travel/gadget bag that I have. The composite photo below gives an idea of its size. I’m 1.88m (6’2”) tall.

We took that photo when I’d just got back home after a three-day trip to Sweden. There is about 14 kg worth of gear and clothing packed in there, and its not full! Carry-on luggage regulations vary a lot, tending to be a little tighter in Europe than in the USA. The Meta just about fits these when it comes to volume, but if you have it fully loaded it would probably exceed carry-on weight limitations. The blue tag in the picture reminds me that I had to leave the Meta at the “bottom of the steps.”

My Meta came with a Dart 15; Spire’s top-end laptop sleeve. The standard bundle is the Meta plus Boot sleeve. I’ve reviewed the Boot previously, and so got the Dart this time. Overall I’m very impressed with the Meta. The case has a few limitations and minor problems, but most of these are reflective of design trade-offs more than anything else. The Dart was less impressive. I really liked the design, but the build quality was not so good. Anyway, first up, a description of the Meta and Dart, then I’ll talk about using these for travel and work.

Description – Meta

The Meta’s physical dimensions (HxWxD) are 56x36x30cm (22”x14”x12”). On Spire’s website it says that the depth is 10”. The the depth will obviously vary a lot depending on what’s in the bag, and how tight the compression straps are done up. My Meta weighed in at 4.7 lbs – just over 2kg. This is pretty good for a 2800 cubic inch (46 l) pack! The Meta is made from a mix of fabrics, the main exterior fabric being 500 denier Cordura, with a lighter nylon (210D) on the inside. There is a rip-stop nylon cover that can cover the back-straps, and on the waist strap is a very fine stretch nylon. The remainder of the harness and back-pad is padded foam mesh and webbing. The 500D Cordura seems to be a much finer weave than is the case with other Cordura products I have. It looks nice anyway. The Meta comes in black, with a pleasant – and useful – light gray interior.

The Meta has three main compartments. At the rear (nearest the back) is a garment area. Within this, at the front is a half-height slip-pocket. The garment area is lined by a light grey nylon. It is hard to read the tape in the pic, but its extended to 50cm (just under 20”).

The middle compartment is where you put your laptop cell. My Meta came with Spire’s “Dart” laptop sleeve. For $199 the Meta comes with the “Boot” sleeve as standard, but you can order without this ($30 less), or with a Dart (plus $10).

This middle department has a couple of fasteners at the top to hold the Boot / Dart and the front end has a mesh organizer pocket for cables and the like. The base of the middle pocket is lined with an additional foam pad.

The front compartment is for gadgets. At the rear are nylon and mesh pockets with one of the former stitched up to hold a couple of pens. At the front end are two large pockets, one mesh and one solid (zipped into the light grey lining material). Finally, this front compartment has another single clip fastener at the top for keys etc.

These zipped pockets high up on the bag help to stop the lower part of he bag bulking out, though it does not work perfectly in practice as garments tend to slide down to the base (see later on).

Moving to the exterior, we have a long and shallow pocket accessed by a zipper on the front.

Overlaying this is a strip of webbing with stitches every 5 cm. Into this webbing you could clip a karabiner as I have done. Spire now has a new logo, and very nice it looks too; this is stitched over the webbing strap. On both sides of the case are mesh pockets for a drink bottle. These have elasticized tops.

In the next pic you can see a 0.5l (17 Oz) water bottle in the pouch with the shoulder strap draped over the top. The shoulder pad has a grippy material on one side.

As this bag is designed to carry a lot of gear, Spire put in a high specification carrying system. This system consists of a sculpted, and padded back pad with a channel running down the spine to allow airflow over your back. The shoulder harness is well padded and allows adjustment for length (via sliders at the bottom) and also at the top where one can change the tension in the shoulder straps. We also have a padded waist strap and a small chest strap. At the top is a small piece of webbing for use as a lug handle / hanger.

This whole lot can be neatly zipped away behind a cover of ripstop nylon. When not in use the cover is stowed in a small compartment at the bottom of the bag.

Other details: We have a pair of compression straps on each side, and a carry handle on the left side and on the top. There is a pair of d-rings at top left and bottom left to attach the shoulder strap. Finally, we have big, beefy zip-fasteners, with those neat “glow in the dark” pull-cords on the sliders.

Description – Dart

The Dart is a minimalist laptop sleeve. It holds the laptop in the vertical / portrait mode. The Dart is made from an attractive Ballistic Nylon and comes in black or light gray. The Dart’s dimensions are 40x29x9 cm (15”x11.5”x3.5”)

The main laptop pocket is well-padded and fits my 15” MacBook Pro perfectly. Like all the pockets on the Dart, its lined with light gray nylon. In this pic you can also see the two carry handles.

In front of the laptop pocket is a larger unpadded pocket for power-bricks, accessories etc.. This pocket curves out towards the bottom end – the curve is more visible in the side shots.

At the front is a full-length but narrow pocket. Its not red by the way, that red thing is a small accessory pocket which I put in for illustrative purposes.

At the rear is a very handy document sleeve secured by Velcro.

The Dart comes with a simple shoulder strap and this clips into a couple of D-rings. Obviously the large shoulder strap off the Meta can be used instead of this. Like the Meta, the Dart has glow-in-the-dark pull-tags on the zip sliders.

Meta – in use

The Meta / Dart combo was field tested on four trips in June and July 2009. The trips were a mix of academic conferences and vacations, and involved overnight stays of three nights in each case.  After this I lived with the case as my work-bag for the remainder of July. The next picture shows what kind of clothing I packed into the Meta for the trips. We have some business shoes, three shirts, smart trousers, t-shirts for sleeping, underwear, wash-bag etc. I would usually travel in jeans, t-shirt, running shoes .. i.e. scruff-order – no chance of upgrade!

One of the first points to note about packing the Meta is that the garment compartment lacks tie down straps. I think there is probably an assumption on the part of the designers that one would use packing-cubes. Spire do not sell garment packing-cubes, but then there are many on the market that would do the job admirably. As you can see, I’ve used a couple here to prevent my clothes from slipping and therefore creasing.

I like the way the garment area (in fact all the compartments) flops open like a clamshell to aid packing.

If I never opened the Meta during a journey, clearly the main compression straps on the outside of the case would serve to stop one’s clothes moving around. However, on most journeys there is a need to access the laptop compartment, for example to remove the sleeve for security inspection. I found that when packing my clothes, including a pair of shoes, it is best to have the shoes at the top of the compartment. This is because there is already a bulky item at the base of the pack, and that is the padded waist-strap. If you don’t pack this way the Meta adopts a conical cross-section rather than a rectangular one. This can make it difficult to squash into luggage compartments on aircraft, and certainly difficult to fit into the luggage size tester at check-in desks. The fact that items in the gadget compartment may sink to the bottom exacerbates this problem. I could have fitted way more clothes into the garment compartment. However, I prefer to travel fairly light on clothes, washing items if I need more than three days worth. Also, it’s handy to have spare capacity in the event that one buys anything on the trip.

The middle compartment has space for the biggest laptops one could use (check Spire’s site for fit). The 15″ Boot and Dart fit easily.

The laptop sleeves can hang from the clip fasteners, but this makes it a little awkward to remove these in hurry.

When the Dart is installed in the middle compartment there’s quite a lot of spare space. I have a light Gore-Tex raincoat that I packed into a waterproof stuff sack (the green thing in the pic) and put this into the bottom of the compartment. This gives me some handy extra padding in the event of a drop.

On Spire’s website there is a suggestion that you can “swing” the Boot or Dart out for say, TSA inspection. In practice this is a little difficult as the whole unit (Boot / Dart and Meta) is quite long. It is probably best to unclip the sleeve and lay it on the belt separately.

Finally a mix of gadgets, were slotted into the front compartment.

In previous reviews for the Gadgeteer I’ve listed all the stuff I put in the bag, but this would get ridiculous with the Meta. There is just so much room in there. I could load up the pack with gadgets until it would be impossible to lift.

With this amount of gear, for me the preferred mode of carrying is on the back. In this mode the Meta is supremely comfortable. It just so happens that the case fits me very well. Obviously it would not fit everyone, while there is some adjustability in the straps, the sculpted back-pad is fixed in length and curvature. I don’t think this should be a huge problem unless you were very short in the back area. Underneath the padded back is an aluminium frame that maintains the shape and structure of the pack. Ordinarily I don’t use a waist strap, but I gave the Meta’s a try. Again, it luckily fits in at the right place on my torso. I found it pretty useful on one occasion when running to catch a flight. The waist strap is bulky though, and if given the choice I would have preferred a simple webbing strap.

I prefer to approach check-in desks with my bag in my hand or on the shoulder. Even a pack that is perfectly legal for carry-on will call for scrutiny by check-in clerks if it’s up on the back. So usually, with the Meta I would zip the straps under their cover, tighten the compression straps so it looks as small as possible, then go check in. I’d leave the bag in this configuration until I departed the aircraft. I really don’t like walking down an aircraft cabins, train isles, busses etc with a pack on my back. I invariably bash someone in the head with it. It’s best to have it in my hand so I can see it, and its ready to swing into the luggage rack. On two of my flights I couldn’t take the Meta into the aircraft cabin anyway. I was riding on a small Embrauer commuter jets and the luggage racks are barely large enough to take the laptop sleeve. The Meta was never going to fit, so I left it at the foot of the stairs to go in the hold (hence the blue, hold carry-on baggage tag in the pic above). When carrying the Meta sans back-harness one can use the shoulder strap or the grab handles. The shoulder strap has decent fasteners, and a comfortable pad. The grab/carry handles suit me perfectly. They are not too wide, and make it easy for you to lock your fingers around them when the bag is heavy.

Dart – in use

For $199 the Meta comes as standard with the Boot, but for an extra $10 you can get the Dart. Unless you really value the absolute minimalism of the Boot, get the Dart. The Dart is a really useful day-bag, office-bag, meetings-bag. On my trips I mostly dumped the Meta at my hotel, then took the Dart to the conferences. On the odd occasion when I was in tourist mode I removed the Macbook and used the Dart as a man-bag / camera-bag. The Dart is light (about 540g / 1.2 lb) and unobtrusive. It looks like a laptop bag bit doesn’t scream “steal me.” Its slim enough to hang under a coat if you are worried about such things.

In the next two photos you can see the effect of using the compression straps. The depth of the pack went from about 13 inches down to about 11 when I tightened things up.

Critique

The stretch fabric on the outside of the waist strap can easily “pick” for example when you scrape it with your keys, or even a fingernail. I can see why this needs to be stretchy and flexible; so that the waist pads can wrap around, but its a little fragile. I’ve tried to be careful with this, but it shows some signs of picking already.

The lack of tie-down straps mean that you probably need to get some packing cubes if you want to keep your clothes neat.

The harness is bulky, especially the waist strap. This means it can be quite a squeeze getting the waist strap to fold up under the cover; especially when the bag is fully loaded. When might you have to do this? Well, in a check-in line maybe. When its in there, the waist strap bulks out the bottom of the bag. The harness is very, very comfortable. The padded waist strap contributes a little to that comfort, but not enough to warrant the bulk I think.

On Spire’s website it says “and still meets airline carry-on requirements.” Well, in the US maybe, but not everywhere. If you exploit the Meta to the full, then you might have to check it. Maybe you will be allowed to take it as unchecked baggage, but it might have to go “in the hold.”

The Meta is “unstructured.” when reasonably full it looks fine, but when not, it all sags a little, even with the compression straps.

It is really nice to have all this space. If you buy this bag then you clearly need all that room. However, it does mean that finding stuff can be a challenge. Hey, you can’t have it all. Pack with discipline – have a plan and stick to it.

The Dart shoulder strap is a little short for me. I imagine that most people would use the main Meta strap if using the Dart as a shoulder bag.

There were stray threads on the Dart; on the carry handles. These don’t affect the function and they show no signs of unraveling, but they are not a good advert for Spire.

The worst problem on the Dart was the flap over the rear document pocket. After about five weeks of use the edging material on this flap started to pull away. You have to tug on the flap to open it against the Velcro, and so this problem is going to get worse. This was annoying, as I really like the Dart design.

Final thoughts

I think the main positive points of the Meta are its very large size, and the supreme comfort of its back harness. Not everyone will want a pack as big as this, but if you do travel with of lots of gear and clothing then this is the ideal tool for the job. For a pack of this volume the Meta is also very light in weight. Sure, you can find hiking sacks of similar capacity and weight, but these will not have the functionality (gadget pockets, laptop storage) of the Meta / Dart combo. So, you know who you are; if you have to take the kitchen sink then this is the bag for you.

I also like the versatility of the combination pack. Its nice to be able to park the big Meta somewhere, then use the Dart for meetings, tourism etc. If you prepare well, and pack properly you can have the Dart loaded up with all the essentials for a flight for example, and pull this out of the Meta before boarding.

I obviously have mixed feelings about the Dart. The design is good, but the execution is problematic. I think it looks great and it does a great job of transporting laptop and essentials. Without the quality problems, at $40 it would be a good value, and certainly the $10 upgrade from the Boot is a no-brainer. I’m 100% sure that Spire would sort you out if you had a similar problem, but its best to avoid these in the first place. The Dart is “a keeper” for me. It will be quite easy to sew up the damage and I will do so right after posting this review; but I shouldn’t have to.

I am often asked about the reliability of luggage. It is difficult to answer such questions unequivocally because one reviews a bag when it is new. I do have some older bags from Spire. Whilst past performance is no guarantee of future success I have to say that these are lasting up well. The old Volt XL that I reviewed several years back has been used and abused a lot over the years and it still looks fine. I guess like most people, I often end up carrying a rucksack with just one strap slung over a shoulder. For me, that is usually the left hand strap. So the attachment point where this strap joins the top of the bag is where the bag is likely to fail. I’m pleased to say that the Volt shows absolutely no signs of failure. I also bought the very first Meta; back in about 1996 I think it was. That bag is retired now, but its still fully functional. I must say that this new Meta also looks like a pretty tough bag, and apart from the waist strap fabric (which is “pilling,” but functional) it appears to be holding up well after a couple of months of nearly daily use. By contrast my experience of the Dart emphasises the need actually do extensive and extended field-testing before writing a review.

Overall then, a big thumbs-up for the Meta, and a qualified approval for the Dart. I love the design of the Dart, but these days, stitching shouldn’t come undone.

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear, Travel Gear

Tagged: Bag, Case, Laptop Bag

Spire Meta & Dart, Travel Bag / Gadget Bag & Laptop Sleeve Combo Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 6, 2009 at 7:31 am.

You can never have too many cases and bags, I always say!

The Toffee Brief (in red), the Toffee Case (black) and the MacBook Air

I tend to shy away from frilly, and lean towards clean and utilitarian.  These two items from Toffee are for the MacBook Air I just bought.

When I first opened the box, I was greeted with the intoxicating leather aroma.  Nothing like it!  These are similar to, but not quite the same as the Toffee Leather Sleeve.  Let’s take a look at the simple flap-sleeve first, called the Toffee Case.

The Toffee Case is a leather sleeve with a flap.  There are no other zippers, pouches, pockets, or attachements.  It’ strictly for the laptop and nothing else.

A magnetic snap keeps the flap securely fastened.

The inside is lined with a soft fabric.  No other pouches on the inside or outside.  The Toffee Case adds some bulk to the MacBook Air, but not that much.

It has just enough padding to protect from minor bumps, but I would not anticipate a laptop surviving a fall to the floor, and I’m not willing to test this!

The Toffee Brief features a zippered main compartment, a front accessory pouch, and retractable handles.

The Brief, with the handles retracted, makes it easy to stuff into a larger bag.

Unfortunately, the accessory pouch is very small.  I tried stuffing the MacBook Air’s power supply.  This was the result!  Oh well.  The pouch is better suited to thinner items.

The detail and stitching is quite attractive.

Open up the Brief and you’ll see the inside is lined with fabric, and has corner straps for the laptop’s edges.  The zipper is also nicely recessed to minimize contact with the laptop.

The straps held onto the MacBook Air very well, and stayed on when I opened the case.

There is enough room to access the MagSafe power connector as well as the pop-down headphone/USB/video ports.  However, you can see there isn’t a lot of room for ventilation.  The MacBook Air’s vents are on the bottom edge towards the back, and as you can see from the photo, there isn’t much room for airflow with the padded liner material.  While it’s possible to work out of the case, I wouldn’t do it for extended periods of time to avoid cooling issues.

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear

Tagged: Bag, Macbook, Sleeve

Toffee Leather Laptop Sleeve and Brief originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 26, 2009 at 1:00 am.