The RoadWired MegaMedia Bag is billed on the RoadWired website as the "Mother of
all tech bags."
Strong words.
As I was in the market for just such a bag, I looked forward to trying it
out. Julie delivered it with the following description, "It’s big." True enough,
but, contrary to the head gadgeteer’s opinion, bigger is better!
The folks at RoadWired must not be fans of Howard Stern (sensible enough) or
they probably would have gone with "The King of all Media Bags." This suggestion
goes a long way toward explaining why I work in CAD support rather than
advertising.
The MegaMedia Bag is large (as previously mentioned) — weighing in at 5
pounds. This is probably not the bag for everyone (Julie comes immediately to
mind). It is constructed primarily from 1050 Denier Ballistic Nylon. The overall
dimensions are 15.7"L x 12.5"H x 7.5"D — although it expands along the 7.5"
depth dimension when you really stuff it. Unlike our favorite gadgeteer, I find
the large expandable size to be an advantage.
The straps are made of seatbelt-grade webbing with the same wraparound design
used on the Photo/Video Convertible bag I reviewed last year. The shoulder strap
attaches to loops which are tied into another strap of the same material. This
integrated strap runs down the sides and across the bottom of the bag. This
feature should help the bag to maintain it’s shape over time.
The shoulder strap is fully adjustable, with quick disconnects and a sliding
shoulder pad. It is the same strap used on the Photo/Video Convertible Bag.
The pad, formed to fit comfortably on the shoulder, has three grip strips
underneath to help prevent slippage. In between the grip strips is a
moisture-wicking padded mesh.
Three treads integrated into the wraparound strap on the bottom of the bag
give it a stable base. One of the complaints that I had about the bag was that
slack in the adjustable straps which fasten down the top cover flopped around
loose. In the process of shooting the following picture, I discovered two loops
designed to secure these loose ends. You truly do learn something new everyday.
The bag also has a rugged handle on top, also common to the Photo/Video
Convertible bag. The handle has a hard rubber insert which gives it a nice feel.
In wrapping up the discussion of the outer accoutrements, I was initially
quite puzzled by the single strap which runs across the back with a snap in the
middle. In my defense, Julie did not know what it was for, either. She cleared
it up for me when she returned from her latest trip (I think she jetted off to
Las Vegas or some other exotic locale).
This strap is used to fasten the bag onto the extended handle common on
roller-equipped luggage. Julie noticed one of her fellow world travelers using a
similar laptop bag strap at the airport. Again, I learned something new. Anyone
picking up on a theme here? Of course I am referring to all the new things I
have been learning, not jealousy regarding the many trips Julie makes while I
stay home and work and watch my kids. I am happy for her … really I am.
Perhaps we should move on?
Let us take a look at the inside. RoadWired claims a total of 36 pockets and
compartments. I made several attempts to count them all, but I kept losing my
place. I will say that there are a LOT of pockets and compartments.
If you are willing to bear the weight, this bag will really hold a lot of
stuff. My wife and I dragged out battery chargers, walkie talkies, a laptop, a
pen tablet, a Cable Stable (Deluxe Size), etc., and stuffed it all into the bag.
Contents that were in the bag:
There was actually room left over for more stuff (although I probably need to
start hitting the gym again before throwing anything else in there).
The main compartment comes with four Velcro separators — one wide and three
narrow — which allow you to divide the main compartment into as many as five
fully adjustable smaller compartments. We used the wide separator to divide the
main compartment into two laptop-sized spaces — one for the laptop and the
other for my wife’s 6 x 8 Wacom pen tablet. The three narrow separators were
easily stowed by sticking them flat against the side of the main compartment.
Inside one of the two front pockets, both of which are simply loaded with mesh
and elastic pockets, is a handy quick release clip suitable for stowing your
keys.
There is also a pocket on the back set up like an expanding file folder for
documents, booklets, etc.
I compared this bag with a similarly sized laptop bag from Targa. The Targa bag
has a more rigid, rectangular structure. The interior layout of the Targa falls
well short of the RoadWired bag. With the Targa, I constantly find myself
zipping one side shut so I can flip it over and access the contents on the other
side. The MegaMedia bag is a top loader, so everything can be easily accessed
without such hassles.
It was interesting to note that the rectangular shape of the Targa bag did
not make it more stable in an upright position. In fact, I had to lean it
against the RoadWired bag in order to take the picture. The Targa also lacked
all of the elastic and mesh pockets that I have come to expect from RoadWired
products.
I both found this bag to be perfectly suitable for my needs. I need a laptop
bag capable of organizing and holding a lot of stuff and I really don’t mind the
weight.
Price: $179.95 Available in Titanium/Black,
Black/Black (as illustrated)
Pros:
Top loading compartments
Expandable outside pockets
Rugged construction
Padded shoulder strap with grip strips
Numerous elastic and mesh pockets
Padded for equipment protection
Cons:
Too large and heavy for the less than athletic
Velcro (for Julie)
Product Information
| Price: | 179.95 |
| Manufacturer: | RoadWired |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
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Nice review! But hmmm…5 lbs empty? That pretty much rules out a bag like this for me, especially whilst traveling. Air New Zealand would charge me heaps to carry that thing to me seat. I’m confident other airlines would do the same, if they ever weighed it. I guess the key is to carry this bag whilst *looking* like it doesn’t weight as much as a mid-1980s Lada. Too bad, really, because I love the look of it and have been looking for an excuse to try a Road Wired product.
For what it’s worth, I’ve owned and used a Lowepro Madison 1200 for over a year and it is, hands down, the best everyday briefcase/carry-on computer bag I’ve owned. My review can be found here, for those interested: http://www.epinions.com/content_83657199236
I should really update that review, however, and make it a ‘long-term’ one.
Cheers!
David
I read your Lowepro Madison 1200 review. As a bit of a banger when it comes to equipment, I would have reservations about the lack of padding on one side (and you don’t even want to get me started on my wife in this regard — I recently had to replace her Jornada PDA).
As I noted in my review, this is certainly not the bag for everyone. It is very large and relatively heavy. As a photographer, I was looking for a bag that would hold a lot of stuff. The bag’s five pounds is relatively insignificant compared to the mass of equipment that it will typically contain when I go on a shoot.
You might take a look at RoadWired’s Standard attache
http://www.roadwired.com/store/Product.cfm?categoryid=1&Productid=15
This is a smaller, three pound version, with a similar design — probably more suitable as a carry on bag for travelling.
Regards,
Bill
Hi Bill
Thanks for that link. Nice case that attache.
As I said in my review, I did have reservations about the lack of padding on the one side, however I haven’t found that I’ve been ‘favouring’ it (much like you would a sore leg, for example) that much. One option I experimented with is a laptop sleeve. I used an old one that I received with a McKlein laptop case years ago. I generally use that option if flying for extended period (say, across the Pacific).
Also liked your review of the convertible from Road Wired. I just ordered a Linx 320 from Lowepro as pretty much an everyday carry-all for the heaps of gadgets that I’ve accumulated recently. I’m actually turning into a huge Lowepro fan (have the Reporter 300AW as well for my camera equipment, but a little bulky). Mind you, I have yet to really try anything else.
Thanks again for the great reviews.
David
Got one from a guy on Ebay whose wife had bought it for his birthday and he needed something smaller. I could not be happier with this case. The main compartment holds my Dell 2200MP projector and cables. The gadget pocket holds my HP200LX palmtop and my Fujitsu P1120 laptop in its sleeve. The front pocket holds a pocket cassette recorder, USB expansion dongle with 2 USB ports, serial and parallel ports. It also holds a 128 MB CF card in a PCMCIA holder, my 512 MB USB memory key, AC adapter and cord for the laptop, pen, pencil, external CD-ROM drive with PCMCIA adapter and cable, VGA dongle for my laptop, remote control for the projector, VGA cable and a USB cable to connect my laptop to my cell phone. The front flap pocket remains unused, but I always stuff the back file pocket with stuff for work. It weighs a ton, but the carry handle is up to the task. If you need a bag that will fit EVERYTHING, this is it. It kind of reminds me of my old D&D days, of a “bag of holding”. It seems to put everything into another dimension, it holds so much…but be ready for some serious weight-lifting.
Mark
Mark,
That’s great! I am still using mine on a daily basis. I typically carry about eighteen to twenty pounds in mine, but it would certainly hold a lot more stuff. I have used it to carry two laptops and accessories when the occasion demanded.
Bill