Bags

News, reviews and articles about bags (laptop bags, messenger bags, shoulder bags, backpacks, pouches and more).




Skooba Design DIY Skin

I’ve always been the kind of person that doesn’t want something if everyone else has one just like it. I like to be different ;o) As such, I tend to seek out companies that offer custom products. Skooba Design (formerly RoadWired.com) has a new product that allows YOU the ability to customize it. It’s their D.I.Y. Skin laptop sleeve / tote. Available in four sizes, this skin comes in a blank canvas version that you can decorate with paints, markers, needlework etc.

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Samsill Microsoft Summit Laptop Backpack

If you saw the Ladies Madison Laptop Tote review, you knew there was a second review coming your way. Samsill graciously sent the tote and the Microsoft Summit Laptop Backpack for my use. For the last 3 months, everyone in the house has used the backpack. My husband and I tried it in multiple environments. He used it at school and for work. I used it to consolidate my purse, diaper bag, and independent contractor equipment into one bag. We split the time using the bag and carried it everywhere we went. Want to know how the Summit Laptop Backpack held up over these months? Keep reading the review!

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Saddleback Leather Company Briefcase Review

I love leather gear bags. Not the froo-froo kind though. I’m talking about the more rugged style of leather bags. The kind that Indiana Jones might appreciate if he was a real person. The kind of bag that might be able to tell stories if it could talk. The kind of bag that isn’t made on an assembly line, but in a more personal setting. Bags from the Saddleback Leather Company of Texas fit this criteria and according to owner Dave Munson, these are the kind of bags that your grandkids will fight over when you’re dead. Sounds good enough to me, let’s take a closer look…

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Toffee Leather Sleeve

It seems the more people spend on electronics, the more they are willing to spend to keep them in tip-top shape. For example, The Gadgeteer has tons of reviews of Vaja cases for high-end Palm or HP devices, but I doubt you’ll find a Vaja case for a Palm Z22 or Zire. The same goes for laptops; there are definitely plenty of choices in cases for higher-end laptops, like Apple’s MacBook series or the Thinkpad, but I don’t think there are any for a $500 Dell or Everex. In this review, I’ll take a look at a minimalist sleeve for a MacBook, the Toffee.

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Samsill Ladies Madison Laptop Tote

In June 2006, Samsill Corporation obtained an exclusive multi-year brand licensing agreement with Microsoft Corporation. Their task, as mentioned in their press release, is to “manufacture, market and sell a broad assortment of computer bags and business accessories leveraging the Microsoft brand.” To get the word out on their products, Samsill offered The Gadgeteer Team to review any of the new Microsoft Laptop Bags.

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Spire Torq Backpack

Cory at Spire USA contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their latest product: The Torq – a laptop backpack. Although I currently use a backpack bag for all my camera gear – the Crumpler Karachi Outpost backpack – and I only have one back, I thought I would give it a try. What could it hurt (aside from my back)?

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Maxpedition Operator Tactical Attache (#0605)

I have been in the market for a new briefcase after my venerable piece of junk brief bit the dust a few months ago. Enter the Maxpedition Tactical Attache! It is designed to conceal a gun in a large pocket, but as I do not own a gun (outside a long unused Tippman paintball gun), I cannot comment on this feature.

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Waterfield Design Sling

For the past 8 months, my everyday gear bag of choice has been a custom Bagaboo messenger bag. That bag ended a long personal quest for the perfect bag… That is until I saw Waterfield Design’s latest creation, the Sling. Actually, I didn’t really pay much attention to the Sling when I first saw it show up on Waterfield’s site. Then they contacted me to ask if I would like to review it. I said sure, but still was not totally excited about it. Then it arrived and my mind instantly changed.

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Maxpedition Proteus Versipack

I have eyed this bag with great interest for the last year or so, and I got one to review from Maxpedition. It is a durable bag with ENORMOUS zippers and not a stitch of Velcro in the whole bag. It can be carried in two ways… by the carry handle on the top or with a waist belt that tucks into a pocket in the back of the bag. The waist belt is difficult to adjust (or maybe because the material is still very stiff from newness), but it’s two inches wide and reasonably comfortable. There is no padding anywhere to be found, and the material is a very stiff, thick-weave ballistic nylon which appears indestructible. I would not put electronics into this bag without putting it into a padded case first. This bag seems best suited for gear to be used in the field… first aid kit, flashlights, multi-tool, or it could make a good pack for someone looking for a toolkit belt-pack. I would not use it for my travel gadget bag due to the lack of padding, but as a geocaching or hiking bag, it would serve quite nicely, as long as you are not carrying too much with you.

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Victorinox Travel Companion 2-Way Carry Horizontal Tote

Ah… bags. Yes, it’s an addiction. Got a million of them in the attic, many gathering dust. I buy them, use them, find something better and then move on. My requirements for a gadget bag are simple: lots of pockets and/or compartments, have rough dimensions of 10-12 inches long, 7-8 inches tall and 4-6 inches deep. The CityWalker and Europa Field bags are both excellent examples of the kind of bag I love. I use the Europa to tote my Fujitsu P1510D laptop to work every day, but for my travels this year I decided on a new bag. A beautiful, black and compartmentalized bag from Victorinox called the Travel Companion Horizontal Tote.

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Ducti High Voltage Laptop Bag

During Julie’s last Garage sale, I picked up the Ducti High Voltage Messenger bag she had. I loved the bag’s unique style when I first read her review, although I didn’t think it was worth the $50, so I didn’t buy it from Ducti. That turned out to be a wise decision, since I got it from Julie for less than half the price! I really liked the bag when I first got it; it holds my 13″ MacBook with room for my cell phone, iPod, and keys. However, the bag has no padding for the laptop, so I knew if I wanted to keep the bag I would need a slipcover for my laptop.

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Samsonite Pro-DLX Women’s 3-Compartment Briefcase

Recently my wife had to make the desktop to laptop transition for work. She received a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop with a bulky Dell backpack that she lugs home each night. The backpack works fine but it seems a bit too much for her, so when Julie gave me the opportunity to review the Samsonite Pro-DLX women’s three-compartment briefcase from Luggagepoint.com, I jumped at the opportunity.

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Tom Bihn Cafe Bag

Whoo hoo, it’s time for another gear bag review! Yay! Yes, there really is cause for excitement this time. Why? Because I think that I’ve finally found my around-town / out-for-lunch gear bag! I’ve been searching for the perfect small bag that I can stow inside my everyday bag (right now that is a custom Bagaboo messenger bag) and then take with me when I go to lunch. My criteria has been a bag to carry my wallet, phone, a pen, sunglasses and a few other things as necessary. My quest has brought me to the Tom Bihn Cafe Bag.

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Tom Bihn Archetype Molded Cork Laptop Case

She beat me to Venice, arriving on a special boat that I later saw docked on the Grand Canal. We had both been in transit for days, and I was excited for us to finally be in the same place at the same time. I thought I would be the first one to arrive when I boarded the westbound train earlier that day, but she was waiting for me in the hotel lobby. She was beautiful.

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