Which laptop bag?

CJones

CJones

Final Approach
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uHaveNoIdea
This is probably one of those Chevy vs. Ford or High-wing vs. Low-Wing kind of things, but which type of laptop bag do you prefer:

The backpack style:
image_47028.jpg



Or the standard 'over the shoulder' style:
0008585422409_500X500.jpg


I currently have the backpack style, but I'm a "one-shoulder" kind of guy with the backpack, so I'm wondering if I would be better off with the standard 'over the shoulder' type.

Discuss amongst yourselves.....
 
backpack for me for a number of years now. Used to use the second style for years, but switched and don't intend to switch back. The only drawback to the backpack one I have is too many pockets. I got held up at airport xray once trying to find whatever TSA was freaking out about .... took way too long to search all the pockets. I had quite a pile of "stuff" laying around before it cleared the scanner.
 
A lot of people I see with the backpack style carry them over one shoulder. I guess I am simple minded. I just don't see the point.
 
I'm trying a back pack now,like the over the shoulder lap top bag better,like the regitity of the bag. Also Agee back pack has just too many pockets.
 
i have the backpack, but also have a messenger bag style one
 
Had briefcase style for many years and switched about 8 years ago to backpack. The backpack can be worn single strap or double, the briefcase only one way and both on pull luggage.

After a few hours of travel I noticed my gait changes with only one shoulder strap and I was fighting walking to the left and taking oncoming terminal traffic head on:yikes: . Then when I would sit one shoulder always more fatigued and it was hard to hold my beer in celebration for pedestrian accident avoidance.;)
 
I think it is more about casual or business. For day to day use and traveling, I love my OGIO backpack but going into a business meeting I grab what I need and throw it in an over the shoulder
 
backpack over one shoulder to me was still more comfortable than the single strap over the shoulder bag. Not a big deal now but I had a few contracts in places that had an extended hike from parking to office.
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
I flew Huntsville to DC every other week for four months before I figured out I left a knife in one of the pockets. TSA never noticed it...smh.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I wonder about TSA.
I went on a Dive trip with a buddy and hopped on a commercial flight to ATL. When we were sitting in our seats he opened up his regulator bag mumbled something then asked if he should let anyone know while slowley opening the flap to reveal a 12" serrated dive knife sitting right on top.:dunno:
 
Backpack for me. Messenger bag is too much like a purse.
 
View attachment 35716
I guess I like this type. It's been my laptop bag for the past 19 years... up until a month ago when the strap finally broke. Lots of character there. Carried it to work every day even though that was often my home office. It took over as my flight bag with the advent of Foreflight and the paperless cockpit.

I knew I wanted something similar but a bit smaller (laptops have shrunk quite a bit over the years). A blurb on the Flying magazine website took me to these folks Waterfield Bags and I purchased this Vertigo 2.0 in black ballistic and leather.

vertigo2-ballistic-black_e7690d93-2a28-46f6-8cd1-cf6f559c1525_grande.jpg


They have some very attractive flapped bags as featured in Flying but the flap is a pita in the cockpit. This bag will normally sit in the footwell of the LH rear seat when there is no passenger there.
 
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Backpack except when flying commercial. Why give TSA anything else to fret over? If I had my choice, I'd go through the checkpoint bare-assed just to speed things up a bit.

The other problem with the backpack was when I was working in The City, and once in a while I'd get searched going into major subway stations. The one I used to board the system on in Queens was one of them due to its size and its proximity to the court houses and the Citibank building. They had pretty high security there.

I had all sorts of tools, wires, and other gizmos in the backpack along with the laptop, so the searches could take a while. But the same cops tended to be on duty at the same times every day, so they kind of got to know me after a while and just waved me on. Still, I was happy when I sold the tech support business and didn't have to worry about it any more.

Rich
 
I used the second style for a number of years until the attachments on the ends of the shoulder strap wore too far for comfort. Bought a back pack and haven't looked back. Even folds out flat for the convenience of the drones at TSA. Of course, now with TSA Pre-check that doesn't matter. It has more room than the old bag did as well.
 
I've got a small rolling case with a shoulder strap, matches my suitcase. Briggs and Riley. A few pounds heavier than some of the other options, but I find it quite convenient. Going on 4 years now, I think, and suits me very well. If I need to really hustle, I can throw it over my shoulder. If I'm strolling I'll roll it. Tradeshows are where the wheels are very helpful. Dedicated padded laptop pouch. The case is still compact enough, but I can expand it and use it as an overnight bag also.
 
I'm a backpack guy, but I like a lightweight daypack with a padded sleeve vs a normally heavier "computer backpack".

If you do like messenger bags, here is an excellent choice:
http://www.zuluworks.com/prod/zulubags/topi.htm

I bought one of these years ago just to check it out. Doesn't work well as a flight bag for me, but makes an outstanding computer bag. And very inexpensive for a very high quality bag.
 
I use a small victorinox attache that I've had for a decade now. It serves as my flight bag: laptop and iPad in the big compartment. Pens, spare batteries, and miscellany in the smaller pocket, airplane keys and a spare check or two in the small outside pocket.
 
Regularly, shoulder type briefcase. I have not gotten the "just right" backpack yet but still only ever used it over one shoulder (left side only for both). The thing I dislike about backpacks is most people don't dismount the bag when boarding something and are completely oblivious of what that freaking 3 foot hump on their back is doing! The next F'g A that smacks me with their bag is going down!
 
Timbuk2 when on the road. They have lots of great travel and organizing features. Backpack otherwise, as I walk quite a bit, and the off center weight was killing my back.

Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk
 
silver-eagle said:
Regularly, shoulder type briefcase. I have not gotten the "just right" backpack yet but still only ever used it over one shoulder (left side only for both). The thing I dislike about backpacks is most people don't dismount the bag when boarding something and are completely oblivious of what that freaking 3 foot hump on their back is doing! The next F'g A that smacks me with their bag is going down!
Click to expand...

X gazillion ....
 
silver-eagle said:
Regularly, shoulder type briefcase. I have not gotten the "just right" backpack yet but still only ever used it over one shoulder (left side only for both). The thing I dislike about backpacks is most people don't dismount the bag when boarding something and are completely oblivious of what that freaking 3 foot hump on their back is doing! The next F'g A that smacks me with their bag is going down!
Click to expand...

Amen to that. It is amazing how oblivious some people can be. My backpack is off the shoulder and being carried by the handle before I enter the plane. What is so hard about that? Other than their hands are full of all the other "stuff" they're bringing on board.
 
There is a hybrid cross sling bag that rides like a back, side, or front pack with only one strap. Those are my preference.
 
I have to admit - I expected this crowd to be heavily weighted toward the standard over the shoulder style bag.

I did some observing while sitting in the airport terminals at ATL and BWI this week and noticed that the number of backpacks definitely outnumbers the number of over the shoulder bags.

I've had my OGIO backback - same model as in my OP picture - for about 3 years now. Two of those years were with 40-50% airline travel. Other than that, it is the daily laptop hauler to/from the office. It has stood up very well but it is just starting to show some fraying around the edges and around the zippers. It can hold a lot of stuff, but very rarely use all that capacity. I'm thinking of trying one of the messenger-style bags since 90% of the time I only have my laptop, a couple of notebooks/binders, a few loose documents, and chargers and cables for random devices.
 
CJones said:
I have to admit - I expected this crowd to be heavily weighted toward the standard over the shoulder style bag.

I did some observing while sitting in the airport terminals at ATL and BWI this week and noticed that the number of backpacks definitely outnumbers the number of over the shoulder bags.

I've had my OGIO backback - same model as in my OP picture - for about 3 years now. Two of those years were with 40-50% airline travel. Other than that, it is the daily laptop hauler to/from the office. It has stood up very well but it is just starting to show some fraying around the edges and around the zippers. It can hold a lot of stuff, but very rarely use all that capacity. I'm thinking of trying one of the messenger-style bags since 90% of the time I only have my laptop, a couple of notebooks/binders, a few loose documents, and chargers and cables for random devices.
Click to expand...

I'll go back to my earlier recommendation: If you decide to try a messenger bag, see if you can find this:
http://www.zuluworks.com/prod/zulubags/topi.htm

I looked on-line and didn't see anyone that carries it. I wonder if it's been discontinued? Might have to check with Zuluworks and ask. When mine came in the mail, I was looking it over, my wife then saw it, and grabbed it telling me it was her new computer bag.
 
Matthew said:
I'll go back to my earlier recommendation: If you decide to try a messenger bag, see if you can find this:
http://www.zuluworks.com/prod/zulubags/topi.htm

I looked on-line and didn't see anyone that carries it. I wonder if it's been discontinued? Might have to check with Zuluworks and ask. When mine came in the mail, I was looking it over, my wife then saw it, and grabbed it telling me it was her new computer bag.
Click to expand...
The heck with carrying bags or wearing backpacks. Just stuff your useless crap in a pocket. When you realize you have 100# of stuff you don't use, you will finally free yourself.
I got one of these: http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/QUEST_Vest_Men.shtml A sure guarentee I will never find anything again!
 
silver-eagle said:
The heck with carrying bags or wearing backpacks. Just stuff your useless crap in a pocket. When you realize you have 100# of stuff you don't use, you will finally free yourself.
I got one of these: http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/QUEST_Vest_Men.shtml A sure guarentee I will never find anything again!
Click to expand...
Yeah, but he's looking for something to carry a laptop.

That looks like the clothing version of a Brightline flight bag.:)
 
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My new employer thought they'd "treat" me, you know, the big shot newish kinda IT manager guy, to an enormous 17" monitor laptop ... "Desktop replacement" style they call them, I guess.

It doesn't fit in any reasonable bag. It barely shoves in my oversized Swiss branded laptop backpack, and bulges the zippers.

So... It stays right where it should... "Replacing" a desktop machine, and I RDP into it if I need something on it. And carry around my 13" MacBook Pro, and iPad.

Never liked the messenger bags. Not enough pockets and I have to carry enough tools and gadgets to actually repair stuff from time to time. So I do the backpack thing, but it ends up too heavy and ridiculous.
 
By the way, most messenger bags don't handle the giant charging bricks that come with most PC laptops these days, and no one that I've found yet makes a MacBook case with an appropriately square sized charger pocket for their standard size either. Charging devices are always carried with laptops, so I wonder why they're so consistently ignored in the bag's designs. It should drop into an appropriately sized pouch ABOVE the laptop, not buried underneath it where you need to dig for it. And not in some front separate pouch for OTHER things. When you want the laptop out you want two things. The laptop by itself, or the laptop and the charger. The rest of the zippers and what not should stay CLOSED and stuff in them STOWED.
 
denverpilot said:
My new employer thought they'd "treat" me, you know, the big shot newish kinda IT manager guy, to an enormous 17" monitor laptop ... "Desktop replacement" style they call them, I guess.

It doesn't fit in any reasonable bag. It barely shoves in my oversized Swiss branded laptop backpack, and bulges the zippers.

So... It stays right where it should... "Replacing" a desktop machine, and I RDP into it if I need something on it. And carry around my 13" MacBook Pro, and iPad.

Never liked the messenger bags. Not enough pockets and I have to carry enough tools and gadgets to actually repair stuff from time to time. So I do the backpack thing, but it ends up too heavy and ridiculous.
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Yeah, I'll have to keep that in mind. I do have a larger laptop with the 10-key number pad on the side, so I'll have to find something that can handle that thing.


denverpilot said:
By the way, most messenger bags don't handle the giant charging bricks that come with most PC laptops these days, and no one that I've found yet makes a MacBook case with an appropriately square sized charger pocket for their standard size either. Charging devices are always carried with laptops, so I wonder why they're so consistently ignored in the bag's designs. It should drop into an appropriately sized pouch ABOVE the laptop, not buried underneath it where you need to dig for it. And not in some front separate pouch for OTHER things. When you want the laptop out you want two things. The laptop by itself, or the laptop and the charger. The rest of the zippers and what not should stay CLOSED and stuff in them STOWED.
Click to expand...


That's one good thing about the backpack I have now - it has pouches on the side that are big enough to handle the charging brick. We just got a new round of laptops and they have a smallER brick which isn't too bad to deal with.

image_47028.jpg
 
denverpilot said:
By the way, most messenger bags don't handle the giant charging bricks that come with most PC laptops these days, and no one that I've found yet makes a MacBook case with an appropriately square sized charger pocket for their standard size either. Charging devices are always carried with laptops, so I wonder why they're so consistently ignored in the bag's designs. It should drop into an appropriately sized pouch ABOVE the laptop, not buried underneath it where you need to dig for it. And not in some front separate pouch for OTHER things. When you want the laptop out you want two things. The laptop by itself, or the laptop and the charger. The rest of the zippers and what not should stay CLOSED and stuff in them STOWED.
Click to expand...
Went by the local hipster coffe shop yesterday and (didn't) count innumerable MacBooks, exactly 3 PC laptops (no 17 inchers or MS thingies) and many 'pads. The few AC outlets were in demand but.... not really. Solid state memory and good batteries rule.

I carry around an iPhone, iPad and a MacAir. The charger remains awkward but I find myself leaving the iChargers behind and just carry the cord. I plug in when driving, flying, and by bumming off friends and strangers.

I downsized my bag and am adapting my stuff usage to it.
 
Back packs and messenger bags for me. I switch depending on if I have to haul my luggage around a lot. I like the Timbuk2 messenger bags a lot.
 
I switched to a backpack 8 or 10 years ago. I do carry a lot of adapters, connectors, cables, flash drives and such and I travel around 70% right now.
 
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