Laptop Vendors
I recently got a shiny new 12” Titanium Powerbook, and I decided it was time to upgrade my storage and portage system (especially since the proximal cause of my former iBook’s demise was repeated dropping and smacking when it was entering or exiting a plain old backpack.) I have an old neoprene laptop “wetsuit” that is great, but is just a little too loose around the powerbook.
My ideal laptop case would have some rigidity for protection, as well as some elastic bounce (like the neoprene skin). It would have shoulder straps, and be insertable into or clippable to a larger messenger/backpack because I carry a lot of junk around too. (These days you also need to be able to get the laptop out of the skin in a hurry, e.g. when you go through airport security.) I’m a little tired of black, and I am thinking of reverting back to a messenger bag for campus treking...
In the course of searching for a cool laptop/backpack/messenger back, I came upon the following sites:
Big Names
Some of the big name makers of laptop bags, many of which can be found at big online luggage vendors (e.g. eBags):
Eastpak nice site with lockroom VR – check out the Anatomy button...
Traeger – no web page?
Belkin NeuElements Notebook cases
Tumi Big selection of real standard bags.
Suitcase.com and Victorinox Swiss Army Bags
Smaller & Cooler
Stylish designer bags and screen covers specifically for Macintosh
A general laptop & small electonics case and accessory site. They carry the “MegaMedia” bag with 36 compartments, the “Advanced Protection System Laptop Sleeve”, and the “iColor Attache” which allows you to change the color piping of a black satchel to suit your mood...
Stylish designer cases for laptops.
Very cool looking, so black they’re almost metallic. Looks like the sort of laptop bags nocturnal snowboarders would carry...
Messenger bags, can design your own with choice of funky fabrics. “City-born and street-tough”, but with a hippy sense of aesthetics...
A British computer shop that has a sleek leather laptop sleeve created by the London designer Paul Smith. Check out his website, it has a lot of flash-candy that is cool but unnavigatible.
A very wide and diverse array of bags, from cool-looking “trendsetters” to leather “executives” and bags for “The Ladies”. The website uses a charming variant of English, but it is very ambitious, and a little buggy, which makes it frustrating to see the whole selection, and then narrow down to what you are intersted in, i.e., without clicking through everysingle bag.
“Urban Nomad Center” A variety of weird hard and soft-shelled backpacks, pouchs, and pockets for a variety of things. Accessory pouches, webbing, etc., can be snapped na and off. Not very laptop specific, however.
Maker of watertight protective cases for serious abuse potential.
A quilted laptop sleeve. The japanese site may have more info, but my brother Chuck or his partner Michiko would have to translate it for you!
Aluminum briefcases and laptop cases...
Leather satchels, backpacks,purses, etc.
some wild and crazy bags! “
Great for image-conscious women with extra-large laptops.”
The name’s French, and the bags are very chi-chi. They have some computer cases in here, but mostly its... totes. Good for taking to the beach on the Cape, or the Hamptons, or Sarasota...
Neoprene. Very bright neoprene. Tight skins and tough backpacks. Very modern.
Feeling guilty? Then get this rubber satchel made from recycled Mexican car tires, which are sipped to the UK, and then back to you in the US (thus negating all you karma gain with transportation costs).
http://www.nubaggage.com
out of business?
Dr Bott makes interesting Mac accessories, and also finds
and resells other peoples neat stuff. They make the TiCase for powerbooks,
which is an aluminum case for the powerbook, with a detachable side bag for
documents, etc; its also pretty expensive! They also carry the Groove bag tote
for the ipod, they carry Marware cases, Westridge cases, ePac cases, and their
own TiCase
They make the iceBook sleeve and tote for the 12” iBook
(sold by Dr. Bott), but on their web site they have the “Portable Studio
Collection” for portfolios, art pads, brushes, pens/pencils, etc. And any
company with a link to FooFoo Bunnies
can’t be bad...
http://www.eleather.it/collections.html
out of business...
Binders, sleeves and backpacks designed specifically for
Apple gear: iBooks, Powerbooks, and even sleeves/headphone routers for iPod
built into the bag. Limited selection, but its a tailored fit...
Waterproof cases and bags for cameras, camcorders PDAs, things
that need wires going in and out of bag, and just stuff. They look serious, if you
are going into a wet enviroment. (Nothing specific for laptops, but their
bigger bags could seal one up, I think).
Wallets, purses, money clips and CD cases are a little off
topic, but the Aquapac people had
a link to this page. Chances are, if you’re obssessing about a laptop bag, you
may also be obessing about wallets too...
Colorful handbags/totes in their fashion product line, some
of them suitable as laptop cases.
Their briefcases and bags for laptops are your basic black
leather laptop briefcase with losts of pockets, but somehow they look a bit
more stylish, hinting at retro solicitor or doctor bags...
“Clever couture”, “Totally
innovative daily bag for today’s fashion conscious professional woman.” Big colorful
handbags/totes or briefcases designed to hold laptop, etc.
“The original messenger bags from New York City” yeah,
right. But a good selection of trendy satchels – I think – most of the buttons
on their website are non-functional.
“Healthy luggage”. They specialize in “offices on wheels”
(or pets, or crafts, etc.) So they have some laptop cases with real desktops
builtin, etc.
http://www.cafeshops.com/zaftigmedia.6655351
“Case solutions for a digital age”. Sleek and professional.
Features the “She Rules" collection for the tech savvy woman.
The website was crippled and wouldn’t show me pictures when
I visited. From what I could see in the thumbnails, however, the BodyGlove
laptop cases don’t look anywhere as cool as you would expect from a surfer
shop.
Stylish web site, has a neat hard-sided sleeve called the Brain Cell with some resemblence to the”WetSuit”. Be sure to check out the English/French “care-label” sewn into some of their bags.
Courier bags in several flavors. Nice site, nice control over basic colors and they give good size details.
Complex looking collection of bags, lots of backpacks. Website is confusing, due to the way too-little thumbnails for browsing through the products.
I had one of these back in grad school for biking from Somerville to Harvard Med. It certainly lasted for 5 years, rain or shine, without a blemish! Nice, basic, original courier bags.
Computer bags and shipping cases, with a bunch specific for Macs. They also have a slick set of suff for pro photographers (“prodigital carry gear”)
“High Performance Computer Cases”. Nice backpacks and bags, including Apple specific cases. Site looks like a the site for a high-end automobile manufacturer.
Black and ballastic with metal trim: every MI6 agent should have one. But do we really want to add more to Dick Cheney’s pension fund than we have to?
Outdoor waterproof euipment. Cool looking stuff that is authentically for outdoor distance biking, etc. A selection of messenger bags and backpacks, not necessarily computer specific but the real thing.
Mostly techie camera bags, but they have a number of backpacks and sleeves that look good for computers.
Bags for professional guitarist – with pouches for laptop and iPod. Their website has a flash intro with a real electric guitar soundtrack. They have an inCase for laptops (a single strap sling bag), but that part of the site was closed as of 4/20/04...
“The best laptop bag in the world”? One of those single strap sling packs.
Neat laptop bags that unfold in a unique way. Could be good for rapid deployment at a lecture. Also a very slick website.
“luggage for the global digerati” colorful bags and satchels (“They simply don't look like standard nerd-issue geek-wear”). They have a nice travel backpack with inline skate wheels.
Full line of moutain hiking gear (sleeping bags, etc.) including backbacks and “lumbar” packs that rise low on the back, I guess. Nothing desgined with computers in mind, though.
The Sportfolio II looks the most like a wetsuit I’ve seen so far. They also have a bunch of other unique accessories (like iPod skin for your wrist).
Some nice looking bags and backpacks, although not very unusual.
Chanel-like totes and laptop satchels/backpacks for the
professional woman.
Sources
Pages that Jennifer and I cribbed from to compile these
links:
Book Case
Roundup by Charles Moore, March 2002