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EGT

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 4, 2003
1,605
1
This has been asked before but nothing really answers my question.

Do any of you know what is the best bag/case for protecting the 15" powerbook? I don't really care about the looks, just as long as it provides a lot of protection be it with cushioning or a solid outer shell. I'd love the powerbook to fit pefectly in the case as well, unable to move about. Someting that has room for accessories etc as well.

Thanks :)
 

JasonL

macrumors regular
Feb 13, 2004
212
0
Ware, MA
I have a Tom Bihn Empire Builder with a size 4 Brain Cell insert. The Brain Cell keeps the PB suspended a few inches off the bottom of the bag so that if the bag is dropped the PB will be okay. The size 4 Brain Cell fits the 15" PB like a glove, too. It is padded nicely as well. Go to the website ( http://www.tombihn.com ) and look at some of the reviews (check the forum out, too, for great reviews or to ask questions).

Good luck.
 

Powerbook G5

macrumors 68040
Jun 23, 2003
3,974
1
St Augustine, FL
I have a Brenthaven Professional backpack and it works wonderfully. It has 3 or 4 inches of padding on the bottom, padding on the back, and a reinforced and padded sleeve that is form fitted for the PowerBook that it sits in suspended within the backpack. Not only that, but the straps are padded and there are a few dozen pockets for all the accessories I have including extra battery, CDs, DVDs, a few books, a magazine or two, all of my adapters, wires, cables, headphones, any snack I get at the airport, etc. It's pretty nice and it protects my PowerBook pretty well. My friend carried it for me the other week when my hands were full with luggage and she dropped it face first onto a wooden floor when she brought it into the house and it protected my PowerBook perfectly from the drop.
 

EGT

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Sep 4, 2003
1,605
1
Thanks everyone!

These are all great cases. I'm going to have a tough time making my mind up!! :eek:

Thanks!
 

shazammy

macrumors member
Mar 22, 2004
70
0
Definitely go for a Crumpler bag. I currently own five of their bags (two for photo grear, one for clothes/misc., and two for laptops. The two best laptop bags I've found are these:

Crippy Duck, great shoulder bag for gear and a few others things. Has an extremely well padded laptop sleeve:
http://www.crumplerbags.com/cgi-bin/crumpler/crumpler.cgi?bag=18

The Base Toucher, amazing backpack with padded, removable laptop sleeve. Great for tons of stuff, gear, books, laptop, etc.
http://www.crumplerbags.com/cgi-bin/crumpler/crumpler.cgi?bag=19




EGT said:
This has been asked before but nothing really answers my question.

Do any of you know what is the best bag/case for protecting the 15" powerbook? I don't really care about the looks, just as long as it provides a lot of protection be it with cushioning or a solid outer shell. I'd love the powerbook to fit pefectly in the case as well, unable to move about. Someting that has room for accessories etc as well.

Thanks :)
 

cr2sh

macrumors 68030
May 28, 2002
2,554
3
downtown
Powerbook G5 said:
I have a Brenthaven Professional backpack

He's right. This is the backpack to buy. Amazingly well built, great protection, tons of padding and pockets. A great, great bag.. I love mine.

:D
 

wowoah

macrumors regular
Jul 16, 2003
187
0
Berkeley, CA
I've been using a Waterfield sleeve http://www.sfbags.com for my PowerBook for the past 7-8 months, and I used one for my Dell for the 2 years I had it before then, and the sleeve is perfect. It keeps the laptop snug and protected inside your backpack.

Also, I personally believe that unless you have a really good reason, you shouldn't ever get a made-for-laptops backpack or case. Most people can spot those immediately, so if someone wants to jack your laptop (and I live in an urban area, so this is quite frequent), it makes you a prime target. I would go with a laptop sleeve slipped inside an inconspicuous backpack or briefcase.

But that's just me.
 

baravelli

macrumors newbie
Mar 27, 2004
15
0
Well, I'm sorry to add to the difficulty of your decision, but I feel compelled to recommend the bag I've got. It's by Trager, and the model is called the "Twister." I find it to be really ideal for a 15" Powerbook. I feel very confident with the padding it's got. The computer fits very snuggly into a nicely padded compartment which actually has a hard casing built right into the bag which seems really solid. It's also got a good sized front pocket for all your other stuff, with organizer pocket stuff under the flap in front. And, I think it looks pretty good too. It certainly doesn't look as bulky or cumbersome as you might think, considering the amount of protection it provides. You can see it on eBags - the Trager Twister. Check it out.
 

digitdean

macrumors member
Feb 24, 2004
51
0
shazammy said:
Crippy Duck, great shoulder bag for gear and a few others things. Has an extremely well padded laptop sleeve:
http://www.crumplerbags.com/cgi-bin/crumpler/crumpler.cgi?bag=18

I was wondering: is the Crippy Duck a very feminine bag? I'm a guy, and all of my friends are already questioning my masculinity and sexuality. I don't want to give them any ammo. Sorry to sound closed minded. But I don't want to get made fun of here.
 

JulesK

macrumors 6502a
Dec 17, 2002
530
94
Brenthaven

I have two Brenthaven bags for my 12" PB. One is the custom backpack that the Apple Store sells, the other is the Deluxe Slim shoulder bag that is basically the same as the one the Apple Store sells, except that the laptop sleeve is an adjustable sleeve, and not custom fit for the PB. These are not the most fashionable or svelte bags, but they will really protect a computer (the earlier post saying that there is about 4" of padding on the backpack for the laptop was not kidding) and are very, very well made. The nice thing is that they show up on eBay with some frequency. I bought the backpack for $70 and the shoulder bag for $40, both new, off eBay. If you are patient and want to save some money, that's the way to go.

That said, I used to just throw my IBM Thinkpad into a flimsy Tumi sleeve and stuff it into my Tumi briefcase (not a computer case) -- or if I had a lot of papers, a document case -- and had no problems whatsoever after dozens and dozens of business trips. Maybe I got lucky, many times, but that certainly worked. I was into traveling really light and couldn't have been bothered with a case.

Although they rarely get mentioned when the topic of bags come up up, the Tumi computer cases (which look like their briefcases, but are larger) are supposed to be really nice. They have a sling suspension system like the Tom Bihn bags. The downside is that they are very expensive, and I'm not sure that they will fit the 15" PB because of the width. Expect to pay $300 or more for a nylon bag, and lots more for leather. The upside is that they are, in my view, hands down the nicest, more versitile briefcases out there. Again, you can use the non-computer case versions with a sleeve, but it won't offer as much protection.
 

JulesK

macrumors 6502a
Dec 17, 2002
530
94
Zeroshock Case

I asked Shinza about this case, and it seems that it is evenly padded all around, meaning that the bottom of the case is not more padded than, for instance, the sides. I believe that the incase sleeves have a bit more padding at the bottom, so that if you were to put in a briefcase, you'd have a little more protection for the computer if you dropped the briefcase. The Brenthaven, Tenba, and Tom Bihn sleeves, and I'm sure some others, are heavily padded on the bottom or use a sling to protect the computer from a drop. The down side is added height to the sleeve. Most probably wouldn't fit a regular soft briefcase.
 
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