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Matth3w

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 24, 2008
160
12
Is there a bookbag that has a minimal compartment (so that the MBA isn't banging back and forth, etc) that fits the MBA 13" well? I do NOT want a messenger bag OR sleeve.
 
Is there a bookbag that has a minimal compartment (so that the MBA isn't banging back and forth, etc) that fits the MBA 13" well? I do NOT want a messenger bag OR sleeve.

see if the watefield cozmo suits you - I like it as it's a big cavern with some pockets - when I need to haul everything - mba, projector ipad, speakers, cables and materials,it works well

www.sfbags.com
 
Try Tucano, they have a variety of great carriers. I have a couple, the workout slim case, a backbag one and the messenger one. The quality is great
 
Presently, I use this one, Mac Case Pro Flight Jacket.

http://www.pbcentral.com/columns/hildreth_moore/fj.shtml

LFJ-VNopen275.jpg
 
I love my Incase Compact Backpack:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1453ZM/A

It's simple, holds a surprisingly large amount of things, very comfortable to wear, and secures the 13" Air in its padded laptop compartment. It also happens to have an iPad sleeve. They only make 15" and 17" size bags, but the 15" more that secures the 13" Air, however there is a bit of leg room for the Air. But I don't find this to be troublesome at all. The Air doesn't slide around at all. I know you don't want a sleeve, but with a sleeve it fits the Air very well. It's water proof and has just the right amount of additional compartments. Search the link above for some pics of the interior. I highly recommend the bag. Best to try it out in person if you can find it. Good luck.
 

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This should give an idea of how the 13" Air fits in the Incase Compact Backpack.
 

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Amazing. I have the CaseLogic Attaché and love it. And I recently got the InCase slim back pack and it's everything that has been said. The CaseLogic for my carry needs has three areas to put things and it helps me remain organized. In both bags, I keep a sleeve just because I like sleeves. A vertical for the back pack and a horizontal for the Attaché. InCase slim backpack has some more carry space than the Attaché; I got the back pack for an upcoming trip where I want to have the computer with me while I go out doing photography of the local landscapes. It fits my monopod in there along with all my other stuff and does not appear crammed.
 
Thanks for the responses. The biggest problems with bookbags is very few stores carry a large selection. So you have to guess and hope it's what you want just by looking online.
 
I love my Incase Compact Backpack:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1453ZM/A

It's simple, holds a surprisingly large amount of things, very comfortable to wear, and secures the 13" Air in its padded laptop compartment. It also happens to have an iPad sleeve. They only make 15" and 17" size bags, but the 15" more that secures the 13" Air, however there is a bit of leg room for the Air. But I don't find this to be troublesome at all. The Air doesn't slide around at all. I know you don't want a sleeve, but with a sleeve it fits the Air very well. It's water proof and has just the right amount of additional compartments. Search the link above for some pics of the interior. I highly recommend the bag. Best to try it out in person if you can find it. Good luck.

Own it and love this backpack too. Only down is that the zippers dont seem very strong.
 
Own it and love this backpack too. Only down is that the zippers dont seem very strong.


Meaning they slide open very easily? Or something else? If you mean the zippers slide open easily, I actually like that. It gives me really quick access. However, I can see why this might be a security concern. A small lock could counter this?
 
as in the zipper tap u hold to open the zipper is made out of cloth instead of the usual metal and I feel wont hold up to well in the long run.
 
I love my Incase Compact Backpack:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1453ZM/A

It's simple, holds a surprisingly large amount of things, very comfortable to wear, and secures the 13" Air in its padded laptop compartment. It also happens to have an iPad sleeve. They only make 15" and 17" size bags, but the 15" more that secures the 13" Air, however there is a bit of leg room for the Air. But I don't find this to be troublesome at all. The Air doesn't slide around at all. I know you don't want a sleeve, but with a sleeve it fits the Air very well. It's water proof and has just the right amount of additional compartments. Search the link above for some pics of the interior. I highly recommend the bag. Best to try it out in person if you can find it. Good luck.

Really want this one, wish they had htem cheaper though.
 
The bag is a tad expensive coming in at 70-80 dollars, but if you plan to get a year's or years' worth of use out of the bag, I think it's worth it especially if it meets what you want in a backpack.
 
I really like this case:

http://www.caselogic.com/14_laptop_...147737&productid=10011382&sourceId=CLADPRODCT

It's not quite a messenger bag. They call it an "Attaché". The center compartment fits my 13" perfectly with very little slippage. (I keep composition book in there too just to fill up some space.) it's light and functional.

It's strange. On Amazon the black version is $25.88 while the brown version is $21.28. Except for color, they're identical.

http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-VN...ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1314640986&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-VN...ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1314640986&sr=1-4
 
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I have and love the Level 8 'Atlas" Backpack. It has more than enough room for everything you could need and well padded so that even if my Air did slide around I would feel completely confident in the protection it offers. I personally do not know how this works as I use a knomo sleeve with my Air and place that inside of the Laptop section of the Backpack for double protection. The thick sleeve ensures that it does not slide around but I dont know how it would work if it was on its own. They are available at any Apple store so you may want to check it out. It holds a price tag of 100US Dollars though. However after using it for a month I think I would have regretted any other choice.
 
I'm not sure I really want the 1.25" wide pouch. I can go check it out though.

I need to design a backpack meant SPECIFICALLY for the MBA 11/13". Because they're not out there in existence! I would think with as many as Apple sells that would be a good item to make.
 
I'm not sure I really want the 1.25" wide pouch. I can go check it out though.

I need to design a backpack meant SPECIFICALLY for the MBA 11/13". Because they're not out there in existence! I would think with as many as Apple sells that would be a good item to make.

tell us what you would design?
 
I think I would take a regular ole book bag and develop it so it has a thinner pouch. Think of a padded "sleeve" except it's attached into the book bag. Maybe it would even be buckled in or velcro'd in in some way as to make it removable. Or a book bag that comes with three different sized removable/interchangeable pouches. Like an iPad, MBA 11/13, MBP, etc.
 
I love my Incase Compact Backpack:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1453ZM/A

It's simple, holds a surprisingly large amount of things, very comfortable to wear, and secures the 13" Air in its padded laptop compartment. It also happens to have an iPad sleeve. They only make 15" and 17" size bags, but the 15" more that secures the 13" Air, however there is a bit of leg room for the Air. But I don't find this to be troublesome at all. The Air doesn't slide around at all. I know you don't want a sleeve, but with a sleeve it fits the Air very well. It's water proof and has just the right amount of additional compartments. Search the link above for some pics of the interior. I highly recommend the bag. Best to try it out in person if you can find it. Good luck.

I had the Incase Compact backpack, it's nice, quality seemed good, protection for computer was good too, but I returned mine.

I tend to use a backpack as a 'work and man bag' ... not for carrying books to school. The Incase seemed a little too tall, and there's not much for (functional) pockets on the outside. So, everything you're carrying pretty much has to fit into the main compartment. It's far to reach to the bottom to grab your wallet, or gadgets, yes there's pockets on the inside but stuff in still going to sit at the bottom of the bag.

As a daily 'everywhere bag' it wasn't for me.

I prefer backpacks, I'm yet to find a really good one, medium size, designed well and suitable for a 13 or 11" Air, power supply, maybe iPad, and room for a few peripherals, notepad, wallet, keys....

Designers sure aren't there yet, with some of the crap on the market you have to wonder if anyone actually and tests them before they're manufactured.
 
I really like this bag:

http://www.radtech.us/Products/Backpacks/Jet.aspx

they have nice little video review at the bottom. i have a MBA 13" and planning on putting it in one of these. The medium is designed for 15" but I'll see how well the 13" fits in there. If its a bit loose I may use a separate sleeve (I have the booq viper one right now), but hopefully I can just not use the sleeve for more simplicity. It's also got a nice little iPad compartment (or HP touchpad for those of us that tried to get on that!).

It's small and cozy, and only 2.6 pounds though I'm not sure if it'll be that noticeable compared to other backpacks. The nice thing is it has lots of pockets so it should still be useful compared to the oversimplified bags like the InCase people mentioned earlier.

My 2 cents :rolleyes:

btyProduct1.jpg


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