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I'm stuck between two bags for my MBA 13"

randallcreasey said:
I can't decide wether or not I want this bag:

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or this bag:

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I want a bag that I can carry my MBA 13" and my iPad 1.

Any suggestions?
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You can carry your Macbook Air and iPad with no problems with the Ristretto. I'm currently taking a trip to a friends place, and I've got that baby packed full. I wrote up a mini review on the Tom Bihn Website, link follows: Ristretto for 13" Macbook/Air

IF you want, I could take a picture of it as it is currently packed.
 
I am lovin this one:



Tenba Mini Photo:Laptop Messenger Bag.jpg


It holds my Canon 7D with a 5 inch lens a additional lens, a flash, cables hard drive, magazines, iPod and other odds and ends.
 
macrat said:
I vote for STM Scout Bag. It will accommodate both the Air and iPad plus more.

I'm waiting for my Olive color STM bag and my Air for delivery next week.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BNY8AQ
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Would you know if the black one on Amazon's website is the same as the Olive (except for color, of course 🙂 )? The black says, "Scout Small Bag" in the description, but the olive description says, "Scout Small Laptop Shoulder Bag". The technical details of the black one are not as informative as for the olive on Amazon's site. They look the same from the pics. Here's the link to the black model:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00494FJZE
 
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Pipper99 said:
Would you know if the black one on Amazon's website is the same as the Olive (except for color, of course 🙂 )? The black says, "Scout Small Bag" in the description, but the olive description says, "Scout Small Laptop Shoulder Bag". The technical details of the black one are not as informative as for the olive on Amazon's site. They look the same from the pics. Here's the link to the black model:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00494FJZE
Click to expand...

Same bag
 
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trims said:
Incase Compact Backpack. Works for me. The MBA is protected by a L'Arobe sleeve, and this fits in the laptop pocket in the backpack. There's an iPad pocket too.
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I finally got a chance to handle this bag in person, and I am really impressed. This has become the front runner for what bag I'll get for school this Fall. It's approaching, so a decision has to be made soon. I was originally going to go with a messenger/sling type bag, but this one is swaying me. Very impressed. Not too happy about the price though. Cheapest I can find is 63 dollars online. =T

Here's a pic:
 

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FWIW I never buy a laptop bag that doesn't have the strap physically attached to the bag. I just don't trust that the clips won't fail while I'm on my motorcycle.
 
onthecouchagain said:
I finally got a chance to handle this bag in person, and I am really impressed. This has become the front runner for what bag I'll get for school this Fall. It's approaching, so a decision has to be made soon. I was originally going to go with a messenger/sling type bag, but this one is swaying me. Very impressed. Not too happy about the price though. Cheapest I can find is 63 dollars online. =T

Here's a pic:
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This one is worlds better imo

ProductImage.ashx


Chibatastic
 
Jemi9OD said:
I think I'm going to save up for the sfbags.com muzetto. It's just such a beautiful bag. A little on the expensive side, but very nice leather, and I've had waterfield bags in the past and the quality is just top notch.
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I have the Muzetto - just in case you didn't know, it offers practically no protection by itself. It is expected that you get a sleeve.

I have the 15" Muzetto and I was caring around the 13" MBA comfortably within.
 
^^^I know your name is "onthecouchagain", but if you actually exercise outdoors (ride your bike, hike, etc), or you just want a sportier bag, I have one of these, and it is awesome. 😉

I have a yellow one, but there are other colours: http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/osprey_hydraulics/raptor_14

The bag is tiny at only 14 litres, but there are larger sizes available (I believe an 18L version). As small as it is, I can put my 11" MBA + my LA Robe sleeve into the water resevoir compartment (i.e. like a "Camelback"). The other compartments are perfect for holding some notebooks, my Kindle, water bottle, AC adapter, and cables. Also, it's possibly the best cycling, or general "active" backpack on the market (Deuter packs are also great), looks awesome, and is very lightweight.

197_935_xl.jpg
 
Pipper99 said:
Would you know if the black one on Amazon's website is the same as the Olive (except for color, of course 🙂 )? The black says, "Scout Small Bag" in the description, but the olive description says, "Scout Small Laptop Shoulder Bag". The technical details of the black one are not as informative as for the olive on Amazon's site. They look the same from the pics. Here's the link to the black model:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00494FJZE
Click to expand...

I had the small black Scout for a couple of days. The size is great but it only takes a having very little in the bags front pockets for the flap to just curl up and stick out. It would have been a better design if the flap was a longer. I ended up returning it for an Osprey Astro.
 
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Abstract said:
^^^I know your name is "onthecouchagain", but if you actually exercise outdoors (ride your bike, hike, etc), or you just want a sportier bag, I have one of these, and it is awesome. 😉

I have a yellow one, but there are other colours: http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/osprey_hydraulics/raptor_14

The bag is tiny at only 14 litres, but there are larger sizes available (I believe an 18L version). As small as it is, I can put my 11" MBA + my LA Robe sleeve into the water resevoir compartment (i.e. like a "Camelback"). The other compartments are perfect for holding some notebooks, my Kindle, water bottle, AC adapter, and cables. Also, it's possibly the best cycling, or general "active" backpack on the market (Deuter packs are also great), looks awesome, and is very lightweight.

Image
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I use a similar set up with a Be-ez LA robe for a MBA 13 with a Deuter Speedlite 20. It's extremely light, really well made, can accomodate a lot of stuff, and is foldable. It has easily accessible pockets for many things, yet you can probably run a marathon with it on your back. It weighs 1 lb 2oz (500g).Here is a link:

http://www.rei.com/product/810379/deuter-speed-lite-20-pack

Yes, indeed bags with hydration pockets are best kept secrets for MBA 11 and sometime MBA 13. They tends to be better made and lighter than normal computer backpack and they are designed to be carried comfortably due to better weight distribution - there are more to it than attaching shoulder straps to a bag to make a good backpack. You have a bigger selections to choose from to. They range from minimal to ones with many pockets, and with the tough competition out there, there are many really good designs. Usually I find myself needing to carry more than just a laptop, so a bag that is designed to carry other things well in addition to the MBA is what I want: water bottle, jacket, wallet, keys, a few things from the farmer market on rare occasions. You never know what life will throw at you.
 
I'm trying out the InCase backpack despite its ridiculous price. Presently sitting in the shopping bag next to me. I'm looking to carry less and have less bulge out the back in an inconspicuous business like appearance pack. It's simple in design with little in the way of pockets accessible from the outside; something that should deter thieves in crowded environments like subways.

Adding this: I just checked the InCase against the Targus Crave backpack for 16 inch computers. InCase wins for me. Despite similar dimensions, the InCase holds more due to limited taper toward the top. I can fit my monopod in there along with a bunch of other stuff and there’s still clearance and room. My monopod fits in the Crave, but puts pressure against the top back of the pack. To envision the InCase capacity, imagine putting one or two tall coffee table size books into the InCase. It will fit and not stress the zipper. Also with the InCase, one zipper accesses both laptop and the bag’s contents. And the zip goes around the top of the bag, unlike the secondary rearward zipper on the Crave, which is lower.
 
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meistervu said:
I use a similar set up with a Be-ez LA robe for a MBA 13 with a Deuter Speedlite 20. It's extremely light, really well made, can accomodate a lot of stuff, and is foldable. It has easily accessible pockets for many things, yet you can probably run a marathon with it on your back. It weighs 1 lb 2oz (500g).Here is a link:

http://www.rei.com/product/810379/deuter-speed-lite-20-pack

Yes, indeed bags with hydration pockets are best kept secrets for MBA 11 and sometime MBA 13. They tends to be better made and lighter than normal computer backpack and they are designed to be carried comfortably due to better weight distribution - there are more to it than attaching shoulder straps to a bag to make a good backpack. You have a bigger selections to choose from to. They range from minimal to ones with many pockets, and with the tough competition out there, there are many really good designs. Usually I find myself needing to carry more than just a laptop, so a bag that is designed to carry other things well in addition to the MBA is what I want: water bottle, jacket, wallet, keys, a few things from the farmer market on rare occasions. You never know what life will throw at you.
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Agreed with everything you said.

Like I mentioned, Deuter makes awesome packs. Before I bought my Osprey, I was interested in the Race X Air. The mesh on the back means that your back never really touches the rear of the backpack! It's just a huge mesh vent that's awesome for airflow! Also, the straps are mesh as well!

The 2 reasons I got my Osprey is because the 3L hydration pocket on the backpack, and the hydration bag itself, never compresses. It's rigid, so there's never any pressure on the bag. This also means that when I put my 11" MBA in the hydration pocket, it's REALLY well protected. Also, my bag is 14L, which is close to the 15 litre backpack I was looking for. 12L would have been a tiny bit too small!!

Anything 14-20L would have been good for me, but I went for the 14 L bag because I wanted to try packing lighter! 😉

The mesh at the rear of the backpack, and the mesh straps, probably make the Deuter the perfect choice, but my bag does a better job at other things (comfort, IMO).
 
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Abstract said:
Agreed with everything you said.

Like I mentioned, Deuter makes awesome packs. Before I bought my Osprey, I was interested in the Race X Air. The mesh on the back means that your back never really touches the rear of the backpack! It's just a huge mesh vent that's awesome for airflow! Also, the straps are mesh as well!

The 2 reasons I got my Osprey is because the 3L hydration pocket on the backpack, and the hydration bag itself, never compresses. It's rigid, so there's never any pressure on the bag. This also means that when I put my 11" MBA in the hydration pocket, it's REALLY well protected. Also, my bag is 14L, which is close to the 15 litre backpack I was looking for. 12L would have been a tiny bit too small!!

Anything 14-20L would have been good for me, but I went for the 14 L bag because I wanted to try packing lighter! 😉

The mesh at the rear of the backpack, and the mesh straps, probably make the Deuter the perfect choice, but my bag does a better job at other things (comfort, IMO).
Click to expand...

Yes, the MBA 11" is really portable: you have even more choices for bags than the 13". I am pretty sure my MBA 13 would fit in that Osprey. It did with a sleeve in the Deuter Speedlite and the the bag is 20L which is amazingly big for something that weighs 500g and looks small. Normally when something is that light, it's constructed like a nylon grocery bag, ie. no support. But this Deuter is rather remarkable for the support it gives given the weight (must have to do with that Delrin thermoplastic U frame they mentioned) . It's like the bag weight nothing so you are saving a couple of lbs which is like carrying nothing in your normal computer bag if all you have is a MBA in there. The MBA in a Be-ez LA robe is solidly protected and it forms a rigid back, so it feels even better with the MBA in the bag. It's a perfect combination I think.

I love Deuter Air comfort series for hiking. I have a Futura 28. The design creates a airspace between itself and my sweaty back and give the bag a good structure for weight distribution. BUT I tried the MBA in it and didn't like the way the curve back meet the MBA. I usually put a soft item like a sweater in between to flatten out the curve.

The bottom line is that with the MBA series, there are a lot of choices out there if one look beyond the traditional laptop bags. And it does make a lot of sense to do so: the MBA went through a lot of trouble to be thin and light as it does, why put it in a bag made for a generic 8 lbs portable?
 
I've tried (and returned) a ton of bags and this is the one I finally settled on:

http://osgoodemarley.com/products/detail.php?coll_id=11&pid=195&curr=0

It's not as tech-friendly as most, but it's not bad... has a few pockets for cell phone/ipod/usb drives/etc. 2 main compartments, a document area with a zipper, and slim pockets in front and back. More than enough room for MBA, iPad, Kindle, and notebook, plus work papers and accessories.

What ultimately sold me was the leather... like butta. It's also light and easy to carry. The nice thing about leather is that it doesn't bulge out like ballistic nylon if you're carrying it at less than capacity.

If you like quality leather, for the price you can't go wrong.
 
copperriverbags.com

It holds 13" MBA that's in a sleeve, and the other partition holds iPad 1 or2. By rearranging the strap it becomes a backpack. Materials and craftsmanship are outstanding. I bought it and I am very satisfied with it.
 

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