Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

NEW powerbook accessory advice please...

N

NewMacConvertee

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 20, 2005
15
0
K.C., Missouri
I just bought a new powerbook 15" (MY FIRST MAC EVER!) and i'm wondering if anyone can suggest a good bag so i'm able to tote this thing around with me. I am a student so i really need a lot of extra space for my books and such. I've come across a couple of shoulder bags on Apple's website, but it's hard to tell much from a picture. Anyone ever used an STM or Timbuk2 shoulder bag with their laptop? How's the durability, storage capacity, etc.

One other question - how well do the Kensington notebook locks work? I'm always away from home with my laptop and have never worried about it being out of my sight while out in public (because it's an old piece of crap Toshiba). With my powerbook i will be much less inclined to just leave it lying around out in public. Any suggestions?
 
NewMacConvertee said:
I just bought a new powerbook 15" (MY FIRST MAC EVER!) and i'm wondering if anyone can suggest a good bag so i'm able to tote this thing around with me. I am a student so i really need a lot of extra space for my books and such. I've come across a couple of shoulder bags on Apple's website, but it's hard to tell much from a picture. Anyone ever used an STM or Timbuk2 shoulder bag with their laptop? How's the durability, storage capacity, etc.

One other question - how well do the Kensington notebook locks work? I'm always away from home with my laptop and have never worried about it being out of my sight while out in public (because it's an old piece of crap Toshiba). With my powerbook i will be much less inclined to just leave it lying around out in public. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

My Kesington lock and my old Acer worked fine. Didn't have a chance to try it though (greatfully). With my Acer the lock hocked up to the metal "skeleton" inside the outer shell. If that is the case with the PB I can not say. But if it is, it should be pretty hard to break IMO.
But every lock is breakable. See it as a timedelay the theif has against him.
 
Don't bother buying a specific bag. There aren't that many to choose from and you get more options if you buy a sleeve (like one from MarWare, for instance) and then buy any bag that fits the sleeve.
 
Your best bet is to buy a nice big messenger bag, then buy a nice soft zippable sleeve so you can just chuck the PowerBook in the bag, along with your books etc.
 
i put it in a zippable puch i bought at fry's for about $20. that is put in my northface bag with my books. nothing too fancy, but its simple and it works.
 
Timbuktu bags (specifically the Commute) are beautiful and tougher than anything. They have a very snug, corduroy-lined pocket that is the exact right size for a 15" PowerBook.

If you've been persuaded away from a full bag, get a Timbuktu sleeve. They're the best too.
 
NewMacConvertee said:
I just bought a new powerbook 15" (MY FIRST MAC EVER!) and i'm wondering if anyone can suggest a good bag so i'm able to tote this thing around with me. I am a student so i really need a lot of extra space for my books and such. I've come across a couple of shoulder bags on Apple's website, but it's hard to tell much from a picture. Anyone ever used an STM or Timbuk2 shoulder bag with their laptop? How's the durability, storage capacity, etc.

One other question - how well do the Kensington notebook locks work? I'm always away from home with my laptop and have never worried about it being out of my sight while out in public (because it's an old piece of crap Toshiba). With my powerbook i will be much less inclined to just leave it lying around out in public. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I've got a STM Rebound sleeve for my Powerbook and then put that into a Targus messenger bag. Works pretty great. Check out radtech.us to order the sleeve. Great customer service from them when I picked mine up from them since they're located 20 minutes from me.
 
I got an Incase neoprene sleeve from Apple.com for my new 15" PB. Before that I had used a Port briefcase solution for my Pismo, and I'd gotten sick of carrying it by a handle (the Pismo weighs like 8 pounds, it's a heavy bugger). I keep the sleeve in a backpack, which is nice because then I'm not advertising that I'm carrying a laptop. Also nice because I'm carrying the weight on my back instead of on one arm. But you have to decide what works for you. I've sued a notebook cable lock before; it's useful for keeping honest people honest and against casual, grab-and-run thieves. But it won't stop someone with a cable cutter or if they REALLY yank the computer you could maybe break the cable out at the case (?).
 
I absolutely love my Brenthaven backpack. Tons of room durable as heck and guaranteed for life. It also is very understated and doesn't scream "I have over $4,000 in gear in me." I had a Waterfield (sfbags.com) messenger bag but it hurt my shoulder too much when traveling long distance with tons of gear. Gary at Waterfield is very nice and was kind enough to refund my purchase - great customer service. If you travel a lot get a backpack instead of a messenger bag.

I hate to pimp another forum here but this link has tons of reviews of bags: http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.php?t=178702
 
I've got the timbuk2 messanger bag, commute, its awesome, really well made. YOu also might possibly want to look at the commute XL if you need a little bit more space.
 
Check this out:

index_1.jpg


Janal Cases

INTRODUCING THE INCREDIBLE G4 POWERBOOK CASE

This elegant case is a mere 2 1/8" deep yet holds everything you need with your new Powerbook 12", 15" or 17". Also available for wide monitor PC laptops.
 
I have a Brenthaven bag for my PB, and while I love it, very tight fit, good organization, space for all the cables, there's virtually no room for anything but specific computer accessories. They're a bit expensive too, so I'd go for a larger bag from timbuktu etc. that you could fit your school stuff in as well.
 
neocell said:
I have a Brenthaven bag for my PB, and while I love it, very tight fit, good organization, space for all the cables, there's virtually no room for anything but specific computer accessories. They're a bit expensive too, so I'd go for a larger bag from timbuktu etc. that you could fit your school stuff in as well.
Click to expand...

What Brenthaven do you have? My backpack can hold a ton of gear. When I'm on the road I usually have:

PowerBook 17", 2 Lacie D2 250 GB HDs, 1 60 GB Lacie pocket drive, Canon DSLR, Power/networking cables, a few magazines, notebooks, pens, etc. etc. etc.

You can cram a lot of stuff in the Brenthaven backpack and while it gets very heavy it never feels uncomfortable. Like I said before, I'm not a fan of messenger bags - they kill my shoulders after awhile.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back