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Student-friendly macbook backpack

R

Ruffian829

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 17, 2008
319
2
I know that macbook friendly backpacks have been the topic of a few threads here, but the ones I have looked through all had links that were out of date and bags that were no longer available.

I am starting graduate school in the fall (law school) and have been informed that I'll have a ton of heavy books to carry around (I am going to do the best that I can with studying on campus as to not have to carry a lot of heavy books around...).
I am looking for a good backpack that will offer good protection for a 13" macbook (I'm weary of backpacks that say they fit laptops up to 17" as the compartment is likely too big for the 13"er). I like the idea of the laptop sleeve being in the middle of the back, not right up against my back and not having books in front of it...

My second issues is I'm a 5 foot tall, under 100lb female. A LOT of the bags out there are just too big and look redic on me. I know that to some extent I need a big back as I need to be able to fit books but I guess I dont want it to look that big- a lot of the bags I've found are fit for men.

So are there any small female students out there with any suggestions? I liked the STM revolution but heard reports of it breaking? I saw some northface ones that looked good but the pictures of the laptop sleeve didn't look like they offered a lot of protection?
 
one of my best friends is currently also enrolled in grad school at McGill, and she's about your size. she uses the Incase Neoprene Sleeve, which allows her to use any bag for her school books (not just a bag for notebooks). it's just like having another book she can place between the other books in her bag. i think it's an ideal choice for grad students with large books to carry around.
 
When I was at Uni I bought a bag of my choice and then a Sleeve (incase are good sleeves as linked above). That way you have a greater choice of bags that don't say look at me I have a laptop in my Bag mug me look. and still have plently of room for books. the built in pockets for laptops always seem to take up loads of room.
 
I'm about your size and I use a sleeve (incase) and the bag I want. (I'm a language student so I have lots of dictionaries, grammar books etc every day)
 
i got a swiss army laptop backpack when i was in the mac store in new york, great padding and absolutly love it, is great when you have a macbook and lots of heavy books to carry around
 
As a law student aiming to graduate this year, forget about buying a bag for text books and a notebook. Its too much, too heavy and your bag will end up being massive and a killer on your shoulder(s). You won't ever need to carry your books all at once, and if you live on campus you can quickly swap ;) :)

Plus carrying text books in your arms allows you to walk around parading your intellect :D Yeah I said it :p

But then up to you

If you look here I have 2x bags and 1x sleeve. Saying that I bought a Jack Spade messenger bag 2 hours ago... :rolleyes:
If you go to an Apple store you should be able to see STM in person. When I did I thought it did not look "business smart" enough, so picked up the Knomo Stirling
 
I use an incase sleeve and just throw it into my jansport backpack...works out great.
 
I just use my Incase sleeve and then just put it in my bag.

I chose the incase over all the others because the computer has a bit of space inside, unlike the other zipped ones where it caught on the corner of the computer when you zip it up.

James :apple:
 
I went to the north face store today and found that the only pack that I really like for a laptop is the surge- it is the only one that actually has built int padding for the laptop. The other's that have a laptop compartment are simply a space to put your laptop in with a strap to hold it there but minimal padding.

On that note, i really did like the Surge. I also checked the apple store and liked the Oakley but after reading reviews it seems to be a very "stiff" bag and since I am so small and narrow I can see it not fitting well.

I have a hard shell for the mac, so I think that the surge with the hard shell should be sufficient. Might pick up an incase sleeve too. Unless I find a better pack to get, but so far thats on the top of my list.
 
dbwie said:
The BBP bags, hybrid hamptons small size, fits the new UniBody MacBook perfectly. A bit pricey, but very nice quality bag.

http://www.bbpbags.com/hamptons.html
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At the risk of sounding pretentious, the look of those bags threw me off. Do you own one? I remember being told all through high school that you're supposed to keep your backpack high on your back as its better for your back- do these have some special system where it hangs low and wont hurt your back? And does it thump against your backside as you walk? those were the questions that came to my mind...
 
Just bought a Dakine backpack and it has a section at the back that just fits my aluminum macbook. Works great, fits all my books for school and looks sick. Definitely recommended.
 
Ruffian829 said:
At the risk of sounding pretentious, the look of those bags threw me off. Do you own one? I remember being told all through high school that you're supposed to keep your backpack high on your back as its better for your back- do these have some special system where it hangs low and wont hurt your back? And does it thump against your backside as you walk? those were the questions that came to my mind...
Click to expand...

I own this bag. It is designed to hang low on your back, which is better for your back. BBP stands for "bum backpack". It does "thump against your backside" as you walk. For me, it is more comfortable than a traditional backpack. You can also carry it as a messenger bag, since the straps can switch from backpack mode to a single strap. Switching back and forth is a bit cumbersome. The pockets on the outside of the bag are a bit smaller than I imagined they would be. Overall, I like the bag, but it's hard to know for sure if you can't see it in person. I have heard that some Apple Stores may carry these bags. The Apple Store near me has some nice bags for MacBooks by InCase.
 
I use North Face Recon backpack. The internal sleeve is real good and feels right on the back, even stuffed with books. BTW my portable computer is a 15" thinkpad, VERY thick and large, and fits well in it. So no problem with either macbooks or macbook pros. See you at McGill
 
I have two recommendations for you, though the 1st may scare you off. However I assure you that its not that big really, and it will look fine on you. The straps are wide and very very comfortable.

I dump a Macbook inside, as well as 2-3 law books that weigh around 1kg each. The external pack allows any other peripheral items like camera, charger, loose bits of here and there.

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/3-Day-Assault-Pack,865,44.htm

Next, is a traveller bag from Agnès b.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/672226/ #739

It's versatile and a lady can look smart toting it.
 
My Northface Recon holds the macbook fine. I even stopped using the Incase pocket because its a hassle since the backpack has sufficient padding (even on the bottom so the macbook doesn't hit the ground when I put it down :) ).
 
I have two incase backpacks which I bought when I owned a 17" PowerBook - the sling bag and the backpack. The sling is one of the most comfortable bags I've used for carrying a laptop, but it's light on space (the model currently selling seems like it's a bit deeper than the one I have) and the backpack has plenty of room for dead-tree books (and it comes in black instead of the camo color scheme mine came in). However, it's a bit "stiff" in that it keeps it's shape even if you only have a pencil inside, and one of the reviews on the Apple Store is titled "Not for girls."

The sling is my preferred bag, but the backpack has more room and even with carrying around textbooks and a 7 lbs laptop I still managed to avoid becoming a hunchback.

But, my advice actually is to wait and see how many books you'll have in total AND how many you'll realistically be carrying around on a daily basis, and then decide. Worst-case scenario is you end up with a bag better for books and a laptop sleeve.

Slightly related: my last semester I used a sight called coursesmart.com for 3 of my 5 classes. They offer digitized versions of textbooks that you basically rent out. As an example, my economics text cost around $100 in the bookstore ($90 used) but I got a fully digitized, searchable version for $60 for 6 months. Maybe it isn't the best bargain on textbooks, but it definitely helps cut down on sheer tonnage.
 
i have a da kine backpack. its quite stylish, has padding agianst the back a chest strap and padded laptop area. it has great capacity and with my neoprene cover it fits great
 
I just got a zeroshock to use with my alu macbook and it is a great case. I can easily fit it in my backpack with my school books and my mac tells me it feels like superman while it is in the case. :D
 
Does everyone think that an incase sleeve or something to that effect would be enough protection against the books in a backpack? I just worry because as we all know macs are expensive and I dont want it to get damaged while in my backpack!
 
Ruffian829 said:
Does everyone think that an incase sleeve or something to that effect would be enough protection against the books in a backpack? I just worry because as we all know macs are expensive and I dont want it to get damaged while in my backpack!
Click to expand...

Haha, no worries about that! Your books don't bite nor have claws, do they? :D Perhaps they only thing you should consider is the place the laptop on the "outermost" after the books are inserted. This will prevent the books' weight from pressing down against the laptop when it is placed horizontally.
 
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