There’s a time-honored, nigh-universal way to shop for a new laptop bag, and most of us follow it to the letter.
A strap with a stretchy midsection keeps your shoulder from getting travel rash.
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First, we’re attracted by looks, which narrows the field of notebook bag contestants by a considerable margin. Most laptop bags come in understated black in an effort to go unnoticed, but some are endowed with bold colors or fittings to command attention.
Next, there’s overall styling. Perhaps we would rather have a practical roller bag for airport comfort, for example, than a soft briefcase that could impress in the boardroom. Build quality counts here.
If the prices don’t scare us away from the remaining candidates, we check for size. Manufacturers sell laptop bags to fit notebooks of particular diagonal screen dimensions. And after a cursory test of the zippers, a pinch of the padding, and an exploration of the pockets—which typically seem numerous until we begin to fill them with stuff—we buy the bag.
The foregoing might be good enough for occasional vacationers, but it doesn’t begin to do justice to the needs of the business traveler. There’s a growing list of special features available in the latest wave of laptop bags, and some of them might reach must-have status ere long. |
One of Skooba Design’s Checkthrough Bags, seen here in a preproduction photo, lets airport security personnel scan your laptop without removing it from the bag.
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When you’re in the market for a replacement for your worn travel companion, or if the excitement of a new notebook computer inspires you to purchase a suitable accoutrement, the following tips can help.
Security-friendliness. Like it or not, one travel hassle that isn’t likely to go away soon is the airport security check. You may not be in a position to trade in your wingtips for slip-on loafers, which could make the shoe inspection less onerous, but you might be able to expedite the process of notebook scanning.
“Checkpoint-friendly” laptop bags are getting a lot of buzz lately for this very reason. |
Briggs & Riley Travelware’s Rolling Computer Portfolio has a secret. It has a pull-and-twist panel to lock it to another roller bag’s handles for easy towing.
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New luggage, such as Skooba Design’s Checkthrough Bags (www.skoobadesign.com) and Mobile Edge’s ScanFast line (www.mobileedge.com), are made of materials that easily let X-rays pass right through. Some such bags can zip open and lie flat, too, so they can more easily fit through scanning machines and give officials visual reassurance that there’s nothing untoward inside. If the security personnel at the checkpoint have been briefed on X-ray permeable bags, which often may be the case as new TSA rules allow notebooks to be scanned in situ, you might not have to spend time in the line unpacking your laptop. |
Another “checkpoint-friendly” line of bags is Mobile Edge’s ScanFast family.
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More importantly, you might not have to take your valuable notebook out of its protective padding before an unsympathetic journey along a conveyor belt and down a row of rollers. We’ve seen laptops tumble to the floor in the general crush of scanned objects while their owners look on helplessly from the other side of the metal detector gates. It isn’t pretty. A cracked screen or a crashed hard drive could mean the difference between a successful business trip and a lame duck tour. There’s only so much you can do without your digital resources at hand.
Note that no security-friendly bag manufacturer can advertise its luggage as being approved by the TSA, although Skooba and Mobile Edge designed and tested their bags to meet or exceed standards laid down by the agency. |
Besides having rugged good looks and a terrific strap, the Edge Briefcase from Mobile Edge would be a steal at twice the price.
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Stackability. Plenty of road warriors extend their rolling flight bag’s handles and then perch their laptop bag on top of the bag. This piggyback method makes the Pamplona-like rush through a crowded concourse less tiring because it’s easier to pull a wheeled load than to walk unbalanced with a bag strapped over one shoulder.
Unfortunately, if you don’t want your notebook bag to fall off (or inadvertently walk off), you typically have to wrap its strap around the roller bag’s handles. Briggs & Riley Travelware (www.briggs-riley.com) has a much easier solution. Its top-flight Rolling Computer Portfolio ($359; WR315 in the @work women’s collection) sports a sturdy system that can lock it to another roller bag’s extended handles. Simply pull the rear panel’s padded grip between the handles, then twist the panel 90 degrees. Heavy-duty shock cords keep the WR315 firmly latched in place.
A great strap. Ever get travel rash? It’s that minor bruising on your shoulder you notice in the hotel room mirror, and it’s shaped just like the unpadded strap on your unforgiving luggage. Even if you don’t plan to carry more than a few pounds worth of stuff in your new notebook bag, it pays dividends to select a bag with an ergonomic shoulder strap.
The Edge Briefcase from Mobile Edge ($59.99) has a detachable strap with an interrupted midsection; that is, the tough, seatbelt-like nylon weave of the strap is cut to make room for a strip of stretchy padding that rests on your collarbone. The cushioned, elastic midsection is lined with fabric on top and a very grippy rubber surface underneath; the latter keeps the strap from sliding off your shoulder.
Of course, if you fall in love with a laptop bag with the sole flaw of an uncomfortable strap, don’t let it break the deal. You can probably retrofit the bag with a better one.
 TAKE A LOOK AROUND
Any one of these features could make your next notebook bag a real keeper. Dare we say it, you'll even look forward to your next business trip.  by Marty Sems
OTHER DESIRABLE LAPTOP BAG FEATURES
• Adjustable pocket to fit your laptop
• Room for accessories and emergency undies
• Detachable laptop folio or storage pouch
• Headphone cable sphincter
• Mesh pocket for a beverage bottle
• Accordion-style file folder
• ID and ticket holder
• Rubber or plastic feet
• Zippers you don’t have to struggle with
• A generous warranty
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