Carry your notebook PC around in comfort and style – without breaking the bank
There’s no doubt we live in a world of smartphones and tablets, but there are still plenty of reasons to buy a laptop for your mobile computing needs. Whether you want to write a few letters, create some PowerPoint presentations or just make things blow up in the latest videogames, you’re better off doing it with a full-size keyboard and a decent-sized screen. And you’ll also find it easier to play non-standard media files that aren’t necessarily supported by operating systems like iOS and Android.
If you do buy a laptop, though, then you’ll need a way to carry it around, not only to make it less cumbersome, but also to protect it from accidental damage.
And as well keeping your machine safe, laptop bags and cases straddle an area that covers both functionality and fashion. On one hand, they need to do the job of protecting your laptop, but on the other hand, you might also want one that looks good when you’re carrying it. As you might well expect, designer laptop bags are going to cost more than basic ones, but you also might pay more for other features, including locks and solar panels for charging your laptop’s battery.
That’s all well and good, but you might not have huge amounts of cash to spend on a bag, especially if you’ve just spent a bucketload on a new laptop. Thankfully, you don’t need to spend a lot to get a decent case or bag, as we’re going to show you here. First, let’s kick things off by looking at the most basic level of protection: laptop sleeves.
Sleeves
Right now, you can walk into your local Currys and buy an Essentials P15LS11 15.6” laptop sleeve for just £4.99 (goo.gl/AUzEjz). We wouldn’t particularly recommend you do, though, unless your laptop never leaves your house, and you just want a way to carry it from one room to another – in which case, we’d suggest simply using your hands.
Yes, it’s an extremely basic sleeve, consisting of little more than a black bag with a couple of handles. In fact, it’s most exciting feature is the inclusion of ‘dual zips’. Unfortunately, it just lacks enough padding to make it worth buying.
Head on to Amazon.co.uk, though, and you can find the iCozzier’ 13.3-14” Diamond Foam splash and shock resistant neoprene sleeve (goo.gl/SibCCU) for £11.99. This offers much more padding than the Currys sleeve, but it’s missing any kind of handles, so you’ll have to carry your computer under your arms or in a separate bag. Of course, at a maximum of 14 inches, your laptop is probably fairly light anyway, so a sleeve like this might actually do the job.
If you do need handles, then check out the Falcon International 16” laptop sleeve, which comes in at a piddly £9.77 from the Post Office shop (goo.gl/fFGG17). Much like other laptop sleeves, it’s basically a big zip-up wallet with some padding inside, but unlike a lot of other sleeves, this comes not only with handles, but also a removable shoulder strap, so it’s close to being a full-blown carry case. Plus it comes with a “detachable utility pouch”, which is apparently for you to store your stationery in. Personally, we’d call that a pencil case, but there you go.
Soft Cases
With a proper full-size soft case, you can carry your laptop around in style, while also giving it enough protection to survive knocks and bumps and even the occasional fall. And although prices can be high for such products, you can also get something perfectly serviceable for less than £20.
For example, for just £15.54 from Ebuyer (goo.gl/izYg74), you could get yourself a basic Targus laptop carry case, which will fit systems up to 16 inches in size. Obviously, this isn’t going to match up to more expensive bags, including Targus’s own higher-end products, but you get a lot for your money anyway. As well as a bunch of pockets for pens, phones and so on, it has a cushioned section for the laptop, which will provide more protection than a simple sleeve. And it has a strap inside, so you can secure your computer in place.
Also worth a look is the Port Design Liberty notebook case, which costs just £15.08 from Kikatek (goo.gl/Oiumik) with free postage. As well as a decent bag that can house laptops up to 15.6 inches in size, it also comes with a free Polaris 800dpi optical mouse.
Increase your budget slightly, and you could pick up the AmazonBasics rolling laptop case for £33.99 (goo.gl/s4Iy53), which has the added benefit of wheels and an extendable handle, so you can pull your laptop around behind you like a suitcase, instead of putting all the weight on your shoulder. It takes systems up to 17 inches in size, which can be fairly hefty, so if you travel a lot, such a case could be a godsend.
Of course, you could spend a lot more on a soft case. There are plenty around that cost more than a hundred quid, but we wouldn’t recommend spending any more than £50 or £60 unless you want something with special features or a design you particularly like.
If you really wanted to, you could buy an Acqua Di Parma messenger bag from Harrods and stick your laptop (which is probably a MacBook) into that. It’ll set you back £1,299 (goo.gl/g6rWt9), though, so if you happen to possess more sense than money, then we’d suggest you look elsewhere.
Ultimately, whether you spend 15 quid or 50, you should be able to find something that’s up to the job of keeping your PC safe.
Hard Cases
Offering an extra layer of protection, hard cases have a couple of distinct disadvantages. Not only are they bulky and inflexible, but they’re naturally heavier than soft cases too. If that’s not a problem for you, then there are plenty of great cases, most of which are either made from plastic or a lightweight metal like aluminium.
Prices vary, of course, and hard cases can be expensive, but if you look around there are some cheaper items to be had, such as the Aluminium Laptop and Test Equipment Flight Case from cases-andenclosures.co.uk, which costs just £26.44 (goo.gl/PypsBr). It’s not clear from this website what size laptops this case will accommodate, but this seller is a British firm, based in Hertfordshire, so it would be worth getting in touch to get more details.
Up your budget, and you can start shopping for cases with combination locks on them. For example, for £42.99 you could get either the Alumaxx Kronos laptop attache case from Paperstone (goo.gl/4NOANs) or the Falcon 17” ABS laptop attache case from BagsDirect.com (goo.gl/D45ZUX).
The Kronos is an aluminium case, with two combination locks, a padded area for your laptop and a selection of compartments and holders inside. Paperstone doesn’t give a laptop specification in inches, but it does list the size of the compartment as 42cm (W) x 30cm (D) x 7cm, so to be safe, we’d say 15 inches.
If you’d rather not have something so shiny and metallic, then the Falcon’s sleek black design will no doubt be more appealing. Made from hard-wearing ABS plastic, it comes with all the pockets and compartments you might need for stationery and so on. It only appears to have one combination lock, but one advantage it has is a weight of 1.8kg, which is significantly lighter than the 2.4kg Kronos.
Rucksacks
From personal experience, we know the pain of carrying around a laptop in a satchel-style case. Once you’ve packed in the computer itself, the charger, accessories and other bits like your smartphone and stationery, it can put a huge a strain on your shoulder if you’re using a shoulder strap. And if you carry it by the shorter handles, your arm will quickly feel like it’s going to drop off.
This is where a decent rucksack can be a major asset, and there are now loads of them that are specially designed to carry a notebook computer.
As ever, prices range from the cheap to the ridiculous. The Briggs & Riley 15.6” Laptop and iPad Backpack, for example, costs £219 from John Lewis (goo.gl/0ZqRHk), and it comes with a lifetime guarantee, but you don’t need to spend anywhere near that much to get something that will do the job and last a long time.
For just £21.98, you can get a Targus Classic Laptop Computer Backpack from Misco (goo.gl/BJe9gW), which will take laptops up to 15.6 inches in size. As well as providing plenty of pockets for all your accessories, your actual laptop has its own section at the back, where it’s provided with plenty of protection.
At such a low price, though, certain corners are likely to be cut, and this case, you’re probably looking at lower-quality materials, weaker stitching and fewer luxuries. It’s also not waterproof, like other bags. Targus does make higher-quality bags, of course, but you do need to accept this is a budget product and that it won’t match up to those.
Again, though, you don’t need to spend a lot more to get something of much higher quality. The Wenger SwissGear Mythos 15.6” laptop bag, for instance, is currently on offer at CCOnline for just £34.98 (goo.gl/FShTo0), which is fantastic, because it normally costs around £40. User reviews suggest that not only is it well made and robust, its waterproofing is good enough to cope with the Great British weather.
However, it’s not specifically designed to be water resistant – not like the Targus Drifter North Sport Backpack (£46.66, Amazon – goo.gl/HM0ooC), which comes with its own rain cover. It’ll only accommodate a laptop up to 14 inches, but assuming that’s okay for you, you get a well-made bag that will keep your computer safe in a downpour. Plus it has a secret compartment for you to store your valuables.
Summary
Of course, there are hundreds of different bags and cases we could have chosen to include in this article. Companies like Wenger, Samsonite and Targus create some excellent budget products, but equally, you can find worthwhile entries from AmazonBasics and lesser-known brands too.
You can potentially pay hundreds of pounds for a case or a bag for your laptop, and if you can afford to do so, then you’ll no doubt be rewarded with high-quality materials and extra features, but what we’ve tried to show with this small selection is that you can also get what you need for less than £50.
The best thing to do, of course, is to try out these things before purchasing, because as well as features like pockets and laptop space, you also need to consider comfort and things like waterproofing.
Of course, these kind of qualities may be more difficult to assess just from product descriptions and reviews. Popping into a local shop is one solution, but it’s also worth bearing in mind that anything you buy online is covered by a 14-day cooling off period, so you can send things back easily enough if they don’t meet your requirements. Just be aware of any return postage you might have to pay if you take this route.
Feel The Power
One of the biggest problems with laptops is keeping their batteries topped up. Their large screens require a good deal of power to run, and firing up a game will drain your battery in no time at all.
If you can’t find a plug socket, then you could carry a spare battery. Or you could let your laptop bag lend a hand, provided you buy one that has a battery pack built into it.
The Ampl Smart Backpack would be perfect for this, but currently this IndieGoGo-funded bag isn’t widely available, but you can go to ampl-labs.com to reserve one. There are a few different packages available, but to get one that will charge a laptop and not just phones and tablets, you’ll need to spend at least US$429. This will get you the bag itself, a 15,000mAh battery and a smaller 6,000mAh one. Spend $499 and you get an AC inverter too.
Not only will this set allow you to keep your laptop and mobile devices charged, but you can control the charging with a mobile app.
Of course, you’ll need to remember to charge Ampl’s battery packs, so that will again mean finding a plug socket every now and then.
Another option would be to buy a bag with a solar panel, like those made by Voltaic (www.voltaicsystems.com). Obviously, though, we live in the UK, where the sun only really puts its hat on for about three weeks of every year, which would explain why Voltaic’s products are really widely available in this country. Still, if you’re going somewhere sunny for a while, then it might be worth seeking out one of these bags for your travels.
Absolutely Fabulous Bags
For the most part, cheaper laptop bags and cases aren’t hugely good looking. You can pay for designer products, but they’re expensive, of course. Thankfully, leather or leather-effect bags like the Snugg Crossbody Shoulder messenger bag (£49.99, Amazon – goo.gl/Djw3Z6) can offer a good dose of physical beauty without breaking the bank.
And if that’s still just too mainstream and generic for you, then head onto sites like Etsy.com, NotOnTheHighStreet.com and Folksy.com for even trendier-looking items. They won’t necessarily offer the same kind of protection as other laptop bags, but they do look good, without screaming ‘Look at me. I’m carrying a laptop’, which could be a security risk in itself.
Links
When looking for a laptop bag or case, these companies are likely pop up. To see more of their ranges, head to their official websites:
• Targus: www.targus.com/uk/laptop-bags-cases
• Samsonite: www.samsonite.co.uk/laptop-bags
• Wenger: int.wenger.ch/en/gear
• Falcon Bags: www.falconbags.co.uk
• Port Designs: ww.portdesigns.com