eng3

I am looking for a smaller lighter laptop bag for my smaller lighter laptop.
I currently have a dell laptop bag, similar to the NG763.

Here are my requirements.
1. Padded laptop compartment
2. Briefcase style with detachable shoulder strap
3. Front compartment with organizer pockets
4. Separate compartment that can fit large documents or change of clothes
5. Small pocket that can fit small documents (boarding pass, cell phone)
6. #3 compartment should have more than one "catch-all" pockets to put miscellaneous items
7. Compartment near top to put quick access items. The dell bag has a net inside the front compartment.

The whole thing should be lighter than my current bag, under 1lb would be preferred.

I've reviewed several bags that meet #1 and #2 requirements. Finding a bag that meets #4 (having two separate compartments) cuts things down. Most bags have #3, the organizer but many do not or the organizer is very limited. #6 can be an issue. Many bags don't have too many compartments so all your stuff, mouse, power brick, cell phone are left to roll around. Most bags seem to be missing #5 and #7, I've even thought about how hard it might be to sew in an extra pocket for this purpose. You'd be surprised house useful it is to have this. When you're at the airport get your BP and then have to put everything away to go through security. You don't want to have to dig through your bag to get what you need back out.

Basically, my current dell bag is perfect, it is just too heavy. The laptop compartment is too big for my new slimer laptop.

The two bags I have narrowed it down to are the:
Case Logic Bryker 15.6" Laptop Bag (BRYB115)
(Missing #5,6,7)

Brenthaven 2159 ProStyle Lite Expandable
(Missing #5,#7) It has #6 but they are in awkward locations. It has an organizer but you can't actually fit anything in it

ross123

Take a look at this one. Samsonite bought Tumi and has a bag that might fit the bill (might be a touch big for you but I don't think so)

http://shop.samsonite.com/gt-supreme...#sz=12&start=1

Tumi has a version of the bag is also nice.

http://www.tumi.com/p/earle-compact-brief-0222610HK2

SkyForce6

Have you looked at the Tom Bihn Pilot bag? https://www.tombihn.com/collections/...nt=30738369479

The halcyon material version weigh around 1 IBS and you should add a Absolute shoulder strap, a cache for the lap top (this $40 cache is padded and attaches to the bag with snaps, which is smart since you can just pull out the cache with the lap top for TSA checks). Also I recommend packing cube and organizer accessories for clothes and other stuff.

The Pilot is big enough for a 13" Mac. Or do you have a bigger one?

The down side to the halcyon material version is that it is not as sturdy as the heavier Ballistic Nylon ones but still works just fine.

Here a video review:

JClishe

+1 for Tom Bihn. I don't personally have the Pilot, but I have a lot of their bags and love their stuff.

eng3

Thanks for the suggestions. The samsonite and Tumi's are too heavy.
I'm looking into the Tom Bihn one more. I have TSApre so there is no need to pull my laptop out, although I do want it to be padded. I wish they had a clear picture of what the inside of the front pockets look like, though it seems like they are pushing the separate bags. That's an idea, maybe I can just do that with my current bag. There isnt really a pocket for documents, other than the back one, but it is open and I don't like the idea that it may fall out.

They're all way above what I want to pay. I was thinking like 5X-10X less. If I were going to pay that much, the back better be perfect in every way.

GrussGott

I have the pilot and love it - I use a padded cache which I like way better than having the bag padded. The front pockets have internal org are quite large: the left one has a large pocket or two and the right has some pen slots and a pocket big enough for a 5" smartphone, although I use it for a spare battery. The back has 2 huge internal pockets for cables, batteries, powerbrick, etc and the main pocket is plenty large for your 13" MBP and lots of files. I usually carry both my 13" MBP and my 15" work laptop (Dell) along with a few file folders.

For me it's the perfect size, but if you need to get clothes in there then go with the Western Flyer. Bihn is great because their bags are US-made, hand-stitched, primo quality and guaranteed for life: if any seam, zipper, stitching, fabric, anything fails they will fix it for free anywhere you are. Their customer service is excellet. Personally I'm done with crap products and non-existent customer service.

eng3

Thanks for the input.

Why do you prefer the padded cache vs the bag being padded.

Do they have smaller pockets for things like business cards, wallets, pens, where i can securely place something and not have it roll around in the bag.

When I arrive at the airport, print a BP, check my bag, pull out my ID. Then at TSA after showing it to them, I put my BP, phone, and ID back in my bag. My current bag has a small net that can hold things like a ID and phone in place without rolling around to the bottom of the bag. (The BP goes in the front pocket with other small documents). After TSA, I can easily pull out my phone and ID. Since my wallet is in a specific small pocket, I can easily reach for it and put my ID back in my wallet. A few well sized organizer pockets and/or a net are pretty important.

Clothes is rare. On an intl trip, I may pack a t-shirt, shorts, undergarments. They are pretty flat and cant side in a folder pocket pretty easily. Things get a little bulky when I goto a cold destination and have to pack long pants vs shorts. I'm wondering if I should do away with this requirement and just take my old larger bag for intl travel and use a smaller bag for domestic.

My dell bag which was fairly cheap has held up for 8 years. There is a tear in one of the inner pockets and the hard part of the handles have broken but that's it. I don't think a $250 bag is necessarily that much better than a $50 bag

GrussGott

The pilot easily accommodates the security routine - I do the exact same thing myself.

I like the cache because then it doesn't bulk the bag if I don't want it there - sometimes I pack the pilot flat in my western flyer if I want to one bag it, plus with the cache I can just move the laptop to anywhere and even with pre-check when you travel internationally no guarantee your stuff isn't going through whatever their process is.

I've done a LOT of bag experimenting over the last 3-4 years and I've found 3 key things for me:

(1.) Ditch the frames, wheels, and handles - they're heavy, take up room, and I don't need them. Carry on only, hand-carry only.

(2.) Be modular. Have multiple bags of sizes and styles and move stuff between them, i.e., right tool for the job. Bihn has organization you can and easily swap between bags or no bag at all to create a portable office in your hotel room.

(3.) Buy high quality bags and pay for value in materials and workmanship

So after trying all kinds of bags, I'm now on 90% Bihn carry-on only bags with one giant B&R roller for my wife that we check and use for long international trips. I'd be fine with my Aeronaut 45, but ... marriage.