Choose a bag for your Mac laptop
Mac Tip #368, 21 January 2009

Travelling with your Mac laptop? You’ll need a bag to put it in.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of bags out there, both small and large, and I’m not in a position to review them.

If you’re travelling with a laptop, especially by air, then there may be some things to think about in your choice of laptop bag.

It’s not usually a great idea to put your laptop in checked baggage as the risk of loss or damage is considerable. Instead take it on to the plane as part of your carry-on allowance. You may carry it inside another bag, or separately in its own bag.

Generally at security you need to remove the laptop from its bag and send it through the scanner separately. Is it easy to access?

If you have several items of carry-on baggage, such as a laptop, carry bag, jacket, book, camera, and so on it would be useful to think about whether the laptop bag needs handles or a shoulder strap, or a non-slip surface you can easily grip.

Will you also carry the power cord (and maybe an adapter) so you can use the laptop while waiting at airports? Perhaps a bag with pockets would be useful.

What about that long wait before boarding? Will you need to visit the bathroom? Where will you put the laptop while using the facilities? Usually there’s a hook you could hang the bag from to keep it off the cubicle floor, but the bag needs handles or a strap.

Once on the plane will you stow the laptop in the overhead locker to be jostled around with everyone else’s bags and umbrellas and heavy bottles from Duty Free? Or will you fit it under the seat in front of you? Should the case be strong and sturdy, or does it need a little give?

While travelling, in particular, we may feel more vulnerable. Does the bag advertise its contents as being worth stealing?

The two bags I’ve used for probably a decade now continue to work well for me. I bought a Tom Bihn Brain Bag with a Brain Cell.

The larger Brain Bag backpack is extremely comfortable, and holds clothes, toiletries and other ‘stuff’ for away trips, as well as the laptop, if I want it to.

The Brain Cell is a padded, hard-sided, close fitting bag for the laptop itself, with handles and a shoulder strap. It has a pocket sufficient for a slim book, or even a power supply.

The cunning thing is that the Brain Cell can snap in to the Brain Bag, so that the laptop is suspended inside the backpack, providing extra protection.

Both bags are hard-wearing and well-made. They’ve given me good service for the last many years and I expect many more years from them.