I

/me is such an ontario boy.

I shall go log into QNX running on the ICON and imagine that it's half as cool as the stuff Billy Van was learning from Luba Goy on Bits and Bytes.

>

Gone from a circa 1994 Targus backpack (one of the first "computer" backpacks) to a Lowepro laptop backpack (which is apparently no longer made) to my current Timbuk2 small messenger.

Contained within those bags have been an incredible array of crap, including 9 laptops (9 laptops in 14 years isn't too bad is it?)

Thoughts on all of the above...

1/ The bigger the bag, the more crap you'll stuff in it.

2/ Your 'leet one bag skillz will be tried if you go with anything smaller than about 30L interior volume.

3/ Separate laptop liner (even if the bag has a module/designed pocket for laptop) is good for the health of your laptop, and useful when you get to your destination and you don't want to lug it all around with you.

4/ Spend the money. Seriously. If you're spending less than about $5/L of interior volume, you're buying something that you'll have to replace within a year.

5/ Beware raging featuritis. Some additional features are good, others are a horrendous waste of time.

As I did recently go through the same "what do I replace it with" when my well traveled Lowepro started to have strap shredding problems, I've collected a bunch of features that I like.

- really good nylon
- really good YKK zippers
- leash for your keys
- convenient zipper pocket for change
- place for the music player (in its case, with headphones)
- cable management/wrangling capability
- some "expansion" capability - that you only use when you need it
- room for current computer as well as likely successor computer and 1" of paper files/notebooks, 1L of water, "purse contents" (wallet, keys, etc), pens/pencils, cable management/wrangling, and mp3 player

Special little things I've loved about the above bags:

classic targus

- room for laptop + portable printer (circa 1994) means it holds about 11 macbook airs
- backpack straps can be hidden in zippered area - excellent for a mullet computer bag (shoulder strap at the office, backpack on the road)

lowepro

- built like a camera bag (obviously)
- movable interior partitioning system
- suspension system for laptop compartment - laptop doesn't touchdown when the bag does
- concealed rain cover - zipper right near the bottom opens to reveal a rain cover which keeps all the zippers covered and ensures that as wet as you might get, your stuff won't. And the cover is attached to the bag so you can't lose it or forget it when you need it.

timbuk2

- build quality. wow.
- the red key lanyard - excellent touch
- did I mention the build quality?
- sized for my "lighter weight" commitment to my back, yet contains my EEE and work-related notes as well as my "purse contents" without looking like a purse (or European Style Man's Bag)

What would I do over should I want/need to go back to traveling regularly and carrying a full sized laptop again?

I'd probably buy the Tom Bihn Brain Bag, although I might try to get by with just the Timbuk2 Hacker Bag.

I know that I wouldn't be willing to spend less than $125 on whatever it is that I decided to do though.

Good luck!

As a Sheridan Media Arts alumni, I can't even begin to quantify the number of times I was walking past the library with a tripod on one shoulder, a big duffle bag full of equipment and what would charitably be described as an 'angry face'.

Frankly, anyone at that school should know better -- between the photography program and the media program... sigh.

Hell - we used to do all kinds of crazy shit -- running past the security desk with a Harvey's cup full of boiling water and dry ice pellets left over from a shoot yelling "It's gonna blow!"

I suppose that things have changed - after all, I'm class of '95 - we barely had the interwebs.

Now that... that is worthy of praise.

I shall go and buy more Gaiman today in response. Good deeds *are* rewarded.