I have to walk roughly 2 miles a day (+ bus) for work. I have one of those bike messenger style laptop bags, so it's not as bad on my back... but it's still bad.
I need a backpack (eventually, once I can afford it ![😕](http://musoapbox.net/assets/plugins/nodebb-plugin-emoji/emoji/android/1f615.png?v=4vfms5ns7sl ":\")
), but there's so damn many out there.
Are there any other folks who walk/haul around a laptop a lot who have a good backpack they can recommend? The one I most want is $300 and ha ha ha ha I can't afford that anytime soon.
So toss me your suggestions (personal experience please; I've been doing plenty of digging around on Amazon, gear sites, etc.)!
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@auspice I've been overseas with an Amazon Basics laptop backpack, through airports and ships, into hotel rooms and around animals, which my wife also uses on a regular basis for that same machine now. It's excellent, well constructed and with a crapton of pockets around to store all your stuff.
I highly recommend that whole line, and if memory serves it was very cheap. Like $50ish? But when I looked around at Staples they wanted stupid amounts of money for some really ugly things.
@auspice I have one I love. Like really really love. I cart my laptop with me from work to school to home to work all the time, in and out of it at least twice a day. Looove it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ELHY26A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A2HJFM47UUTC8C&psc=1
Honestly, go to Dick's or another sporting store and get a hiking/running pack. My partner uses a bag that we had for racquetball, and it's perfectly comfortable for her.
Check this one: https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/ua-storm-contender-backpack/pid1277418-040
Under Armour makes nifty bags that connect at the chest and mid-section. I had one of these for years, until my partner left it in the park after the twins' softball. >.< These take weight off your shoulders, and shift it forwards and down. Trust me when I say that a secure pack makes all of the difference.
But, check Dick's for bags that suit you. They will cost you a lot less. Smaller is better.
Seconded on Under Armour.
Theyre affordable and sturdy. Ive been using one as my go-to laptop/IT bag for years and I love it.
This is what I'm currently eyeballing:
https://www.511tactical.com/rapid-quad-zip-pack.html
I like the MOLLE options. Being able to add things on easily is nice. It only has a waist strap tho.
(Mind, I worry re: chest straps and the relative size of my own chest.)
ETA:
I should mention it needs to be able to carry a 15" Macbook, plus a couple books/notebooks (since I usually take my textbooks/notebooks for class along with me to work on at slow moments at work).
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@auspice said in Backpacks!:
I should mention it needs to be able to carry a 15" Macbook, plus a couple books/notebooks (since I usually take my textbooks/notebooks for class along with me to work on at slow moments at work).
Hence, the need for straps about the chest and mid-section. If you're chesty, you can clip over the top of your breasts. When that weight is strapped firmly to you -- which won't happen with normal shoulder straps -- it's like the shit loses half its weight, I swear.
Right now I have: https://www.timbuk2.com/command-messenger-bag/174-4-6114.html
(company branded because that's all you get when you've been an employee 5+ years... A branded laptop bag.)
It's a nice bag, but it's been brutal for walking 2 miles a day.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@auspice said in Backpacks!:
It's a nice bag, but it's been brutal for walking 2 miles a day.
Messenger bags suck, and are only useful if you have to wear a jacket (which gets badly rumpled with backpacks).
@ganymede said in Backpacks!:
https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/ua-storm-contender-backpack/pid1277418-040
This looks like it'd meet my requirements. I'll keep an eye for sales as we get closer to holiday season.
Ugh, I hope I hear back on this job I'm trying for. It'd solve SO MANY PROBLEMS.
Timbuktu is insanely heavy. Two miles on your feet would be tough, yes. Gany is right about a backpack, the weight distribution will help a lot.
“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
@thenomain said in Backpacks!:
Timbuktu is insanely heavy. Two miles on your feet would be tough, yes. Gany is right about a backpack, the weight distribution will help a lot.
Yeah, I've had people pick up my bag and just be shocked at the weight of it.
Guys doing that whole 'oh let me be nice and carry your bag' and then regretting it.
I know a backpack will be way better on my shoulders/back (hell, hips too). It'll also be easier to maneuver with. Getting my current bag into position takes so much effort that I get to the bus and am torn between: the effort of removing and re-wearing it... or sitting uncomfortably for 45-60 minutes?
Fingers crossed that my job doesn't fuck up my hours again and I'll be able to afford one mid-November (and that I don't do too much damage to my back in the weeks before then).
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
@auspice I love this backpack: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BP5N2BS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have had it for years, it is very good at carting around pretty big laptops (Carts around my asus gaming laptop without a problem) and is mostly waterproof for all weather, tough, durable, and most importantly, pretty comfortable.
It's also cheap.
My current laptop backpack, which I've been quite happy with. Comfy padded straps, padded laptop compartment, waist belt, room for extra junk: https://www.amazon.com/Targus-Backpack-Designed-Notebooks-TXL617/dp/B0001EMM10
Another consideration is LLBean's line of backpacks. The one I have doesn't have a laptop sleeve, so I can't recommend a specific model. But man, those things are built to last. Mine lasted for fifteen years - all through high school and college and dozens of overnight trips lugging a ton of books and other heavy crap.
I am a devotee of Peak Design, who make photography bags that can be used for everyday use as well (hence the name of the 'Everyday' line they put out). I use their Everyday Messenger as my primary work-bag, and I've put it through hell for nearly 3 years without any significant damage to it. They also have an Everyday Tote I adore.
Now, I do not own the Everyday Backpack, but I've heard excellent reviews of it, and based on the durability and comfort of my other Everyday bags, I feel confident recommending it.
The downside is that the Everyday bags are not cheap by any measurement. But again, I've put my Everyday Messenger through hell—rain, mud, daily bus rides, dumping it onto the floor at the office, etc.—for going on three years, which is far longer than any other bag I've owned has ever survived. No broken straps, no broken seams, no broken zippers or snaps.
a.k.a. Packetdancer (or "Pax" for short)
@sparks said in Backpacks!:
Now, I do not own the Everyday Backpack, but I've heard excellent reviews of it, and based on the durability and comfort of my other Everyday bags, I feel confident recommending it.
I think I looked at those briefly. But at that price range, I'd just shell out for my dream bag: https://www.goruck.com/gr1/
That meets everything I want, but... $300. I can't do that, not even close.
I sometimes miss the laptop backpack I used to have. I finally retired it end of 2015, but I'd had it since 2003. And I only retired it to give it to someone else- it was still in great shape. The issue was it was heavy because it was from a time when they hadn't quite gotten padding for laptop bags without them being heavy af as a result.
This is the one I recently got for my work days.
Works well for my needs.
https://redhat.corpmerchandise.com/ProductDetail.aspx?did=26009&pid=200696
I have stuck with Swiss Gear for most every purchase on backpacks that I've ever made. They wear well, carry a lot of weight, and are functional. The straps on mine are very nicely padded, have a chest clip (that helps keep the straps from pulling your shoulders open, which causes back pain). Plus, they don't break the bank.
@rook said in Backpacks!:
Do you know which model you have? All the ones initially coming up there are sans-chest strap.
I have stuck with Swiss Gear for most every purchase on backpacks that I've ever made. They wear well, carry a lot of weight, and are functional. The straps on mine are very nicely padded, have a chest clip (that helps keep the straps from pulling your shoulders open, which causes back pain). Plus, they don't break the bank.
