Thursday, February 19, 2009

Review: Crumpler Right Hand 15" Laptop Bag


I have been a fan of OGIO bags for a long time now. My Trusty Ogio metro has been with me for almost 4 years and is still in great working order. When traveling, the side zip laptop pocket is fantastic when going through airport security, no fumbling, just pop it out. With all that being said, why on earth would i want another bag?

As it turns out, people dont see guys carrying a "bookbag" as serious. I dont know why, but when walking into meetings with my Ogio bag, i see people looking at it with a "i cant believe this guy is serious" look. Also, my Ogio bag was is very cumbersome for the typical day trip. It doesnt fit under the seat on an airplane, and tends to accumulate crap (I am a total packrat!).

With those things in mind, i decided that i needed a messenger-style bag, in a nice businessy color (aka black). Looking at ogio's current lineup, the closest thing they have is the "hip-hop":

Egads, what a fugly bag! Its like a laptop sleeve, a hipster, and military web gear all got drunk, had an orgy, and this poor bag is the unholy result... it should not be! Sorry Ogio, i love you, but.. no.

My coworker Leon swears by his crumpler bag, and i must admit the quality of his really grabbed my interest. After a few months of seeing them in stores, and checking their website (https://www.crumplerbags.com/) I decided that i wanted one.

Besides having an annoying flash based website, crumpler also appears to market different models in different regions. The bags at the stores in sweden, were NOT the bags available on the US website, but luckily the UK website was more or less agreeable with what i am seeing here. (and STILL didnt have the same products as the US).

After a bit of overthinking on my part i finally decided to get the "right hand". Its just big enough for a day trip, and looks pretty damn good. I didn't end up getting it for Christmas, as planned. Instead my (lovely) wife gave it to me as a "Just because i love you" gift.

So i have had the bag for less than a week, and already i love it. If there is one thing I noticed immediately... its Quality. This bag is built like a brick shithouse, and should last for at least 10 years. Another interesting feature is the (sophomorically named) "Third Leg". This esentially acts as a stabilizer, making sure the bag doesnt flop around when you are on the go. This is going to be VERY useful when the snow melts and i can start riding my bike again!

Its maiden voyage is tomorrow, when i go to see ebf0, so stay tuned for a field report.

Heres a look at the Innards of the bag:

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