My Needs Are Very Simple, Really . . .

[kaasirpent]

Background

I have two laptops. I have The Shiny, and I have the most leatherific bag to tote it around in. It is, in fact, one of these, here. I mean, it is not physically possible for me to love it more than I do. (I even referred to it in the past as The Leather.)

I also, of course, have a BookBook, which I use when the other one is too bulky or if I just intend to carry it short distances.

At work, I have a Dell Precision M6500, which is also 17" (and henceforth, I shall refer to it as The Matte (Get it? Shiny? Matte? Oh, I slay me!). Which, of course, should not be confused with Matt. But I digress.

I have the nylon sleeve they gave me for The Matte, and I am sort of required by the nature of my job to bring it to work and take it home with me. Oh, and not lose it. They were very specific on that point . . .

On top of all that, I have a leather backpack from Wilson's Leather that is not altogether unlike this one, here. I use it for everything from accessories for the computers to books I'm reading, gaming supplies, and during Dragon*Con, I live out of it during the day. I shall call it The Backpack.

Problem

Since I have to bring The Matte with me, and I like to have The Shiny with me in case I need to work on something personal (like writing) during work hours, and I use The Backpack to carry other things I might need, I end up coming to work every morning with The Backpack strapped to my back, The Shiny in The Leather over my left shoulder and neck, and The Matte in its nylon sleeve over my right shoulder and neck.

In short, it cuts off circulation to my brain. :) And it's unwieldy trying to walk through the narrow gaps in the parking lot laden like a native guide in a 1940s "safari to deepest, darkest Africa" movie, in which the unlikely pair of usually pasty and annoyingly upperclass white protagonists with fakey-fakey "mid-Atlantic" accents that talk too fast insist on bringing a full bone china tea service—complete with tea cozy—out into the bush so they can "take tea" on the veldt whilst badly integrated, early green-screened lions stalk and kill equally badly integrated, early green-screened zebras or wildebeests in the background, and you ask yourself, "Why doesn't M!buk!u the native guide just break the tea set and leave bwana and bwanette to get their own damned tea?"

<sigh> Where was I? Oh, right.

Desire

I'd really, really, really like a rolling bag that would securely hold both The Shiny and The Matte and have room for the other junk in The Backpack.

Now, The Shiny is thin and light without The Leather. The Matte is . . . well, not. It's a lot heavier, and the power cord and such aren't designed to fit in the sleeve that comes with it. I leave those home, anyway, since there were two sets. But if I'm traveling . . .

Searching online for "dual laptop bags" or "bag to hold two laptops," I run into . . . pretty much nothing. There doesn't seem to be anyone out there, anywhere, that makes something like what I want. To wit: something wheeled and big enough to hold two 17" laptops and accessories. That isn't the size of a Hum-V and twice as expensive. (I mean, there's the Saddleback Leather Duffel Overnight Bag, which I'm practically drooling over, but at nearly $600, it seems a bit overblown, especially considering I'd need to get a couple of sleeves to put the laptops in (probably not this, since that's another $75, each) to make sure they don't jostle around too much.)

So I ask The Hivemind (I'm going to stop doing that, now): Do you know of a suitable rolling bag that is sizable enough to carry all this stuff, doesn't cost a fortune, and won't disintegrate the first time it's used? (You'd likely be shocked by how many things do.)

I'm more interested in things you've actually used/seen than in you doing the same Google search I did and finding the same links I did, without much useful information on exactly how much will fit into the thing. Let's assume that I know how to use Google and that I've done so rather exhaustively. :)

I prefer leather (Really? Shocking . . . ), but any material will do if it's good quality.

I seldom fly, so the whole 'will it fit in an overhead bin or underneath an airline seat' thing is not really a concern for me. Nor is making it easy for TSA to search the bag.

And, since one person I mentioned this to went on at some length about how I should "just" get my IT department at work to image my work laptop and use The Shiny to run a virtual Windows XP, thereby eliminating the need for two computers . . . that isn't really an option. For either me or the IT group here.

I'll be visiting various stores and looking in person, too, of course. And probably drool some more over Saddleback's products. But if you have any recommendations, do let me know. :)

Comments

[dchenes.livejournal.com]

Will The Matte in its sleeve and The Shiny not both fit in The Leather? Then you can put TM's and TS's accessories in The Backpack, and have blood flow in at least one direction (to or from the brain, your choice).

By the way, I am now convincing myself that I do not need a $400 laptop bag.

[kaasirpent]

The Leather is made to be JUST large enough to hold The Shiny. That's why I end up carrying two laptop cases with me. :)

[skreeky]

I'm guessing there's no such thing as a two-laptop bag because you don't really need one. I have a backpack I call the "Turtleback" because I feel like I have my whole house with me. But the point is, the padded laptop compartment is roomy enough for two laptops. I put at least one in a foam sleeve to prevent scratching and banging together. Then it has another compartment for my books and Stuff, and armored (slice-proof) pockets on the back and sides for accessories.

(I looked for the bag I have online, but it looks like they don't make it anymore. Sorry.)

[kaasirpent]

Yeah, I'm beginning to come to the same conclusion: It just doesn't exist.

[rarelytame.livejournal.com]

I have an enormous canvas rolling tool-bag that I bought at either Home Depot or Lowe's, which I used to use to carry art supplies around while I was working on my degree. It's in no condition to carry laptops now, but when it was new, it would have carried a lot, including multiple laptops, and it didn't look at all like a tool-bag. It's not leather though. I liked it because it had the sort of solid collapsible handle and wheels that some airline luggage has, but when you collapsed it, it just looked like a really enormous over-the-shoulder bag.

I'll see if I can find it. (It's in a closet somewhere.) And if I can find it, I'll identify the manufacturer, etc... and post again. It may take me a couple days. (And I don't guarantee that it's what you're looking for.)

[kaasirpent]

Leather is just a preference, but canvas would work, sure. :)

[slymongoose.livejournal.com]

*hops into The Leather and REFUSES to come back out!*

God, that must smell heavenly! Lord, I love Leather. You had to show us that link, didn't you? Well, now pay the price! Just try to dislodge me!

My suggestion is to either follow dchenes's cunning plan (love the pic, btw) or to get a Portable Folding Cart like this:
http://reviews.officemax.com/4193/ARS30346/reviews.htm
That's the model I have. It's stout and carries all kinds of things for me without shoulder strain neck pinch ow arrgh! It could even hold B'wana Devil's tea service, if him please. If you want a smaller one, I'm sure you could find one.

Groot just got a Swiss Army rolling briefcase (aka MANPURSE) that he ADORES. not in small part because it does not fall over when loaded up with all his stuff like the old bag did. Ask him for details. Alas, it is not Leather - but maybe that's a good thing or he's have to try to get me out of it! heh heh heh!

[slymongoose.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I LURVE the BookBook! That is delightful!

[rtropeano.livejournal.com]

http://www.wilsonsleather.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3472258&cp=2446816.3677098&view=all&parentPage=family

This is the one that I know several of the lawyers use as they hold a laptop and divorce file(usually much bigger than an 2nd laptop.