Gear Bags

Larry G. returns to Review the Tucker & Bloom East to West

Tucker and Bloom has been in the business of making bags for over thirty years.  Their products focus on organizing your gear while maintaining a clean and stylized design.  Their design philosophy comes straight to the point.  “Tucker and Bloom designs aim to organize people with a need to look professional while providing an alternative to the norm.” When Judie described the bag she was sending me for review as the “hairy bag”, I was nothing if not curious at seeing it up close and in person. The East to West Messenger Bag is a classic bike style messenger bag…


Cocoon Innovations GRID-IT! Review

Travis recently wrote about some of the great products Cocoon Innovations was showing off at CES to help organize all the wonderful gear we tend to carry around.   As soon as I saw their GRID-IT system in Travis’ post,  I knew this was a product I could use.   While I try to keep an organized gear bag, the daily wrangling of cords, chargers, etc. was beginning to wear on me.  Sometimes I need to quickly transfer gear from one bag to another — say, during a short trip where trying to keep up with multiple bags is more trouble than…


The Waterfield Muzetto Vertical Laptop Bag Review

Of all the laptop bags that I have reviewed over the years, and I can’t even tell you how many dozens there have been (possibly hundreds?), I can only remember having a perfect stranger approach me to compliment my bag twice: once for the ACME Made Courier, and the other time for this bag – the Waterfield Muzetto.


Skooba Netbook Messenger – Review

Yesterday  Larry posted that Skooba is having a big 25% off sale for the next few days. The Skooba bag on the left in the advertisement is a new item from Skooba designed especially for netbooks. The Netbook Messenger is just the right size for carrying a netbook and a few assorted accessories during a day of running around. I’ve been using one for the last two weeks. Let’s take a look…


Skooba Design Checkthrough Roller Feview

It is not a so-well-kept secret that I travel quite a bit for my day job. While 2009 has seen a slow down in travel for me, I still will easily make my American Airlines Platinum status for the 4th year in a row. As a reminder to everyone: Airline status is not something to be proud of. It means that you spend too much time on airplanes and that you know exactly which seats and rows have power outlets… but I digress. Since September 11, 2001 the single biggest challenge with air travel has not necessarily been the airlines…


The ACME MADE Courier Laptop Bag Review

It is not often that I’ll spot someone carrying a bag which prompts me to ask questions about it, but that is exactly what happened at Digital Experience, when I saw Vincent carrying his black ACME MADE Courier. His bag looked sharp; it was stylish, not bulky at all, and I liked the way it conformed to his hip. Vincent flipped open the front flap to show me how much room the bag had and how the sections were laid out, which brought on something I have not felt in ages…bag envy. Bag envy is an ugly beast; even after two…


Skooba Checkthrough Bag Review

Ever since 9/11, air travelers have been forced to take their shoes off, take their laptops out of bags, and…well you know the drill.  Now the TSA has worked on developing a standard for letting us keep our laptop in its bag as we go through through the checkpoint.  I got to take a look at Skooba Design‘s version, called the Skooba Checkthrough. The bag is actually a lot smaller than it looks and a lot larger than it looks.  I know; how can it be both?  Well when all zipped up, it’s a little thinner than the backpack I…


Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer Review

I’ve got a thing for notebook bags and over the years I have collected quite a few. This was, however, my first experience with a Tom Bihn bag and boy am I impressed. This is among the first of the new, TSA (Transportation Safety Administration) approved notebook bags that do not require removal of the device while winding your way through  the security checkpoint gauntlet. The new TSA rules allow a notebook to remain in its case as long as there is an unobstructed view for the x-ray machine. That means there can be nothing blocking the notebook and that…


Reviewed: Tom Bihn Organizer Pouches

It never fails that when I pack my gear, there are always small items which will sift to the bottom of my bag’s cavernous pockets. This doesn’t even take into account all of the times when I have needed a particular something, and no matter how neatly I thought I had it packed, I couldn’t find it when it was time. Well, no more. Tom Bihn makes a variety of Organizer Pouches, and I think that it would be safe to assume that there is something for everyone. Let’s take a look… Cordura Organizer Pouches


The Tom Bihn Yarn Stuff Sack Review

Don’t let the name of Tom Bihn’s Yarn Stuff Sack throw you off. While it’s true that this Japanese-made Dyneema rip-stop fabric bag was created to work perfectly with their Swift knitting bag, this approximately 9.5″ wide x 8.25″ tall drawstring bag can also manage all sorts of loose gadget peripherals. Let’s take a look…


The Naneu Pro Adventure K3L Camera and Gear Bag Review

I don’t travel as much as I used to for work.  But I still remember traveling enough to know what a pain it has become.  With extra security measures and fees, flying hardly seems worth it anymore.  Now, when I used to travel a lot, I would frequently have a backpack with all of my necessities and gadgets, and also a separate camera bag with my photography and video gear.  This worked fine at the time, but anymore it would create several problems.  First, I have considerably more photography gear now than I used to (not to mention nicer and…


Review: Proporta Gadget Bag – Asus Eee PC

When Asus brought out the Eee PC, they did think to include a case.  The neoprene case holds just the Eee PC itself, but if you need to carry the Eee PC and a few things, you’ll need something else. Enter the Proporta Gadget Bag. As you can see, it’s barely as wide as the Eee PC itself.  This case is the most ideal carrying solution that I have found for the Eee PC 701.  It is lightweight, very durable, and each compartment is padded so you won’t have to worry about bumps damaging your Eee or anything else.


The Kensington Contour Balance Notebook Case Review

During Jerry’s and my meeting with Kensington during CES, I had ample opportunity to admire their new Contour Balance line. As described on their site: With lightweight microfiber materials, sleek organization, Contour features to minimize strain, concealed pockets and DropShield® notebook padding for protection, these cases doesn’t compromise form for function and style. One of my wistful complaints at the time was that a bag was not available to fit my 17″ Toshiba. While there still isn’t a bag large enough for “value-sized” laptops, it no longer matters quite so much to me since I now own a 15″ MacBook…


LAbesace CLASSIC Laptop Bag REVIEW

Trust me, I’m really trying my best to quit hauling around so many gadgets in my backpack. A 13” MacBook, power cable, mouse, 2 pens, iPod, iMuffs wireless headphone, JawBone headset, a smartphone of the week, Tekkeon battery charger, various cables, business cards and a legal pad are my bare minimums. Oops! I forgot the digital camera! What was I thinking! I stuff all of these items in my Swiss Army backpack to and from work. Of course I throw in a couple of books, a brown bag lunch, gloves, stocking cap, and many more items. The other day, I…



The Naneu Pro Military Ops Sierra Small SLR/Laptop Bag Review

Most of the photography bags I have reviewed in the past have been very functional, but they also…hmm, how can I say this? They looked like casual bags which were camouflaging the fact that they could safely hold many thousands of dollars in equipment — which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I didn’t feel that any of them exactly stated “I’m a professional photographer, so yeah…take me seriously”. Of course, that might also be because I am not one, and I don’t play one on TV. However, the bag I am going to look at today does look…


The Mobile Edge / Maddie Powers Cutebug Laptop Messenger Bag Review

I was eager to review the Mobile Edge /Maddie Powers Cutebug Laptop Messenger Bag, because it is one of the most original I’ve ever seen. Combining the extremely well executed features we have come to expect from Mobile Edge with the sassy iconic images Maddie Powers’ designs borrow from 1940s and 50s pulp fiction magazines, the Cutebug Laptop Messenger Bag is one hot tamale. Check it out… photo courtesy of Mobile Edge


The Skooba Design Skooba Satchel 2.0 Luxe Review

It’s not often that I get to do decidedly “girly” laptop bag reviews, but this week I have two of them to write about…lucky me! And lucky for all of you women who come to Gear Diary, as well as your significant others. Need I mention that Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching, and nothing says “I love you” more than a gift that will be used every day, one that celebrates and accentuates the feminine goddesses that we are. Well, jewelry works, too, but I digress. Today we are going to take a close look at the Skooba Satchel 2.0…


Lighten That Load: the Skooba Shuttle Backpack REVIEW

As a downtown worker, I have to make a daily jaunt of several long city blocks to my office. It’s not because I choose to walk, but rather, it’s because the expense of downtown parking. Thus, I carry the necessities of mobile computing on my back like a modern day beast of burden like everyone else I see whether it’s downtown, at the universities, or the tourists. Of course, all of the gadgets along with the related materials such as books and assorted odd and ends need to be compartmentalized in an orderly fashion, while keeping weight and comfort in…


The Spire 17? Mojo Laptop Bag & Atom Accessory Bag Review

I’m pretty sure that at this point there is not a single person who has not used a backpack or satchel. Generally speaking, you usually find yourself wishing you had more space. Then, later on you find yourself wishing you didn’t have more space, but instead find yourself wishing you didn’t have a bag that keeps trying to tear to shreds on you. Then, along comes Mojo. This bag is quite possibly the most durable bag I have ever seen, with the most space I have EVER seen in a satchel. Ever imagine a bag that has pockets inside of…


The Crumpler Whickey and Cox Photography Bag Review

Yeah, I know that the title states “Photography”, and the bag I’ll be reviewing today certainly has the proper fittings to hold more photographic equipment than I will likely ever own, but it would be unwise to simply pigeon-hole the Crumpler Whickey and Cox Photography Bag as a mere camera tote. It is a well planned laptop bag, it is a comfortable backpack, and yes – it is a camera bag suitable for carrying an SLR and many of its accessories. Crumpler sells three different photography backpacks: the Keystone which can handle an SLR, its accessories, and a 12? laptop;…