Recommend a laptop backpack / briefcase / shoulder bag
Discussion
Had what appears to be a faux leather shoulder bag for god knows how long, however it's falling to bits.
So looking for recommendations for a bag of some sort for taking into work..
Needs to carry a 15" laptop, it's charger, a note pad, a drinks bottle and that's probably about it other than a few odds and sods, ear pods, pens etc.
This is not what I'd use to travel with etc, if anything when I fly for work this bag would end up packed or not taken.
I can't decide on style, which is why I'm asking here!
Happy to consider a rucksack type approach but prob max 15litre, and smart rather than rugged. But have been looking at some of the roll top options. Rains / Stubble & co etc.
Shoulder bag or briefcase style but difficult to get the water bottle in there.... Could I guess be carried if really good option was suggested.
Ideally I'd like this to be sub £150 but bags seem to have got very expensive!
What do you guys use?
So looking for recommendations for a bag of some sort for taking into work..
Needs to carry a 15" laptop, it's charger, a note pad, a drinks bottle and that's probably about it other than a few odds and sods, ear pods, pens etc.
This is not what I'd use to travel with etc, if anything when I fly for work this bag would end up packed or not taken.
I can't decide on style, which is why I'm asking here!
Happy to consider a rucksack type approach but prob max 15litre, and smart rather than rugged. But have been looking at some of the roll top options. Rains / Stubble & co etc.
Shoulder bag or briefcase style but difficult to get the water bottle in there.... Could I guess be carried if really good option was suggested.
Ideally I'd like this to be sub £150 but bags seem to have got very expensive!
What do you guys use?
It's a bit bigger than what youre looking at but I've got a black decathlon backpack. Loads of space and pockets for everything. I think they're selling them for under £50. Looks smart enough.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-32l-...
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-23l-...
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-32l-...
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-23l-...
Not very multi-directorships/Red Bull can but I use this.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LU7B8X0?ref=nb_sb_s...
I suspect I’m not winning at life as much as many on here so it is possible the OP sees things differently to me.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00LU7B8X0?ref=nb_sb_s...
I suspect I’m not winning at life as much as many on here so it is possible the OP sees things differently to me.
I have been a Targus laptop backpack for years.
It has a separate compartment at the back (full length vertical zip) for the laptop, a storage area for cables, folders etc, a small front pocket for passport, wallet etc and a small side pocket for keys.
Sadly I cannot see the model I have on Amazon but it cost me less than GBP 100.
It has a separate compartment at the back (full length vertical zip) for the laptop, a storage area for cables, folders etc, a small front pocket for passport, wallet etc and a small side pocket for keys.
Sadly I cannot see the model I have on Amazon but it cost me less than GBP 100.
I have a Sparco Superstage, lots of sections for storage, a dedicated laptop pocket and the quality seems really great.
https://www.sparco-official.com/en/lifestyle/bags-...
It's probably a bit big at ~40L but they do other models too.
https://www.sparco-official.com/en/lifestyle/bags-...
It's probably a bit big at ~40L but they do other models too.
I use a Three Peaks Commuter (22 litre) rucksack. £75 less 20% if you give them an email address.
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l?ga...
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l?ga...
I got one of these as a gift https://stuartandlau.com/ they’re pretty handy and stopped me carrying about half the crap I never used.
bigandclever said:
I use a Three Peaks Commuter (22 litre) rucksack. £75 less 20% if you give them an email address.
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l?ga...
Ooh that's good to know as that was one that i'd got on my list! https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l?ga...
Dan_1981 said:
Had what appears to be a faux leather shoulder bag for god knows how long, however it's falling to bits.
So looking for recommendations for a bag of some sort for taking into work..
Needs to carry a 15" laptop, it's charger, a note pad, a drinks bottle and that's probably about it other than a few odds and sods, ear pods, pens etc.
This is not what I'd use to travel with etc, if anything when I fly for work this bag would end up packed or not taken.
I can't decide on style, which is why I'm asking here!
Happy to consider a rucksack type approach but prob max 15litre, and smart rather than rugged. But have been looking at some of the roll top options. Rains / Stubble & co etc.
Shoulder bag or briefcase style but difficult to get the water bottle in there.... Could I guess be carried if really good option was suggested.
Ideally I'd like this to be sub £150 but bags seem to have got very expensive!
What do you guys use?
I've been where you are, in terms of bag solutions. Daily I don't carry a laptop or bottle, so have reduced from a soft briefcase to a "wristlet" or man bag... I am straight by the way So looking for recommendations for a bag of some sort for taking into work..
Needs to carry a 15" laptop, it's charger, a note pad, a drinks bottle and that's probably about it other than a few odds and sods, ear pods, pens etc.
This is not what I'd use to travel with etc, if anything when I fly for work this bag would end up packed or not taken.
I can't decide on style, which is why I'm asking here!
Happy to consider a rucksack type approach but prob max 15litre, and smart rather than rugged. But have been looking at some of the roll top options. Rains / Stubble & co etc.
Shoulder bag or briefcase style but difficult to get the water bottle in there.... Could I guess be carried if really good option was suggested.
Ideally I'd like this to be sub £150 but bags seem to have got very expensive!
What do you guys use?
Give Samsonite a look. They will have something close to what you want and it will fit your "smart" requirement as well as being in the budget range you require. https://www.samsonite.co.uk/ I bought a laptop rucksack for my son from there and it has been used daily. It remains pristine after about four years.
Dan_1981 said:
bigandclever said:
I use a Three Peaks Commuter (22 litre) rucksack. £75 less 20% if you give them an email address.
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l?ga...
Ooh that's good to know as that was one that i'd got on my list! https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l?ga...
It's decent. I carry laptop & mini keyboard (in the big pocket), notebook (in the smaller pocket), mouse & small powerbank (in their own pockets), full size headphones and water bottle (flapping about in the main compartment). I deliberately went 22l for those days I want to carry a jacket. I think they might under-egg "water resistant" .. I've been caught in some deluges and there's been no water ingress at all.
neutral
Internally the USB cable for the port is fixed, about 12" long and is USB-C. I probably would prefer it if it was just a port and I could use my own cable. It can get a bit tangled. The branding is a bit bright
I don't give a s
t it's made from recycled bottles 
In the past they have produced 'blacked out' versions which are more subtle.-ve
There are 2 outside 'pockets' .. they are *useless*. They're barely flaps, angled, and they're not elasticated so nothing will stay in them.
I'd definitely recommend it, especially for 60quid.
Edited by bigandclever on Friday 15th August 09:08
smallpaul said:
It's a bit bigger than what youre looking at but I've got a black decathlon backpack. Loads of space and pockets for everything. I think they're selling them for under £50. Looks smart enough.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-32l-...
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-23l-...
There's a review of the 23l one from about 10 months ago that says that Decathlon changed the design to make it worse (but not the name, and seem to have left all the reviews up which were presumably for the previous version). Do you know which version you have? If you look at the cherry one, which is not on sale, the main compartment zips stop above the "luggage strap" (the thing that hooks over a suitcase handle, but on the black one, the zip goes lower. Some reviews say that having the zip too far down made it worse... https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-32l-...
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hiking-backpack-23l-...
Thanks!
Tango13 said:
Have a look at Kreiga stuff, it's motorcycle orientated so very well put together.
Very pricey now though but excellent stuff. I've a couple of their backpacks still going strong after 15 years but they are terrible for non-bike use as wearing them off the bike makes me look like I'm scouting for somewhere to perform some base jumps!
Shame as I really like the brand and have some of their other accessories but the messenger style bags just don't cut it for for me as an alternative. I use a North Face Duffel XS nowadays as it suits my needs much better.
I appreciate that this doesn't meet the 'smart rather than rugged', but I use this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R5WJS4Y
24 litre, carries a 15" laptop and has room for everything else. Get a Molle bottle holder (I have one for this exact reason):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B085XRJ912
And you're golden. Very well constructed, should last a lifetime. More pockets than you can think of. I'd happily use it for carry on as well - as long as I go through it thoroughly to remove the knife, nail clippers, flashlight and everything else I keep in it. I've had mine 18 months, no sign of wear.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R5WJS4Y
24 litre, carries a 15" laptop and has room for everything else. Get a Molle bottle holder (I have one for this exact reason):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B085XRJ912
And you're golden. Very well constructed, should last a lifetime. More pockets than you can think of. I'd happily use it for carry on as well - as long as I go through it thoroughly to remove the knife, nail clippers, flashlight and everything else I keep in it. I've had mine 18 months, no sign of wear.
Edited by jimmyjimjim on Monday 18th August 01:38
We’ve been using courier-style messenger bag from Crumpler for years - something like this…
https://www.crumpler.com/products/brace-brace?vari...
Comfy as you wear it across your body so the weight isn’t on one shoulder, carries more than it looks like it might, and very durable. Lots of styles and colours to choose.
No idea of availability in UK or similar brands but recommended.
https://www.crumpler.com/products/brace-brace?vari...
Comfy as you wear it across your body so the weight isn’t on one shoulder, carries more than it looks like it might, and very durable. Lots of styles and colours to choose.
No idea of availability in UK or similar brands but recommended.
Recently switched out my Northface Vault backpack which I've used for the past 10 years both in and out of work, still going strong after being thrown about all day, and its also been on ski-slopes, deserts and jungles!
I wanted something smarter so went with this leather shoulder bag from John Henric
https://johnhenric.com/us/black-laptop-bag-gian-a0...
Its a decent size at 16" and wide enough for usual office crap. I also liked that it was a full leather strap as opposed to the seatbelt material a lot of them are. Not the cheapest but I think is smarter than a lot of the more premium options from Tumi etc.
I wanted something smarter so went with this leather shoulder bag from John Henric
https://johnhenric.com/us/black-laptop-bag-gian-a0...
Its a decent size at 16" and wide enough for usual office crap. I also liked that it was a full leather strap as opposed to the seatbelt material a lot of them are. Not the cheapest but I think is smarter than a lot of the more premium options from Tumi etc.
PomBstard said:
We’ve been using courier-style messenger bag from Crumpler for years - something like this…
https://www.crumpler.com/products/brace-brace?vari...
Comfy as you wear it across your body so the weight isn’t on one shoulder, carries more than it looks like it might, and very durable. Lots of styles and colours to choose.
No idea of availability in UK or similar brands but recommended.
I use one of those courier style bags. Not exactly smart but good padded slot for laptop and very stable when the stabiliser strap is attached to the cross body straphttps://www.crumpler.com/products/brace-brace?vari...
Comfy as you wear it across your body so the weight isn’t on one shoulder, carries more than it looks like it might, and very durable. Lots of styles and colours to choose.
No idea of availability in UK or similar brands but recommended.
For more smart I got a Filson briefcase they are insanely expensive now but I was fortunate to get one in a sale at a time when they were still. trying to establish themselves in Europe and there were bargains to be had. Proper heirloom quailty though - your grandchildren will be passing it on. If you can stomach pink or orange the bag is 40% off
My continued browsing & postings here have narrowed it down to the following for the time being....
https://www.samsonite.co.uk/securipak-2.0-backpack...
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/kaito-20l?varia...
https://www.stubbleandco.com/products/the-roll-top...
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l
https://kapten-son.com/en/p/fyn-all-black-1662?gad...
https://www.samsonite.co.uk/securipak-2.0-backpack...
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/kaito-20l?varia...
https://www.stubbleandco.com/products/the-roll-top...
https://threepeaksgbr.com/products/commuter-22l
https://kapten-son.com/en/p/fyn-all-black-1662?gad...
Juan B said:
Recently switched out my Northface Vault backpack which I've used for the past 10 years both in and out of work, still going strong after being thrown about all day, and its also been on ski-slopes, deserts and jungles!
I wanted something smarter so went with this leather shoulder bag from John Henric
https://johnhenric.com/us/black-laptop-bag-gian-a0...
Its a decent size at 16" and wide enough for usual office crap. I also liked that it was a full leather strap as opposed to the seatbelt material a lot of them are. Not the cheapest but I think is smarter than a lot of the more premium options from Tumi etc.
Looks nice.I wanted something smarter so went with this leather shoulder bag from John Henric
https://johnhenric.com/us/black-laptop-bag-gian-a0...
Its a decent size at 16" and wide enough for usual office crap. I also liked that it was a full leather strap as opposed to the seatbelt material a lot of them are. Not the cheapest but I think is smarter than a lot of the more premium options from Tumi etc.
I must say I am not at all keen on rucksacks for workplace. Seems more befitting of going to school. However, I am conscious that carrying a shoulder bag day in day out I am now starting to slope on my back and think its related. Spreading the load with a backpack does seem sensible even if I am grimacing at the thought.
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