Laptop Bag Recommendations

[Ralph]

I'm thinking of buying a backup bag to my Primus AW backpack when traveling internationally. First, it should carry a laptop (my primary concern), second, additional gears. The bulk of my stuff will be in my Primus while the additional bag will be my backup and/or walkaround bag when the Primus is too heavy to be useful. I would prefer a shoulder bag so I could carry it with me together with the Primus in my back. Rollers are too expensive at the moment and would be too bulky if I'm going to just carry the laptop alone. As for the laptop size, I don't know. I'll be buying it on my trip. Maybe a 16.4 inch at max? a 15 inch or a 13 at minimum, I have yet to consider the size.


Right now I'm going thinking of getting Think Tank's Urban Disguise 60. As I haven't seen the actual product but based from measurements, it's the same size as my Crumpler 7 Mil. From the reviews, it could fit a 17 inch Macbook Pro, but what about Sony's, Toshiba's and the like with a "gripped camera" with lens in place? If I want to bring JUST the laptop, could the Urban Disguise be folded flat to minimize unwanted space? I have seen with my own eyes Lowepro's Classified 250 but it's too darn BIG for my build (and when just carrying the laptop alone).



Any other suggestions?





Additionally, before when I travel, I always check in my tripod case (Think Tank Bazooka). As per airport rules, would the tripod case be counted as "1" carry on aside from the Primus backpack + laptop shoulder bag? I didn't saw this on TSA's website. I'll be traveling to America this summer and we like to bring a LOT of checked in baggage.

[Jeff Lucia]

Hey Ralph. I have the Urban Disguise 60 and carry it daily with my 15" MacBook pro and 40D with 17-55 f/2.8 IS, along with various other stuff. It's not a petite bag even when I don't have it stuffed, and it does not collapse easily. (I haven't removed the dividers to try it, but I have the feeling that no matter what, it would be several inches thick...so using for carrying just the laptop would be still be a bulky exercise.)


The UD60 holds quite a bit of stuff, enough to make it painful to carry if you load it up and carry it for extended periods.


I haven't tried any laptops bigger than a 15" MacBook Pro, but there is definitely more room, particularly on the "long" side. The laptop compartment has a Velcro-attached divider that snugs up against the end of your laptop, and you can customize it to length. Also, the laptop compartment is completely separate from the photo gear compartment(s), so carrying a laptop wouldn't affect your ability to carry gear, except for weight.


I don't recommend trying to carry a gripped body with a lens attached. I carry the 40D, no grip, with the lens attached and facing down, so the bottom of the camera faces my body and the prism faces away. You could probably carry a gripped or 1D body with a 50mm lens or other lens with a very short barrel mounted, with the back of the camera facing your body and the lens facing away. I haven't tried this as I lack such a lens. I have tried other configurations with either the 40D gripped with 17-55 or a 1D Mark III with 24-70, and it just doesn't work. The UD 60 is made to carry two pro bodies in perfectly sized pockets on the outside of the main compartment, under the flap. But there's no way you could have a lens on them.


Hope this helps, at least with your questions about the UD 60. If there's some aspect of the UD 60 you'd like to see in a photo with gear in it, let me know.

[Ralph]

Jeff, thanks! Too bad I don't plan on getting a Mac but rather a PC, maybe a Sony or Toshiba (lack of budget). From my calculations, Mac is just about 1 inch thick when closed compared to Sony's about 1.5 inches. So that means lesser space for a gripped camera with the laptop combo. HOWEVER, some says that UD60 can carry a gripped body + lens attached WITHOUT the laptop (or maybe a smaller laptop like a 13 inches laptop or a netbook).


Assuming I'll use the UD 60 as a laptop+ lens carrier, would it fit at max, 3 long lenses, hood reversed ofcourse (24-70, 16-35, 70-200 f2.8) + 1 580 EXII?


How about carrying a gripped/pro body + lens attached WITHOUT the laptop? Will it work atleast? I'll be bringing my laptop just on certain trips so about 70% of the time, I may just use it as another shoulder bag (just like what I do to my Crumpler 7 Mil). Eitherway, I'll use it as support bag, so I won't carry the laptop + gripped body with lens attached most of the time. That's where my Lowepro Primus comes into place. If ever I will, I just remove the grip and/or keep it separate from the lens.


You said you had tried a gripped/pro body with the lens attached + laptop, could you show me a sample pic on how tight it would be?


I haven't seen the bag locally so sorry for asking too many question. I can't just buy a bag online and return it if I didn't like it here in the Pacific atleast.

[Jeff Lucia]

Sure, I'll get some sample pictures up, hopefully tonight.

[Jeff Lucia]

Hey Ralph,


Great news! I moved some of the little dividers around so the 1D Mark III body was lower down in the bag, and it zips up no problem even with a laptop. (Sorry about the mediocre photos here...wanted to get 'em to you tonight as promised.)


Here is the bag with my thickest laptop, a Fujitsu 13". I even threw the charger in there to add a bit of bulk, and the bag swallowed it whole with no impact whatsoever on the amount of stuff I could fit into the camera compartment. You can see the photo gear peeking through.


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Here's the view inside the photo gear compartment. That's a 1D Mark III facing down, with a 24-70 f/2.8L (they don't call it the brick for nothing) mounted, hood reversed. If I were going to carry it this way regularly, I'd probably flip it around to make the grip easier to grab. Next to it is a 70-200 f/2.8L, hood reversed, tripod ring attached. Next to that is a 580EX II, and there's plenty of room to carry a second 580EX II next to that if you wanted. You could probably carry a fairly big lens instead of one of the 580EX IIs, I'm guessing a 70-200 f/4-sized lens would fit.


The bag zips easily with the camera body lower like this, away from the zipper. When I initially tried it, I had the 24-70 mounted with its hood facing out (that's how I usually carry it, at the suggestion of a forum member, because it's difficult to remove from a gripped camera without risking a drop), and that forced the wide part of the body up too close to the zipper and it would not close. By the way, every zipper on this bag is very high quality, very strong, and very smooth to operate.


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Finally, here's a view of the bag all zipped up. You can't see it in the image, but there's probably a 2-inch clearance from the back of the camera (facing up) to the top of the bag where it zips, same deal with the 70-200. You could very likely squeeze a light jacket in there. Also, it's not terribly heavy as pictured despite my earlier comment...but that was referring to running through airports and carrying it all day for 3 days in a row.


You might notice how good the bag looks. Despite daily use for at least 6 months, it is impossible to tell it from brand new. There's a tiny bit of "pilling" on the material on the inside, but it's barely noticeable. The outside doesn't have a single mark on it. These things are exceptionally well built.


Hope this helps with your decision!


Jeff


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[Ralph]

Holy! I'm sold! Those pictures are perfect! I'm drooling right now. There's the laptop, then a gripped body, then a pro lens all in one bag! Never been happier with such images. I'll try to get one when I visit stateside after I get my laptop. Once again, THANK YOU!

[Ralph]

Great news! I got myself a laptop/camera messenger bag. Though I prefer Think Tank's UD60, she-who-must-be-obeyed prefered I go with the UD50. I apologize for the pics. Taken with my Canon SD940 IS P&S.

















Here's my Toshiba Satellite 13.3 inch laptop. The "balls" were there to simulate a much thicker laptop. I'll be removing those in the future.











There's the 50D + grip. On the left is my telephoto lens (70-300 IS USM) and card reader. On the right side of my 50D + grip is my 10-22 UWA (you can see it peeking) then my trusty 580 EX II. I think I may be able to fit in a 70-200 f2.8L IS + collar in place of my 70-300. What do you think?














On the left front pocket holds my Pee Wee Pixel Rocket (came with the bag) + mouse + laptop charger. On the right are two Flex TT5s + rain cover + 500GB Samsung Hard Drive











It's funny to think all that gear fits well in the bag.








The extra dividers. I might use some to replace those thick dividers on my Lowepro Primus.





Again, I just showed the maximum capacity this bag is capable of. As of now, I'd be using this as laptop bag more than a camera bag. (I hate shoulder camera bags, I prefer them on my back or on my hip).





Special thanks to Jeff Lucia for showing me that the UD60 could fit in a gripped body + laptop (heck, even UD50 does the trick!)





One note: I wish it would be lighter when I carry all those stuffs. LOL





Edit: I might put in a detailed review with better pics if anyone would want one.