It never fails: anytime I go to a client meeting or take my computer to the local cafe, someone will come up to ask me where I got my laptop bag. It’s a real eye-catcher with a slick green carbon fiber face and heavy duty buckles, but what makes it most fabulous is that it fits a 17″ PowerBook — and still has room to spare. If you’ve ever gone in search of a good laptop bag to fit your widescreen, you’ll understand how hard it is to find a sturdy bag ready to take on your PowerBook without looking like your dad lugging around a faux-leather brick from 2000.
Chrome Bags — operating out of San Francisco and built on a messenger bag empire — gets a gold star for their go-anywhere laptop bag line. The interior is fully padded (so feel free to knock around a bit) and boasts a healthy selection of pockets for storage with two large exterior cargo pockets, three divided sections on the interior, smaller slips for pens, business cards, notes, toys, whatever, and even has a velcro seatbelt strap to help ensure everything stays in place. The carbon fiber or kevlar reinforced composite skin (depending on the model you choose) includes a flap with slide buckles that strap down securely, and the removable shoulder strap comes with a substantial pad to keep from rubbing you raw. And did I mention it actually fits a 17″ PowerBook?
This is one of those bags you’ll keep — and use — til the threads fall off, which, by the looks of it, could be a very, very long time. Just be prepared to become a Chrome promoter as everyone and their mother asks you about your laptop bag. Available in several different styles from Shuttle ($120) to Duma ($136) at their Amazon store.
