The 1980 classic Xanadu came on the TV the other day and as I watched Olivia Newton John sing and dance her way through a myriad of costume changes, I was overcome by waves of nostalgia. The music! The roller skating! The voluminous pants! The "special effects!" Oh, how I loved it all. I've had the Xanadu soundtrack on permanent rotation ever since. Magic.

When the lovely Lauri from Clark & Mayfield sent the Parkside Laptop Bag for review, it evoked many of the same nostalgic feelings. The white leather and silver-studs! The buckles! The leather zipper pulls! The cheerful striped lining! The little fringe detail on the front pocket! If Olivia Newton John had carried a laptop bag in Xanadu, it would have been the Parkside.

Crafted of white Napa leather with silver stud detailing, the Parkside is a nicely structured and beautifully made bag. The Parkside also boasts unusual hardware and fun details; the handles and shoulder strap are both attached with big silver hoops and the zipper pulls are covered in the same white leather as the bag. The Parkside has four little silver feet on the bottom under the front compartment, to keep the bag balanced when your laptop's inside. All it's missing is a disco ball keychain! Fortunately, I have one. Xanadu!

Of course, the Parkside isn't just about turning heads at the roller rink; it's also practical and versatile.

The Parkside has two main compartments and a front pocket which fastens lightly with a magnet. A word to the wise - don't overstuff this front pocket, as the closure only works properly when there's not much in it.

The front interior compartment of the Parkside is lined with interior pockets of all shapes and sizes to organize your gadgets, business cards, pens, bubblegum lipgloss and "Love's Baby Soft" mini-spritzer. The colourful striped lining adds a nice burst of colour to the bag and also makes it easier to see what you're carrying around with you. The front compartment also contains a removable laptop sleeve in the same striped twill. The sleeve is nicely padded to both keep your laptop protected and protect the other contents of the bag from getting mashed by your laptop. Removing the laptop sleeve leaves a nice space for books, shoes, toiletries, etc. Although not quite enough space for roller skates.

The rear interior compartment has two accordian-style dividers with plenty of room for files, papers, magazines, etc. There's quite of bit of space in the back compartment and because the bag is so structured, you can fit a lot in there without destroying the shape of the bag.

The Parkside has a large zippered pocket in the back of the bag, perfect for travel documents you want to keep handy and for keeping receipts when you're on a business trip. Unlike some of the other bags I've seen, where the back pocket converts to a pass-through, the Parkside has a rear strap that you can use to attach to upright rolling luggage instead, so that the back pocket remains intact. When you're not using the strap, it stays flat to the bag, attached with velcro. Nice.

The Parkside's leather handles are wide and padded for a comfortable grip; it also comes with a generous shoulder strap, also padded to keep it from slipping around. As with all leather bags, I was worried the Parkside might be heavy to carry and that it would scuff easily - both fears were unfounded. The Parkside is actually quite light and after a week of business trip fun, it remains pristine. That said, the white leather makes me a little paranoid - I've been very careful to keep uncapped pens away from my Parkside.

The Parkside comes in white only, but you wouldn't want it any other way. The bag's laptop sleeve fits laptops up to 15" (as always, measure twice!). You can find the Parkside laptop case over at CareerBags.com for $199 USD (disco ball not included).

Certainly one of the biggest stories these days in laptop bag news is the new designs that meet the TSA (Transportation Security Authority - those guys at the US airports with the xray machines) guidelines for a "checkpoint friendly" bag. Ideally this means no more taking your laptop out of its bag when it goes through the xray. Faster security lines. Better for your bag.

I did a post on the TSA guidelines over at my FunChiCo blog, but didn't have any first hand experience with any of the bags. However, I stopped by the Tom Bihn factory in Seattle on my way home from BlogHer last month. Tom had an early prototype of the bag, but he wasn't quite ready for me to blog about it. Now, however, it's been released and is available for pre-order with shipping in late September 2008. So, here's the scoop on the Checkpoint Flyer from Tom Bihn.

First and foremost, Tom Bihn bags are some of the best made bags anywhere. Secondly, Tom is super-smart about bag design; he really thinks about how he and his customers use bags. So all the Tom Bihn bags are highly and elegantly functional. And the Checkpoint Flyer is no exception.

The Checkpoint Flyer is based on a tri-fold design. The laptop compartment is normally nestled between the main part of the bag and the front flap, secured with buckles. But when you get to the security line, you just unsnap the buckles, lift the flap, fold out the laptop compartment and lower the flap back down. Darcy over at Tom Bihn says "It's sort of like unwrapping a burrito to add some salsa to it, but only wrapping it half-way back up again. Reverse the procedure at the end of the conveyor belt."

The Checkpoint Flyer retails for $220 USD over at the Tom Bihn site and is available in three sizes. You can see more great product photos, get the full specs and even see an animation of how to unfold the bag at www.TomBihn.com.

I'm delighted to feature laptop bag designer, Lexie Barnes', new collection across the FunChiCo lenses this week. She has three fantastic new patterns as well as a new sleeve, laptop backpack and ultimate tote.



The Echo Laptop Case which I've reviewed before has also gotten a facelift and comes in her three new patterns for fall.

My 20-sided dice skittered across the table. "Yes, a 19! Tabitha pulls out her MacBook Pro of Doom, hits CMD-SHIFT-7 and sends a denial-of-service attack to Lord Spam-meister's network. His servers start to crash! W00t! Spammers be gone from this realm! What? You didn't know I was carrying a laptop? You thought this snazzy leather Bag of Holding was my purse? Wrong, Spam-meister! This bag is packing MacBook."

OK, so it's been a while since my Dungeons and Dragons days. But I'm confident that my favourite character, Tabitha Bronwynn - a 25th level magic user, would have been delighted by a bag I just received. New to the design scene, KjB Bags specialize in hand-tooled and carved leather laptop bags. Julie, one of the owners of KjB Bags sent over an Ellie and a Lady Kathryn for me to review. When I pulled the bags out of the box, I immediately wanted to rush to put on my emerald cape and hit the nearest Renaissance faire. KjB Bags indicate that their designs are "Asian inspired" but I find them more Celtic in nature.

Both bags are made from hand-stiched leather. The Ellie has a lovely chrysanthemum medallion on the front; the Lady Kat has a carved leather criss-cross pattern. Both bags have carrying handles as well as include a detachable strap for carrying. The strap is very generous in length but it is fairly narrow and unpadded - so it may dig in a bit if you stuff the bag full. The hardware on the strap and on the attach points as well as on the feet of the bag is quite nice and sturdy.

There is a small external zippered pocket on the back of both bags. It would hold a cell phone, your glasses case or a small wallet. The interior of each bag is lined with a soft cotton material that sports an unusual "cats and bags" print (you can see a close up in the photo below). There is a separate pocket for your laptop. I was actually quite surprised. The Ellie looks quite small, but my MacBook Pro 15 did fit and I was able to snap the closures. If you have a thicker laptop, though, you will need to confirm measurements!

There is a main pocket in the interior where you can store cables, accessories, notebooks, etc. Both bags have a built-in business card holder, pen holder, large open pocket and a smaller, snap-closed cell phone pocket. There is also a small zippered pocket in the lining of the laptop compartment. And the bags zip closed entirely to keep your contents private and secure.

The interior sleeve is padded well-enough for a day to day commuter bag; road warriors won't really want to toss it around. And I have to say, the Ellie and the Lady Kathryn bags are some of the most non-laptop tote looking bags that I've seen. Plus, that leather smells really good.

KjB Bags is currently carrying two other styles in addition to these: a messenger bag and an unusual hunter-green bag called the Chantilly. Prices range from $229 to $289 depending on the bag, although they seem to be having a summer sale right now. You can check out these unusual leather laptop bags at KjB Bags online store.

I attended the BlogHer08 conference in San Francisco for the first time last weekend. 1000 bloggers! One place! It was pretty wild. Naturally, I wanted to arrive prepared. I had an extensive pre-conference to-do list and spent much of the week beforehand thinking: Do I have enough business cards? Do I have time to get my roots done? What's my one-liner description of my blog? And, most importantly, what laptop bag will I bring so that the other bloggers will think I'm cool??

After carefully considering my latest crop of review bags, I settled on the Hip Tech from Chelsey Henry's Sport Collection in the very en vogue Apple/Coco colourway. The delightful and helpful Fae from Chelsey Henry sent it over a few weeks ago. and this was a perfect occasion to use it.

Of course, at a blogging conference, you'll see a lot of laptop bags. And I have to say that in a sea of other funky, chic and cool laptop bags at BlogHer08, the stylish Hip Tech totally held its own. But looks aren't the only reason I chose the Hip Tech as my conference bag.

The first thing I noticed when I picked up the Hip Tech was how light it is. Made of nylon with an apple-green cotton twill lining, it's one of the lightest laptop bags I've ever used. This is key when you're toting your laptop around from breakout room to ballroom to hotel room to lounge to parties while meeting, greeting and making merry with 999 other people. At the end of the day, you want to be exhausted by the greatness of it all - not by your heavy bag.

The Hip Tech is also quite roomy - it fit my MacBook Pro nicely and had plenty of space for my notebook, pens, camera, wallet and conference swag. Because I was keeping things light, I didn't fully explore the volume of the Hip Tech, but I could easily have fit much more stuff in there - files, textbooks, a sweater, you name it.

Part of the reason the Hip Tech is so light and roomy is that it's more flexible than structured. It has a lightly padded compartment with a Velcro closure to give your laptop some protection, but I wouldn't recommend casually tossing the bag around with your laptop inside. Definitely more a commuter bag than a road warrior/devil-may-care bag.

There are four external zippered pockets (two in front, two in back) on the Hip Tech. The pockets on both front and back include one large document pocket with three additional pockets inside and one small zippered pocket for keys or cell. The zipper pulls are attached with a double ring, which is a cute touch - sometimes, though, the double rings catch on each other a little, making it unexpectedly fiddly to open and close some of the zips.

The Hip Tech has two hand-grip handles for easy lifting. It also comes with a long adjustable and removable strap made of sturdy, seat-belt-like nylon. Note: the strap isn't padded, so depending on what's in the bag, you may experience some shoulder stress. It also has little silver feet on the bottom, which is another nice touch. I did, however, observe that because the bag is floppy, the feet only come in handy when you've got enough in the bag to balance the weight of your laptop - otherwise, you have to lean the bag up against something (or someone).

All in all, I couldn't have picked a better conference bag for BlogHer. I think this bag would also be great for commuters (plenty of room for files or office shoes) and for students (plenty of room for books) . Back-to-school shoppers take note!

The Hip Tech comes in Black/Ocean as well as the Apple/Coco colourway and currently retails for $74.25 (it's regularly $99 USD but there is a sale on right now!) at chelseyhenry.com. Even if you're not feeling the Hip Tech, it's worth a visit to the Chelsey Henry website - last time I checked, you could enter to win a free Chelsey Henry Tote!

Eco-chic. It has to be more than a fad. For the health and future of our species and the planet. I try to do my part. Reuse. Reduce. Recycle. And I'm excited when the eco-friendly thing to do is also aesthetically pleasing.

HER-design has taken eco-chic to a new level. Their respect for the planet is evident in both the designs of their bags as well as the materials they use to construct them. I was delighted when Christopher at HER Design sent over a Leaf Laptop Bag in one of their new spring colours for me to review.

Let me start by saying that the overall PRESENCE of the Leaf is extraordinary. Not just the appearance of it (which is beautiful) but the entire design aura of the bag. The organic form, inspired by its eponymous "leaf", seems to self-generate positive chi. The refreshing green colour calms my mind and lightens my spirit. The texture delights my fingertips and warms my heart. And the vertical orientation of the bag is super-chic.



When you open the languorous flap, the softly structured interior of the Leaf is revealed. The main compartment is relatively roomy with ample space for laptop accessories, a notebook and/or file folder. A separate compartment cossets the actual laptop - protected but not overly padded (road warriors take note). There is a stitched-in mini-pocket for business cards or a mobile gadget and a key fob on which to hang your keys. On the front of the bag, under the flap, there is also a small zippered pocket for a small wallet or other valuable.

For carrying, there are two options: a hand strap on the top of the bag as well as a shoulder strap. There are 5 little feet on the bottom for protection. The only other hardware is the elegant silver clasp at the base of the flap.

The Leaf is made of micro-suede that is from 100% recycled content and PVC-free synthetic leather trim, with recycled PET lining. But this isn't your father's recycled material. As I mentioned above, the Leaf is very touchable - the micro-suede is quite soft and luxurious to the touch.

Even the smallest details are made as eco-friendly as possible. The Leaf is shipped in the smallest box possible without damaging the bag. And when packaged, it is wrapped in bio-degradable material for protection rather than a felt or plastic sub-bag.

I am delighted in every possible way by the Leaf (ok, except for the not-very-generous shoulder strap (plus size gals take note!) - but I can forgive it in this case). This bag makes my heart and my spirit sing.

The Leaf Laptop Bag fits 15" (including the MacBook Pro 15) and smaller laptops; the website says it will fit some 17" - you must measure very carefully. It retails for $270 USD and can be purchased online at CareerBags.com.

We're not all road warriors, weaving through airports, treating our laptop bags with a devil-may-care attitude as we toss them into the overhead bin and settle in for a bad in-flight movie and not enough free peanuts. And that's OK. Sometimes you just want a nice bag to stash your laptop in along with your lunch, your heels and the book for book club tonight after work.

The folks over at The F'ace Brand sent me one of their casual Luan bags to check out. It fits the bill for a bag that makes the trip from home to office to cocktails with the girls. The Luan is made from durable faux leather and has a vintage crushed finish - so wear and tear doesn't really show. It has two carrying straps which you could use to carry the bag my hand or over the shoulder (though I did find this a little tight). There are two shallow front pockets which could easily hold a paperback, but do be careful - the pockets are shallow and loose; I wouldn't put valuables in there - keep them inside the bag.

The interior of the Luan is a nice chocolate brown to match the exterior of the bag. One side has all the specialized slots you would expect for pens, cell phone and business cards. The laptop sleeve is built into the bag. A note of caution here: the interior sleeve is not well padded so if you like to drop, toss or throw your bags - this may not be the one for you. There is not a lot of protection for your laptop.

The best thing about the Luan is its roominess. I could fit a number of items (including above mentioned shoes and lunch) along with my laptop. So if you need to carry a lot and aren't too reckless with your bag, this might be a good fit. If you are considering it, make sure you check the dimensions of your laptop carefully. My MacBook Pro 15 *barely* fit from a depth perspective. The F'ace Brand posts the dimensions of the bag on their site. Unfortunately, their site is in flash, so I can't link directly to the Luan's page. But if you visit TheFaceBrand.com and select "Collection" from the navigation, you'll be able to find it by its picture.

The Luan sells for 74.99 USD.

I did a quick round-up of funky wheeled laptop bags awhile ago, but had never had the opportunity to try one for myself. Until now. The super-nice Lauri from Clark & Mayfield sent me one of their Stafford Leather Rolling Laptop Case for my first actual review of a wheeled laptop bag!

As I've mentioned, I travel pretty often and spend a lot of time slogging through airports. When I emerge triumphant through security only to discover that my departure gate is in a whole other time zone, well - it's enough to make a road warrior fall on her own spear. But on my latest trip, the faraway gate posed no problem - I strolled towards it with ease, my Stafford Rolling Laptop Brief gliding smoothly and stylishly behind me.

Smooth is the operative word with the Stafford - this bag handles like a dream. The set-in wheels turn on a dime and I managed to make it all the way to the gate without taking anyone out (even when I wanted to). I haven't taken the bag off-roading, but on the sidewalk and in the airport, it's a sweet ride.

Ride aside, the Stafford is one good-looking bag. It's made of durable top grain leather and comes in three colours - I have the Sunset Orange model, though I feel it's more "pumpkin" than "sunset". It has clean, simple lines and solid, high-quality hardware, right down to the leather covered zipper pulls. There's a layer of rubber on the bottom to protect it from inclement floor situations, like the one I encountered near the Tim Hortons.

The Stafford is very sturdy yet surprisingly light for a leather bag with the wheels built in. The telescoping extension handle is just the right length - plus, it pulls out and folds up really nicely. When you're not using it, it zips up in its own little compartment. The bag's two leather hand-grips are sturdy and comfortable - they also snap together, so they stay upright for easy grasping.

The Stafford is also extremely roomy. Its interior is a funky striped fabric that makes it easy to see what you've got in there (and, as advertised, made me smile every time I opened it). The bag has three main storage compartments and a strap across the back of the bag that can function as a pass-through if you want to set the Stafford atop your other rolling luggage.

The back compartment has lots of space with built-in dividers for documents, files or magazines. The middle compartment has a removable, padded laptop sleeve which fastens with a velcro strap across the top. Like the bag, the sleeve is roomy and easily fits a 17" laptop. And if you're not bringing your computer with you, you can take out the sleeve and fill the space with other items like books or shoes.

As a side note, I was a little skeptical about putting my laptop in the middle compartment - most laptop bags put your laptop in the back compartment - but it turns out that having the laptop in the middle actually balances out the weight of the wheels at the back, making the bag even more stable.

The middle compartment also has three deep, padded pockets which are open at the top. I'm not really sure what the design intent was for these pockets - they're really deep and kind of an odd size. I used mine for a small toiletries pouch and my folded up travel documents.

The front compartment of the Stafford has a structured leather pouch for your PDA or iPod, three stretchy pen holders and a slot for business or other cards. It's also spacious enough to fit your inflight book or two. The front compartment also has a fashionable faux buckle closure, which conceals a functional magnetic snap - handy.

The Stafford's wheels and handle can't be removed, and the bag does not include a shoulder strap - so if you're looking for a rolling bag that can convert into a laptop messenger bag, this isn't the bag for you. But if you're in the market for an attractive, non-nerdacious wheeled laptop briefcase for your next business trip, definitely consider the Stafford. Especially for you gals who are wielding the 17" machines. Finally, some relief!

The Clark & Mayfield Stafford Leather Rolling Laptop Case comes in Sunset Orange, Red and Black. It easily fits a 17" laptop and currently retails for $239.00 over at CareerBags.com.

Zen Buddhism brings to mind silent, contemplative meditation. Meditation that results in a startling insight about the nature of self and one's place in the universe. I think it must have been some very serious meditation on the part of the Aaron Irvin Design Group that netted some great insights about laptop users and the bags they need. Aaron Irvin has re-imagined the form of a bag, and then taken that re-imagination and fashioned it into something incredibly functional as well as incredibly beautiful. Witness the Aaron Irvin Computer Bag which brings the best of Japanese design to North America.

When the folks at Aaron Irvin let me know they were sending over a copy for testing and review, I was quite delighted because of (are you ready?) the end caps! That's right - the Computer Bag doesn't open like a traditional laptop bag, at the top, but via zippered end caps on each end of the bag. The interior of each end cap has a netted pocket for holding cords and power accessories. The interior is very generous in size (it should hold most 17" laptops - my MacBook Pro had QUITE a bit of room - extra files or a note book could have fit as well) and is very well padded. With the unusual design of the end caps, I found it important to a) pick an end that I regularly opened and closed - for ease of packing and remembering which end I put my accessories in as well as b) not open both ends at once (potentially dangerous).

My only issue about this end cap design was my Mac powerbrick. It didn't fit in the end caps (not surprising, really - those bricks are HUGE) so I ended up stashing it in the outside pocket on the back.

There are large zippered pockets on both the front and the back. Zippers are on three sides of each pocket so they open quite expansively. The front pocket contains compartments for the usual array of gadgets, business cards, a pen and travel documents. The back pocket has a generous pocket for additional accessories or files, plus a clever concealed compartment in the lining. Stealthy!

The strategic combination of a microfibre body and leather trim/endcaps make this a luxurious and rich-looking bag, but one that weighs much less than you would expect (3.9 lbs). It is very comfortable to carry whether by the leather handles or the well-padded accompanying shoulder strap. The hardware on the bag is all top notch (imported from Switzerland!) and is an integral part of the design of this bag. The zipper pulls and strap holders are square, echoing the red leather square on the front - all speaking to the design harmony of the Computer Bag.

This may sound a little funny, but I really respect the Computer Bag from Aaron Irvin. It has a clean, simple aesthetic - stark, minimalist yet perfect in its simplicity. It is design forward, takes a couple of risks and makes it look easy. Ideal, in particular, for men who are looking for a high-end, sophisticated laptop bag. The end cap design is both unusual and functional, although it did take a bit of getting used to. So, if you're looking for something to raise the tone (or as a focus for your meditation), check out the Aaron Irvin Microfibre Computer Bag. It's available on the Aaron Irvin site for $350 USD.

Bonus for Squidoo Readers: If you enter "mynameiskate" on checkout, Aaron Irvin will give you free shipping on any product!

There's something undeniably glamorous about the Coakley Timeless Tweed Everyday Tote. Its classic lines and coy hues would be at home in the boardroom or at High Tea. When mine arrived (Sand Beige with Cognac leather trim and pearlized gold hardware), I felt an irresistable urge to hop in my convertible, throw a silk scarf over my perfect coif and breeze down to the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel in Santa Barbara for some client meetings followed by a mimosa and hot rock massage. I was halfway out the door before I remembered that I don't have a convertible and Santa Barbara is a 20 hour drive away. So my Coakley, my silk scarf and I were forced to go raise the tone at a local coffee shop instead.

California Dreamin' aside, the Coakley is an elegantly designed yet very practical laptop tote. First, let's talk looks. The Timeless Tweed is stunning. The fabric texture is high-end and luxurious; the leather handles and trim serve as an excellent accent to the fabric. This bag is classic in its visual style.

The Coakley Everyday Tote is classic in its function as well. The (adjustable!) leather handles fit nicely over my shoulder but aren't too long for me to carry the bag by hand. It's got a wide gusset and eight little brass feet, so it's up off the floor and doesn't tip over. There are four exterior pockets, which makes it easy to keep travel documents and other things handy. Three of them are stretch neoprene and one is a hidden zipper pocket - items are kept nice and snug. I liked the pockets at either end of the bag - they are water resistant and make for good storage for your water bottle or umbrella (a key item here in Vancouver). And the pocket at the back can be unzipped and used as a pass-through over the handle of your rolling luggage - always a great feature if you travel as much as I do.

The interior of the Everyday Tote has been arranged with the utmost of function as well - different compartments designed with different functions in mind. I was dazzled by the rose-coloured interior but once my eyes adjusted, I appreciated the interior stretch neoprene pockets (in a complementary tan colour - see picture) for bulkier electronic gadgets, structured leather holders for business cards, pens and PDA and zippered pouches for secure storage of my wallet and other valuables. There's also room for files or a book - and if you need more space, you can pop the posts on the the sides of the bag to expand it!

The Coakley also has separate, structured compartment for your laptop. It's quite a large compartment - my 15" MacBook Pro fit nicely but was also easy to remove, which is good - you don't want to break a sweat or lose your cool wrestling your laptop out of your bag while going through security!

The closure of the Coakley Timeless Tweed Laptop Tote is unusual. There is a stretch neoprene flap that can be zipped either over JUST the laptop pocket or over the entire bag. I found connecting the zipper on the flap to the zipper on the bag was a little bit fiddly and it took me a few tries to get it lined up correctly. Even with the flap zipped up, the bag is still open at the edges, so if you have loose items in there, I'd be careful tossing it around - and be sure not to spill your mimosa on it.

The Coakley Timeless Tweed Everyday Tote is one of the most elegant bags I have seen. The hardware and appointments are truly impeccable. And the design of the bag is exceptional. A lot of thought and care to meet the needs of the modern business woman has gone into this bag. Little details like the small leather snap-loop for your keys as well as the small detachable matching compact mirror along with the materials and construction truly make this bag stand head and shoulders above many others.

The Coakley Timeless Tweed Everyday Tote comes in Begonia, Lilac, Bamboo Green and Sand. It fits up to a 15" laptop and currently retails for $355.00 over at CareerBags.com.

I have a confession to make. I'm a snob. Or, maybe it's that I'm a reverse-snob. I prefer indie music, documentary films and foreign food. I mock my friends' obsession with celebrity culture and make fun of their People magazine subscriptions. And I generally prefer my laptop bags to be eco-friendly, highly functional or boardroom sleek. Anything with even the whiff of Hollywood glam makes me turn up my nose. Especially if it's a bag that looks like Paris Hilton might carry it.

Well, folks, I have been wrong. I was sent one of Gina B's Luca Bella laptop totes in Winter White to review. I had only seen the picture that was emailed to me and I thought, "Oh, no! This bag is WAY too L.A. for me. How can I even try it out?!"

Once the Luca Bella arrived, I regarded it with some suspicion, but then pulled up my socks and did my duty. I carried it with me to a client meeting. Then to book club. And then on a business trip. And then to martini night. And now, well, it's nestled beside me here as I write this.

My first surprise: carrying a white bag is refreshing. And carrying a white bag with a bright pink interior is not only refreshing, but joyful.

My second surprise: this bag has a lot of smart, intuitive functionality built in. The Luca Bella is, first and foremost, quite roomy. There are two large interior compartments. The first has a built in zippered pocket, pen holders, a key holder and a small slip-pocket for a cell phone or other gadget. The compartment has plenty of space for either computer accessories (power cord, mouse, etc.) or personal items (wallet, thermos, toy poodle).

The second main compartment has one of the things I like the most about the Luca Bella - a removable laptop sleeve. But its not just a sleeve! Clever Gina has included an outside compartment on the sleeve that also has a couple of pen holders, a gadget pocket AND a business card pocket.

The Luca Bella is made of 100% genuine leather with a cotton canvas interior. There is a small pocket on the outside which also doubles as a pass-through if you want to slip it over your rolling luggage. You can carry the Luca Bella laptop tote by the braided handles or the generous leather strap. You can also remove the strap from the larger bag and use it on the sleeve for when you want to travel light. Handy! The Luca Bella has four metal feet to reduce wear and tear on the bottom panel.

The only potential drawback to Luca Bella is that it is a relatively open-top style. The closure is a clever magnetic strap, but it does not fully seal the bag. If you carry a lot of small pieces loosely joined, you'll want to be careful that you don't just dump it in the back seat or in the overhead bin. Also, not great in torrential rain.

The Luca Bella from Gina B comes in both black and winter white. The sleeve holds most laptops up to 15.4". It is currently retailing for $250 USD over on CareerBags.com.

Every time (EVERY time) I go on a trip, I have this major discussion about what bag to take. Often the discussion is only in my head, but it's exhausting nevertheless. What am I taking on the plane? Am I checking luggage? It's just overnight - do I really need 2 bags?

Well, a bag has come into my life that has eliminated about 80% of that unnecessary chatter. The good people at Slappa sent over their new Ballistix AURA Laptop Shoulder Bags to try on one of my trips.

The first thing that really stuck out for me about the AURA was the really interesting shape of the front flap! Weird, I know .. but it looks so unusual, it really said to me that Slappa is thinking about the design of their bags. The AURA is a great looking bag!

The second thing that stuck out is how much ROOM there is in the AURA. This is one roomy bag! 1500 cubic inches of room to be precise. Which is why it is perfect for an overnight trip. One nice big padded pocket for my laptop as well as a notebook; another huge area for a change of clothes and those tiny toiletry bottles you're allowed to carry on the plane.

The AURA has six other pockets for assorted gadgets, wallets, keys and other smaller miscellany. My favourite pocket is an interior one under the handle (see the picture). I've never seen anyone put a pocket there - great use of space! The document pocket on the back of the bag doubles as a pass through if you're carrying the AURA with other rolling luggage. There are also easy-to-reach external pockets on each side for iPods, cell phones, etc.

Speaking of handles, you can carry the AURA by a single top handle (well padded and comfy) or via a traditional strap (that is also well padded and comfy). The hardware is sturdy and durable. The bottom has two strips that run the length of the bag acting as feet for protection.

A little bit about the laptop pocket - it is well padded, but if you have a smaller laptop (it holds up to a 17"), you might want a sleeve. Slappa sent over companion Ballistix AURA laptop sleeve. I felt more comfortable having my laptop in that. PLUS, the sleeve itself has a back document pocket as well as rings for a strap. So, once you get to your destination, you can leave the larger AURA in the hotel, take the strap from the shoulder bag and use it on the sleeve -- you're good to go!

My only quibble with the AURA shoulder bag is that it's heavy (4.26 lbs for the bag plus 1.19 lbs for the sleeve). And this isn't really a quibble but an FYI. So, I would say this isn't a great bag for people who like a minimal amount of case and want to float from home to office with a minimum of protection and weight. This bag IS for road warriors who are used to carrying their gear with them through the airport and are looking for a more stylish, organized way to do it!

The quality of the AURA is impeccable. All the best materials and construction techniques have gone into this bag. It is well-designed and clearly thought-through by folks who are gear heads themselves and want to protect their own stuff. The AURA comes in the orange/silver design that is pictured as well as a black version for the ninjas among us.

The AURA Laptop Shoulder Bag retails for $149.99 US; the AURA Laptop Sleeve retails for $39.99 US. Both are available on the Slappa website at www.slappa.com.

UPDATE: Exciting news from Slappa! For the month of April, there is a 10% discount code for my readers. Enter squidoo in the discount box at checkout, 10% will be deducted from anything you order at SLAPPA.com. PLUS, for the first 5 customers who buy an AURA shoulder bag, Slappa will give them a FREE laptop sleeve! Awesome! Thanks, Slappa!!

Dum, dadda, da dum. Bum, badda, ba dum. It's spring time. I've got a bounce in my step. Easter is near. Time to throw off the shackles of winter, dear. Dum, dadda da dum .... Bum, badda, ba dummmmm.

OK, so I'm not MUCH of a songwriter. But after all the snow that is hammering a fair chunk of North America, we need to be singing about something. I've been desperate to cast off my heavy winter coat. Junk my clunky boots. Trade in my big bulky laptop bag for a light-weight slim, colourful case. And Abbi has just the thing. They sent over a briefcase from their new Erin Collection to test drive and hopefully perk up my winter blahs.

The Erin Collection has three great bags and is decked out in four springy colours. I tested the Erin Briefcase in "Dusty Miller".

Now, like spring, I am a little fickle and slightly peevish. And I'm conflicted about the Erin Briefcase. I am DELIGHTED by its silhouette and form. It is slender and lightweight. The exterior is water-resistant nylon and the trim is patent leather. I particularly like the hardware appointments: the zipper pulls, accent rivets, rings and buckles are high-quality. However, I feel the carrying strap is a real design mis-match for the Erin Briefcase. The camel colour of the strap matches only one of the bags and the texture disconnect between the patent leather and the nylon strap (in my mind) reduces the richness of this bag. Also, the strap isn't long enough to wear the Erin across your body if you're dashing somewhere in a hurry.

The Erin does come in a surprising colour range: cherry blossom and lime green - perfect for spring; dusty miller - for those for whom grey is the new black; and saddle brown - when you want a bag that will go with EVERYTHING! Oddly, the interior colour of the Erin Briefcase is a neon orange. It is extremely well padded and soft, but, it is *orange*. The Erin is meant for those who travel light, so there isn't a full internal compartment for your laptop - simply a strap that will keep it from banging around. There are two other pockets for cellphone, wallet, etc. There is also a pocket on the back of the Erin Briefcase that can hold your power cord, boarding pass or other sundries.

I took the Erin Brief with me on a four-day trip to Toronto. It was light and comfortable to carry through the airport. However, getting through the security line quickly was difficult. The strap that holds the laptop was awkward to unfasten and pull out the laptop for inspection; it was IMPOSSIBLE to then put the laptop back in after going through the detector without pulling out everything, strapping the computer in and refilling the bag. So, I cannot recommend this bag for road warriors at all.

However, if you want a light, stylish bag for carrying your laptop to and from the office (particularly if you have a power cord and other accessories at each locale so you don't need to carry much), the Erin Briefcase is perfect. This is one case where it really does depend on your lifestyle and what you need from a laptop bag.

The Erin Briefcase retails for $149 USD, fits laptops up to 15.4" widescreen and is available from my preferred online supplier, CareerBags.com. The Erin Collection has two other pieces in addition to the Briefcase - the Erin Slim Carrier and the Erin Clutch - available in the same great spring palette and designed to meet your laptop carrying lifestyle.

I've been trying to think of a fun vignette to start this review off with. Something from Field of Dreams or from A League of Their Own - my two favourite baseball movies. But the reality is, I just want to squeal "OMG .. a laptop bag made from baseball leather!!!!!!!". So, let's begin like that.

Ellen from CareerBags.com introduced me to this bag; her sister company, SportsAccessories.com sells officially licensed Rawlings gear. I've been looking for some cool and chic laptop bags for men, so Ellen sent me over one of the Rawlings Leather Messenger laptop bags to review. Now, I love baseball. Love it. Love the pace, the scoring, the stats. Played softball in junior high (shortstop!). And have been sticking with the Toronto Blue Jays through their highs and their very very lows. So I was delighted when I opened the box and smelled baseball leather. Yum!

Now, the Rawlings Leather Messenger gives you the best of a lot of worlds:

First, it is a great-looking bag - sleek and inherently touchable; you will be the envy of everyone in the boardroom. Ladies - that grey haired ol' boy CEO will likely now let you in the club. Gents - expect the next promotion to go to you, not to Johnson down the hall. But seriously ... the leather is gorgeous, the brass hardware is very stylish, and the shape is classic and compact.

Second, it is a tough bag. Think how you kicked around your baseball glove. This bag will stand up to knocks, kicks and scratches and really only look better with age. It also protects your laptop. I actually happened to push this bag off a desk while it contained my laptop. And it lived to tell the tale. Also, I yanked this bag in and out of the overhead on an airplane as well as from under the seat - the strap seams are holding strong.

Third, it holds enough, but not too much. I comfortably fit my laptop, basic accessories (power cord and mouse), couple of other gadgets, small notebook and a couple of magazines in it. There is a zippered outside pocket along the back for boarding passes or other documents. Inside, there is the snug sleeve for your laptop, the main section for your other gear (including requisite pen and business card slots. There is also another zippered pocket on the front of the bag that is protected by the flap for additional documents or small items you don't want loose in the main bag.

This is a Messenger style bag so it has only the strap for carrying. The strap itself is sturdy and generous, so even big men will be able to sling it across the body. The strap seems to be made of a dimpled woven canvas which is nice to touch, but I can see getting a little dirty after a lot of wear. It does come with a leather shoulder pad that mainly serves to keep the bag in place, i.e there isn't a lot of padding. But then again, there isn't in baseball either.

I do have two small quibbles with the Rawlings messenger. The first is that the shared wall between the inside of the exterior pocket and the interior sleeve is not reinforced - it is only constructed of two layers of the lining. So, say if you pull your laptop out for a security check, anything that is in the exterior pocket kind of schlumps into the space for the laptop (I had a cellphone, wallet and keys in there). This can make it difficult to slide your laptop back in without taking out everything in the back pocket. I worked around this by only keeping documents in the back outside pocket.

My second quibble concerns the fastener. It is beautiful from an aesthetic perspective; however, from a functional perspective, it drove me crazy. Personally, I feel it is actually put on the bag upside down as gravity is working against you when you try to fasten it. And the push-button release is VERY sensitive so it was constantly unlatching anytime I brushed a door or wall or other person (clearly, I'm not very coordinated). However, even if your latch pops open, you bag doesn't because Rawlings did what most smart messenger bag designers and put the strap attachment points on the sides of the bag. A friend of mine showed me a bag he bought recently and the strap attachment points on the TOP of the bag - so anytime his latch popped, his whole bag fell open. The Rawlings does not have this problem! So, the fastener issue is a minor nuisance.

So, that all being said, I really like this bag a lot! It rates super-high on the cool factor (hello, a bag made of baseball leather!!) - it is compact, easy to carry and keeps my laptop secure. I also feel uber-cool anytime I open the bag because there is both a bright red Rawlings logo on the inside of the flap as well as a stamped serial number. Tres chic!

The Rawlings messenger is a perfect bag for any baseball lover, especially for guys who are looking for something cool yet not over-the-top. You can get the Rawlings messenger from SportsAccessories.com. It comes in tan or black leather and retails for $235 USD. They are having a Valentine's special on right now; enter the code VAL2008 and receive 15% off your order.

If I had gone to a certain music festival in the 60's, the conversation would likely have gone something like this:

Sunshine, get in the van!

Wait, I have to pack my laptop!

You know we're picking up the Peace, Love and Rainbows commune on the way to Woodstock. There's no room for bulky, downer, black bags, man.

No, no .. it's a Brief Bag from Flicka Bags ... it takes up no room at all. And look at these trippy colours!

Whoa, Sunshine. That is PSYCHEDELIC! I might have to get one too.

OK, so maybe that's not *exactly* how it went down ... but when I opened the Brief Bag that Alice from Flicka Bags sent over, I definitely had a flashback. Me in tie die and hemp; my MBP spacing out inside the Brief Bag's bright pink "Posy" pattern. Totally cool.

The Brief Bag really lives up to its name. Think minimalist - like one step up from a sleeve. Designed for gals who want to keep it simple and easy-going, the Brief Bag holds a laptop and a thin file folder or magazine in the main pocket. There is an external zipped pocket across the front where you can stow your power cord, thin wallet or other essentials. But remember .. it's a "brief" bag, so you're not carrying a lot with you.

The Brief Bag has water-resistant laminate coating on the external fabric and comes in three eye-popping fabrics! The interior is lined in black nylon and has an inner foam core. It provides reasonable protection for your laptop, but I would exercise caution before tossing it in an overhead bin in a plane.



Two things I'm really impressed with are the hardware for the detachable strap as well as the shoulder pad on the strap. The hardware is quite high quality and lends a stylish air to the bag. And the shoulder pad is thicker than most (even on bags that weigh another pound or two more) which makes it very comfortable to carry.

The Brief Bag does have top handles for carrying the bag. I found them a little too "hidden" (Alice makes them small deliberately to keep the lines of the bag sleek) for my meaty paws. But if your hands are smaller or delicate, you won't have any problems. The one disappointment in the bag were the zipper pulls (I know .. they're zipper pulls). They are small rubber disks rather than a more substantial piece of hardware (like the attachments for the strap) and I found them a) incongruous with the other hardware and b) a little difficult to grab onto. Again, that could be my meaty hands.

I really like the look and design of the Brief Bag and it definitely fills a niche - something a little bigger than a sleeve, but still sleek and stylish. If you need a bag that carries just the essentials, check out a Flicka Brief Bag.

Flicka Brief Bags retail for $80 USD (Alice also has sleeves in similar fabrics for $60). You can see the different styles and purchase at www.flickabags.com.

I just got married! Yay! The wedding was fantastic and our honeymoon was excellent. We arrived back in Vancouver after being away for almost 4 weeks and I was feeling a little blue. You know ... post-holiday let down or something. I had forgotten that I had a couple of bags in my review queue, scheduled to arrive while I was gone. I pounced on my pile of mail and by a happy coincidence, the first one I opened was the Supreme Love Story (SLS) bag by Plastic People Designs. I took this as a sign that my marriage would work out. :)

But, enough of me, onto the bag!



First and foremost, I am completely charmed by the look of this bag. Shannon, the designer, is interested in the effect that happy accessories have on other people. The bag makes me smile every time I see it. I was sent the pink version and I adore it. The bright colour with the pristine white trim ... it makes the world (and my technology) seem happier. Just for the sake of experimentation, I put the SLS bag next to a plain black laptop bag. Completely different emotional vibe. My MacBook even seems to have more potential when it is snug inside the SLS.

The SLS is made from an animal-friendly imitation leather. The feel of the material is quite nice; the handles, in particular, are very soft and comfortable to carry. The bottom of the bag has four metal feet to protect it if you set it down on the wet ground. There is an external front pocket across the width of the bag that closes with a clever magnetic strip. There is also a pocket on one end of the bag, suitable for a mobile device or iPod.



The interior of the Supreme Love Story is a light grey. On one wall of the interior are two zippered mesh pockets. They are big enough for a thin wallet or small gadgets/accessories. There are no additional cubbies for pens, business cards, etc. Depending on your personal taste, that is a plus or a minus. Personally, I find that my pens never fit anyway.

There is a removable sleeve for your actual laptop. This is quite a clever design feature really. The sleeve is held to the back wall of the bag by a velcro strip. Once you've zippered your laptop into the sleeve, another fold-over strip offers an additional mechanism to keep your laptop from flopping around.

The material for the sleeve seems water-resistant and it is lightly padded. But it would not stand on its own as protection for your laptop. Inside the SLS, it will keep your computer from getting scratched and nicked and the SLS affords additional padding, but I would not recommend flinging this bag down the aisle of a plane and into the overhead storage compartment willy-nilly.

All of Shannon's bags come with a matching zippered clutch/makeup case and a lovely heart-shaped mirror (see above pic). This is a very thoughtful extra detail and really embodies Shannon's design philosophy.

The SLS comes in three colour versions ... it will fit your style if you're pretty in pink or looking for a more subdued tan or brown. My main concern about the SLS is for road warriors who are tough with their laptops. And my only complaint is that as a creampuff (plus-size woman), I would prefer it if the handles had about another 1.5 inches of give. They fit over my shoulder right now, but only just and would not be comfortable for long walks.

That all being said, I am absolutely delighted by the Supreme Love Story bag. I've gotten nothing but smiles from people who have seen it and it makes me happy to carry it.

The Supreme Love Story bag retails starting at $165 USD for the "Standard Sally" (15") size and $175 for the "Large Lucy" (17") size. You can get more info and place an order at plasticpeople.com.

I am a child of the 60's. The really late 60's, mind you, but the 60's nevertheless. As such, certain colours, shapes and textures hold a special place in my heart. Like aluminum glasses and FiestaWare. Kitchens decorated in orange and brown. Marlo Thomas who played Ann Marie in "That Girl".

I often think of Ann Marie in her kicky beret, fashionista mod wardrobe and charming smile. Now Ann had to take a number of temp jobs to support her budding acting career, a few of which were in a corporate environment. I don't think she would sacrifice her mod style, but she would dress appropriately for the job.

And if Ann had had a laptop, she would have carried an appropriate laptop bag ... something mod, yet a little understated. Something a little retro corporate chic.

Well, I have the perfect bag for you gals who have a special place in your heart for Ann Marie and share here sense of style. I knew it from the second I opened the new GiddyUp from Pinder that Bob sent over for review.

The GiddyUp tote's shape is reminiscent of a vintage bowling bag .. slightly tapered with gently rounded corners. The GiddyUp has a great array of base colours (Black, Chocolate, Dark Green, FIre Red) and coordinating trims (Lime, Pink, Red, Grey - among others). The GiddyUp is made of water-repellent ballistic nylon. The handles as well as the trim are faux leather (Pinder doesn't use animal products on their bags for ethical reasons) and the hardware is all nickel plated. The handles on the GiddyUp are generous - easy to sling over the shoulder or carry in traditional handbag fashion.

In addition to the shape, my favourite thing about the exterior of the GiddyUp tote is that the colour trim on the front isn't just decorative! It cleverly conceals the zipper and pull for an external pocket! Finally, a sleekly silhouetted bag that has an external pocket. Thank you, Pinder! A place for Ann to keep her compact and her giant sunglasses! And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the feet. I'm pleased to see the trend for stylish laptop totes to have feet. Because no one wants to get the bottom of their bag sticky from whatever is on the floor of the Metro.

The design of the interior of the GiddyUp is as sleek as the exterior. The GiddyUp has two separate compartments; both are lined with a bright coloured nylon lining in a complementary colour to the trim. The back compartment is where you stash your laptop. It is well padded and generous. If you are concerned that it is a little TOO generous, especially for those of you who have an ultra-thin laptop, then you will likely want to add on a Pinder THIN sleeve to your GiddyUp.

The front compartment is where you stash the rest of your gear. There are two smaller pockets on the back wall, complete with velcroed flaps for other electronics, pens, etc. The front wall has a zippered pouch, handy for important travel docs, receipts, etc. The rest of the front compartment is very generous and easily holds my power brick, mouse, and camera. Plus my lunch.

Both the front and back compartments are zippered with coloured zip tabs. The ones on the back compartment have an additional nickel decorative rivet so you can distinguish which one your laptop is in by both look and touch. The zippers extend quite far down the side of the GiddyUp which allows easier access to its contents. But Pinder has cleverly included a gusset on each side to prevent items from slipping out of the compartments. Well-designed!

I am a big fan of the GiddyUp tote by Pinder. I love its retro chic lines and its colourful modern interior. So "That Girl!" The GIddyUp regularly retails for $125 USD, but Pinder has an extreme sale on right now - $69.95 - until Nov. 30. The savings on the GiddyUp would also let you add on a THIN for less than the original price. Check out both the GiddyUp and the THIN at Pinder's website: www.pinderbags.com.

"Hi, Jen. Yeah, sorry, I can't talk right now. My agent just called. Yeah, I know ... FINALLY. Anyway, she wants me to meet with Steven. Yes, THAT Steven. What part? Well, it's very Po-Mo ... I'd be playing an actress who just got discovered and blogs about it! I KNOW! Yeah .. so lots of shopping, both clothes and gadgets. Plus I think there are a lot of scenes with me in Starbucks, typing on my Mac (so much cooler than a Dell!) and making eyes at Matthew. YES! THAT Matthew. I hear there are some pretty sexy scenes. Yum! Anyway .. I have to go. Must put on my face and grab my Veronica London bag. Show Steven that I've already got the character down. Kisses!"

This was the call that played in my head as I opened the Veronica London tote that the friendly, fashion-forward ladies over at CareerBags.com sent me to review. Ellen and her team are located in LA and a lot of their clientele are very fashion-conscious celebs. So I got out my Oscar de la Renta suit so that the bag would feel more at home.

The Veronica London is a good-lookin' bag! It's a handbag/over the shoulder style made of super-soft chamois suede micro fiber with some nice leather detail. Classy nickel hardware. It has a single zipper closure on the top with no external pockets (think fashion rather than function). Also, a really nice decorative bag detail - a place for a monogram. You can choose your initials or, interestingly, the very pretty National Association of Women Business Owners logo. Which just goes to show you that Career Bags is fashion-forward AND business-minded. As an aside, CareerBags.com has a neat advisory board and mentoring program partners. You can get more deets at their website.

OK, back to the bag .. possibly my favourite thing about the exterior of the Veronica London tote are the little feet, especially the extra one in the middle of the bottom. I know it sounds a little ridiculous (really, the feet?). But sometimes, ladies, you need to set your very stylish bag down. And what if you're at the Starbucks and they haven't mopped the floor recently? Do you want your bag touching someone else's spilled Caramel Macchiato? I didn't think so. Little feet = good thing.

Onto the interior of the bag. The black VL tote has a bright blue nylon lining; the brown model has a brown nylon lining; I'd like to see that splash of colour in both models. The main pocket of the VL Tote also contains a removable sleeve for extra protection of your laptop. It is held in place, along with any file holders, portfolios, or headshots by a Velcro-ed strap.

The other interior pocket of the VL tote is rife with little pockets. Eyeglasses, mobile phone, OTHER mobile phone with secret number, pepper spray to ward off the paparazzi ... LOTS of pockets. There is this weird, half-height divider pocket that I'm not a big fan of .. I find it a little flimsy and unnecessary. But hey, I'm not a newly discovered ingenue, trying to make her way on the mean streets of LA.

The Veronica London tote is comfy to carry, really well-made and looks HOT! It will definitely suit any business or social situation and make you look like the star that you are; it will also stand up to being pulled in and out of the back seat of your convertible. The interior is not my favourite, but it is highly functional and your laptop is well protected. So, if you inhabit the fashion end of the spectrum, the Veronica London is a strong choice! It retails for $120 US at the CareerBags.com site.

Recently, one of my Sunday morning guilty pleasures has been watching reruns of Eco-Challenge. You know that crazy, "like Survivor only it's real" expedition race that Mark Burnett hosted for a few years. These Eco-Challengers raced across British Columbia, Borneo, New Zealand and Fiji. And every time I see an episode, all I can think is, "Man, are they wet!". These crazy racers are in and out of the water, whether paddling a kayak, a white-water raft or a homemade bamboo Fijian bili-bili. I squirm and protectively reach over to my precious laptop and other electronic accoutrements, "Don't worry little MacBook, I won't take you into the Fijian jungle."

My MacBook remained unconvinced: our Sunday morning quality time had been usurped by Eco-Challenge and I had that crazy adventure racing look in my eye.

Fortunately, the folks over at Spire must have heard my MBP's uneasy rumblings. They sent over an Endo courier bag to review. Once I opened the box, I knew my MBP's sanity would be restored. Why? Three things immediately made me feel that the Endo is Eco-Challenge worthy:

1. The big-ass buckle closure on the front of the bag.
On any Eco-challenge, you need confidence. This buckle closure (and its sister closure on the shoulder straps) exudes confidence. "I am a big buckle, a strong buckle, a serious buckle. Not a shrinking violet buckle. I will keep your laptop secure." Word.

2. The well zippered pockets on the outside and inside.
Zippered pockets on laptop bags are your best friends. When your bag is rolling around inside a canoe, the back seat of your car or in an airplane overhead compartment, you don't want your stuff falling out and rolling around with it. These zippered pockets (complete with glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls!!) ensure that your stuff does not escape.

3. A drawstring cinch around the interior sleeve.
One of my beefs with laptop bags is that they might be constructed from water-resistent fabric, but their design still lets water leak in through the corners of the flap. Spire has created a design triumph! They have placed a drawstring cinch above the sleeve and interior pocket (you can see it in the photo below). So when your laptop is inside the sleeve, you cinch the extra material at the top of the sleeve (this extra material even has its own clever gussetting). And then you can fold the flap of the bag down. But this extra cinch protects your laptop against rain or snow that can sneak in at the corners of the flap in most messenger bags. BRILLIANT!! Whether you are an expedition racer or a bike courier, you will love this feature!



The shoulder strap for the Endo is super comfortable. It also has a removable waist strap with four attachment points, depending on your preference. On the back of the bag, there is an additional pocket which doubles as a pass-through for a rolling luggage handle.

I really like the Endo and am very comfortable keeping my laptop in it - whether in the wilds of Borneo or the rain-drenched streets of Vancouver - I'm confident it will stay dry and secure. Spire has done an amazing job thinking through the design of this bag, and their roots in Boulder, Colorado and the great outdoors really shows.

The Endo retails for $90 USD and comes in three colours. For smaller or larger laptops, they have the Viro and the Mojo, respectively. For those of you who are look for a great bag for your 17" laptops, the Mojo is definitely one to check out!

See all of Spire's bags at their website: www.spireusa.com.

I have never been on safari. I don't really like sleeping out in the open and, well, you know .. the lions. I can see myself as the gal that stays back at the lodge ... drinking whisky and writing furiously on the veranda for the newspaper that originally sent her on safari, ready with her trusty laptop to capture the quotes from the intrepid souls who made it back alive. But Meryl Streep I'm not.

Even if you're staying behind at the lodge, you need to look the safari part. And I have found the perfect bag to complement my pith helmet and full-body mosquito netting. It's the Jo Jo - Carrie by JoJo Designs. JoJo Designs is a new Vancouver-based shop on the scene, headed by bag designer Jonathan Chan. I had the opportunity to sit down with Chan recently, and he gave me a Carrie to try out.

I adore the look of this bag. It really does remind me of warmer climates and vacations - this is not a boardroom bag, but a bag for the gadget gal on the go who doesn't want to LOOK like a gadget gal. The bag is constructed from sturdy canvas with PVC trim and brass hardware. The Carrie has 2 magnetic snaps, just below each of the handle connection points, that close the top of the bag. One of the really cool features is a drawstring, just below the magnets, that lets you cinch the top closed. Note - this does not make it waterproof; however, it does create a really nice shape for the bag, looking even more like your "vacation" bag and way less like your "biznass" bag. The handles themselves are quite comfortable and are adjustable, so you can make them a bit bigger to sling them over your shoulder. There are no external pockets.

The interior of the Carrie is lined with a mocha-coloured nylon. Soft and shiny. There is one large, padded sleeve for your laptop (fits my MacBook Pro 15 with ample room - it should fit most 17" laptops) that is held closed with a velcro-ed strip of faux leather. Opposite the laptop sleeve are smaller pockets for cellphone, pda, business cards and pens. There is also a small zippered pouch for change or other incidentals. The main pouch of the Carrie is quite roomy and can hold guidebooks, suntan lotion, spyglasses, lion-repellent and even your extra mosquito netting.

The Carrie is very comfortable to carry (it also comes with a removable shoulder strap so you could wear it like a messenger if you like) and certainly roomy enough to hold your laptop and all it and your vacation accoutrement. I would definitely tote the Carrie if I were headed to the coffee shop or to the cottage.

I do have two cautions, however. The first ... for airplane travelers. The padding in the built-in sleeve will not stand up to a lot of rough and tumble. If you're a gal who tosses her bag in the overhead compartment and doesn't worry about it - this bag may not be for you. Or, pack it in your suitcase to carry onto the beach after you've arrived at your destination. Secondly, although the bottom of the bag is defined (meaning you can turn it over and the bottom is stitched in and reinforced with an insert), the Carrie doesn't always like to stand upright. If I placed just my laptop in the bag, often it would flop over; I had to make sure I was carrying other items to balance the weight.

All in all, I really love the look of the Carrie and use it for casual, kick-back situations where I don't need hardcore padding. Perfect for a writing jaunt on the veranda or a sleep-over with the girls. The Carrie comes in both light and dark brown. It retails for around $90 USD. You can see both the Carrie and JoJo Designs other, more traditional bag, the Amy, at CareerBags.com.

I grew up smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt. Consequently, I spent a lot of time at church, listening to evangelical preachers exhorting sinners to join the flock. One of the most common motivational questions I heard was "Do you know that you know that if you died tonight you'd go to heaven and meet Jesus?" I always thought this was a pretty good motivator - a little fear, a little hope and the promise of schmoozing with one of the biggest celebrities around.

What does this have to do with cool laptop bags? Well, two decades later and I still don't know if I'd go to heaven, BUT, I know what laptop bag I'd take with me to meet Jesus. And that bag, my friends, is the Maddie Powers Cutebug Laptop Messenger Bag - brought to you by Mobile Edge. When Matthew sent over a review copy, I thought I HAD died and gone to heaven. This bag is as close to perfection as possible. Let's break it down ...

First, the look of the bag. I adore anything vintage. Maddie Powers bags and accessories all sport covers from authentic pulp novels and digest magazines from the 1940's and 50's. Tres chic! This messenger bag has a cover from a novel called "Bright Promises". The rest of the exterior is black except for the back pocket. Flip this bag over and you have an exterior pocket that is covered in a royal purple faux-velvet. Read that again: Royal Purple Faux Velvet! This same material covers the shoulder strap pad. So HOT! Now, I only have tested it for a week, so I'm not sure if over the long term (and especially in the winter) the material will pill or not, but so far, so good. The back pocket seals with a small strip of velcro.

OK, let's flip open that front flap and see what the interior is like.

Yup, no vintage in here. This is all modern, sure to please any 21st century geek girl.

The main interior pocket has a self-contained sleeve that is made from SafetyCell [tm] ... a cool "lining" for the sleeve that has all these independent foam bumps. They function as "object deceleration" .. which I think means that they absorb more of the shock than regular single-layer foam cores if you drop the bag. Nice. Outside the sleeve is a large pocket that will easily hold several files, a notebook, magazine, power cord, etc. It also has a zippered pouch which would be good for items like plane tickets or travel docs that you want to keep separate and handy.

The other interior pocket in the front of the bag has the usual sets of pouches: mobile phone, pens, etc. It is big enough to house a power cord, wallet or other miscellaneous items. And it, too, has a zippered front pouch for additional docs or other important papers. The non-removable shoulder strap is very comfortable and can be adjusted to be quite long - so us big-busted gals can do the full across-the-body carry. The entire bag is really well constructed and is made of an easy-to-clean, water-resistent MicroFiber.

The whole thing closes with opposing velcro straps and they are long enough so that you can "over stuff" (really, can you ever carry too much stuff?) For the quality of the material and construction, the Cutebug Messenger doesn't feel any heavier than other bags of its class. It is, however, a little larger both in width and depth; I ended up wearing it a little lower on my hip than other bags.

Overall, I am really impressed with the quality of the Cutebug Messenger, let alone the funky quotient of this bag! There are only two tiny things I would change. One, it doesn't have feet on the bottom - most messengers don't have them, but I think they would really enhance this bag. Plus I'm finding that I really appreciate them, in general, to keep the bottom of any bag dry. Secondly, like all Maddie Powers bags, it comes with a set of Lucky Seven dice fastened to one of the shoulder strap attachments. Super cute, but super annoying after about 3 minutes of walking. Luckily, they are removable.

I love this bag .. like seriously. To me, it is the archetype of a funky, chic and cool laptop bag. I really hope Maddie Powers continues the line. I'd love to have some additional options available for the exterior picture, or, a way to swap front flaps, depending on my mood. Product extension?

You can find the Maddie Powers Cutebug Laptop Messenger Bag on the Mobile Edge site where it retails for $89.99 USD. You can also find its cousin, the Maddie Powers Cutebug Laptop Sheba Bag - made for laptops 14.1" and smaller.

Oh, and as a reminder, the good folks at Mobile Edge offer Free Shipping to all Squidoo customers. Simply type in SQUIDOO upon check out and receive free shipping on all purchases through 2007!

I travel quite a bit and most of my flying takes place in coach. So it was quite a thrill when, on a recent flight, I got the nod and moved up to the wide-seated splendor of first class. Giddy, I wondered how I managed to score the upgrade. As I safely stowed my laptop under the seat in front of me, I realized that being upgraded to first class had nothing to do with my frequent flyer status. I had clearly been deemed too good for economy class due to my Racer-X sent over by the good folks at Waterfield Designs.

The boardroom chic Racer-X is a little bit corporate and a little bit rock and roll. The sturdy black ballistic nylon exterior says "business", but the green piping and leather accents say "bizNASS" (Waterfield offers 5 other colour options for the piping if green is not your thing). There are two separate zippered compartments, one for your laptop and another for your cords, keys and gadgets. Both compartments have heavy duty zippers with handy nylon pulls. The bag is very well-made and the black metal hardware is high quality.

The laptop pocket is a well-structured, snug padded compartment. My MacBook Pro slid comfortably into the Racer-X's soft fuzzy nylon over neoprene over corrugated plastic. I think I heard it purring - talk about a first class ride! The front compartment boasts several padded holsters for my PDA, phone, iPod, etc., and its gold interior adds another sassy splash of colour.

The Racer-X has an open topped pocket in front that is great for keeping my passport and boarding pass handy. There is one at the back of the bag with a bottom zip that allows you to slip the Racer-X over the handle of your rolling suitcase. If you're not traveling, it's an ideal place to keep documents neat.

The bag's leather handles look snazzy and are fairly comfortable - choose between them and the "mountain bike grip" handle when you order; if you carry by the handles a lot, I recommend going with the mountain bike grip. And when you need your hands free, there's always the padded Suspension Shoulder Strap - comfy!

The Racer-X may not entirely bring the funk, but its "chic and cool" qualities certainly helped me hold my own up in business class. It comes in 4 sizes (including one for the 17" MacBook Pro) and starts at $169 USD (first class upgrade not included). Check it out at Waterfield Designs.

I try to stay on-topic he