The ‘Book Mystique Review - Proporta Laptop Bag
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
by Charles W. Moore
Proporta’s new Laptop Bag hits the sweet spot in the computer luggage matrix combining commodious capacity, easy, convenient and versatile carriage, protection for the computer, and affordable price. .
While designed in particular to accommodate the new MacBook Pros and MacBooks, the Proporta Laptop Bag swallows up my old 14” Pismo PowerBook quite comfortably, and I can just jam in my 17-inch PowerBook, so it will have no difficulty accommodating any Apple notebook up to the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
The outer skin of the Proporta case is made of Cordura, a high-strength nylon fabric originally developed by Dupont, now manufactured and marketed by Koch Industries, Inc’s INVISTA subsidiary, and which should prove very rugged and durable. Zippers are black nylon with Black anodized metal zip tabs that match various metal D-rings sewn on with nylon web straps and loops for attaching the shoulder strap and backpack harness.
There are deep-textured plastic foot panels on the bottom of the case for when you set it down, and a nylon carry loop at one end for when the case is in vertical or backpack mode.
The case's entire front panel, which feels like it’s padded with one-quarter inch closed-cell foam, unzips more than 270 degrees to open wide and reveal a multipurpose inner compartment with a full width and depth net pocket on the back of the flap that is perfect for storing papers, file folders, magazines, and the like.
While it’s convenient to have the flap able to open wide for unimpeded access to its contents, there are times when it would be better and more secure for it to only partly open, and that option is provided for with a couple of snap-fastened Web restraining straps. This works well, but as with the handle cover snaps, the ones here are also on the stiff side.
The back face of the compartment is festooned with two key fob clips, and elasticized band to hold an iPod or cell phone, a couple of pen/pemcil/stylus loops, three elasticized pockets that can hold cables, ear buds, batteries, and other small bits, a larger, cutaway vinyl pocket designed to accommodate Proporta’s Portable Laptop Battery product or similar-sized items, and a cable port through to the computer compartment immediately behind.
The computer compartment is, like the front compartment, lined with smooth black nylon taffeta fabric, but is more heavily-padded. At the back of the compartment is a full-width, Velcro-closure closure pocket, plus three smaller but usefully deep pockets on its front face. However, you want to be prudent about what you store in any of these pockets, since it will be sharing close-quarters with your computer, and there is potential for scratching and chafing.
The back panel of the Proporta Laptop Bag is actually another full-width padded pocket that also stores the hideaway backpack harness when it’s not being used - i.e.: when the bag is carried in briefcase or shoulder-strap mode. The harness, which is of one and one half-inch nylon web strapping with color-coordinated Cordura nylon comfort pads attach to D-rings at the bottom of the case with black anodized quick-release swivel clips. Very slick and neat, however the back pockets’ closures zipper must remain open when the case is in backpack mode - a small compromise for the sake of cleaner lines. The back pocket is also large enough to actually carry a second, small laptop if you ever had occasion to, such as a MacBook Air, a 12-inch PowerBook, or a PC netbook.
The detachable shoulder strap is also of 1.5 inch nylon webbing with a Cordura comfort pad.
I really like this Proporta Laptop Bag even better than I expected to from seeing it in pictures and reading the press release when it was introduced last month. It’s a clever, sensibly practical, and amazingly capacious designed considering its light weight, svelte dimensions and clean styling. You can stuff an amazing amount of stuff inside it, and keep it all organized. The materials and workmanship also have a quality look and feel, and I expect this case will last a long time, notwithstanding its modest $47.95 price.
There are certainly more heavily-padded computer cases on the market, and if you’re a rough user who road warriors in really harsh environments and conditions you might want to consider one of them, but this Proporta case will provide medium-duty protection, and does with without excessive weight and bulk. I think that for a substantial proportion of laptop users, it will represent an ideal balance of qualities.
The Protective Laptop Bag sells for $ 47.95.
For more information, visit:
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=3688&t_mode=des
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