‘Book Mystique Review - Pacific Design Ruckus Laptop Messenger Bag
by Charles W. Moore
Pacific Design of Austin, Texas is a sassy new player in the computer and iPod case market. with a lighthearted - even whimsical approach to styling flair combined with clever innovation and practicality, merging fashion with function. One of this woman-owned company’s newest computer bag products is the Ruckus Laptop Messenger Bag.
The very reasonably priced Ruckus bag is a new spin on the familiar messenger bag theme, weighing less than 2.5 pounds empty, and able to accommodate up to most 15.4” widescreen laptops.
Our review Ruckus came in sleek-looking Bold Black/Slate Grey/Pearl Grey livery. Two other tri-color schemes are available including Rose White/ Granite Grey/ Posey Pink, and Olive/Bold Black/Super Yellow. All are attractive, and make the Ruckus stand out from the crowd.
The bag’s front closure flap displays the Ruckus logo, in two shades of gray on our test unit. This creates an interesting and eye-catching look, and Pacific Design says it is designed for urban, professional and student lifestyles, but some might consider it a bit too sporty and “non-serious” for certain office and professional environments.
The outer face of the bag’s foldover flap also features a moisture-resistant pocket with a translucent window that lets you see what’s inside. On the back side of the bag is a 5/6-width generously padded pocket with Velcro closure, which will accept wide and a relatively shallow items, but is not deep enough to accommodate magazines or file folders without them protruding.
On the right-hand side of the bag is what Pacific Design calls a “Luxury Items Pocket” which has a zipper closure and his felt lined to protect easily-scratched items. The shape of the pocket suggests sunglasses as possible contents. On the Ruckus’s right hand side is a “Water Bottle Pocket,” open at the top but with a vertical zipper opening that allows an internal elasticized gusset of strong nylon to expand. I didn’t have an appropriately-sized water bottle to try in it, but it nicely accommodated in a Contour mini-mouse in its plastic travel case very neatly.
The bag’s closure flap is secured with a good sized polycarbonate quick-release snap, and its inner face is lined with contrasting-color nylon fabric once again bearing the Ruckus logo. The under-flap front panel of the bag has a transparent business card pocket, three elastic pen loops, a small zipper-closure pocket, and a translucent window that allows you to see the contents of the Internal iPod pocket.
There is also a port for your iPod’s earphone cables to pass through so that you can listen to your ‘Pod with it safely in situ.
Inside, the Ruckus Laptop Messenger Bag’s large front organizer compartment has plenty of room for stuff like magazines and file folders. On the inner side of the front panel is the aforementioned iPod pocket with a Velcro-closure nylon security strap, three open nested pockets in the middle, and a quick-access zipper-closure compartment for a laptop power adapter or what-have-you.
The back inner wall of the front compartment has three more nested open pockets - somewhat smaller, a Velcro-closure center pocket with accordion expansion, and a handy key fob snap.
The computer compartment occupies the back half of the bag, with what feels like about one quarter inch thick EVA foam padding inside the partition separating it from the front compartment, and the same on the back wall, augmented by the aforementioned padded back outer pocket. The the computer compartment’s end panels are also padded, with about one half-inch clearance between them and the outer side panels of the Ruckus Messenger. Armored padding on the case bottom and a padded inner fold-over flap with a large Velcro closure surround the computer with 360 degree protection from bumps and knocks. The computer compartment is lined with nylon fabric and is large enough to accept a 15-inch MacBook Pro or PowerBook , so my 12” iBook slipped in easily.
The Ruckus Laptop Messenger Bag is about four inches thick, weighs less than 2.5 pounds empty, and Pacific Design claims that is up to 30 percent lighter than unspecified “other laptop bags.” Suffice to say that it’s comfortably light.
The Ruckus bag has an adjustable shoulder-strap of two inch wide nylon webbing with a large and generously-upholstered removable shoulder-pad. One criticism is that the shoulder strap is not detachable, which makes carrying the case in briefcase mode with the attached briefcase handle a bit clumsy, although you can gather up the slack of the shoulder strap inside the shoulder pad (which has a quick-opening Velcro closure) to keep it from flopping loose. The briefcase handle is attached to the back panel rather than the center of the case, which tends to hang at about a 30 degree angle from vertical rather than straight, making it look a bit awkward and tending to bump your leg, and the handgrip is a smaller diameter (about one half-inch) than is ideal for comfort, especially if the case is heavily loaded. The mountain bike handgrip used on Waterfield Racer X Messenger bags is a better solution. However, the Ruckus sells for less than half the Racer-X’s price, and it’s obvious that this bag is primarily intended to be carried with the shoulder strap, with the briefcase handle just there for added convenience.
I couldn’t really find much else to complain about. The Ruckus Laptop Messenger Bag seems to be well-constructed with good quality materials, neat stitching, and a generally high standard of finish. It is attractive and definitely distinctive in a refreshingly stylish way. I would categorize it as a seriously practical container for your laptop and associated paraphernalia that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and evokes a refreshing joie de vivre. If that sounds like your outlook on life, then this could be the laptop bag for you.
Customers who register their Ruckus products at http://www.pacificdesign.com will receive a free removable cell phone/iPod pouch.
Ruckus Messenger Bag Features:
• Weight-repositioning design places the computer flush on the user’s back to evenly distribute weight so pack feels lighter in use
• Super lightweight design, up to 30% lighter than other laptop bags
• Slim profile - only 6 inches thick
• Fits most 15.4” notebook PC’s
• Laptop protection including fully-armored compartment
• EVA foam base enables backpack to stand while empty
• Side-loading laptop compartment provides easy access during travel
• Moisture-resistant zipper pocket
• Deep 3” main storage compartment for books & files
• Ergonomic straps with breathable mesh Airflow Channel
• Water bottle, key clip and pen holders
• Dedicated media storage for CD’s and DVD’s
• AC adapter/Cable zipper pouch
• Easy access felt-lined luxury items pocket to protect sunglasses and other easily scratched items
• Formed base helps pack resist tipping over, even when empty
Dimensions 16” x 12” x 4”
Weight / Volume 2.4 lbs / 670 cubic inches
Material Nylon face; breathable mesh back
Computer Compartment
• Maximum Laptop Size: 2” x 14.4” x 11”
• 360-degree laptop protection with wide, padded secure strap
Organizer Compartment
• AC/Cable zipper pouch
• Padded secure pocket for cell phone or MP3 player, with molded rubber headphone port
• Clear ID pocket, pen holders, 3 slots for wallet items
Colors
Olive/Bold Black/Super Yellow
Rose White/ Granite Grey/ Posey Pink
Bold Black/Slate Grey/Pearl Grey
The Ruckus Laptop Bag Collection is available at various North American retailers including Sony Canada and Staples, or online at http://www.ebags.com , http://www.cdw.com , and http://www.pacificdesign.com
The Ruckus Laptop Messenger Bag sells for $59.95.
Pacific Design is a certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE). For more information, visit http://www.pacificdesign.com or call 888-797-8755.
Product page:
http://www.pacificdesignstore.com/servlet/Detail?no=271
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