A great laptop bag for the chickies

[SpaceyGirl]

Hi everyone,

Well after hunting and scouring the web and NYC, I found a bag to hold my precious 12" PB. Thanks to the suggestion of a fellow forum user I checked out Crumpler.

I instantly fell in love with the style and look of Crumpler bags. I ended up buying a Crumpler Wee Bee I got mine for about $85. I love it. It's sturdy, enough cushioning for my PB and with room to spare to put all the essentials magazine, cords/cables, iPod, phone, and wallet. It's not a super heavily padded bag but I think it's enough for the light traveller.

One of the main reasons I like this bag is that it's petite looking...I'm a small girl and didn't want to look like I was carrying a suitcase on my shoulder. Plus, it does really look like the typical laptop bag which is nice so bad people won't know you have a laptop in your bag. Not to sound paranoid but you never know when someone wants to take your stuff.

Regardless of the Wee Bee's girly styling, I really liked their other bags and reccommend them to others interested in a different unique laptop bag. As of now I'm considering getting a McBain's Love Child to use as a sleeve for future use...but I have to pace my spending. After I got my PB...I can't settle for just any old accessory for my cute PB.

I know I'm pathetic...but man I'm loving my first apple.

Just wanted to share my findings...hope others find it helpful.

Laters.

 

[alia]

The Wee Bee is really cute. I'm getting a Timbuk2 as my bag for school and laptop, but that might work when I just want the laptop and a couple of other things.

Do you think it would fit the 15" powerbook?

Alia

 

[dabirdwell]

I need to get a bag for my fiance, but the Crumpler site won't work for me.

 

[alia]

Originally posted by dabirdwell
I need to get a bag for my fiance, but the Crumpler site won't work for me.

Go to http://www.crumplerbags.com

After much searching, I found that site. Looks like the 15" version of the Wee Bee is the Crippy Duck. I wish I could try them out first.

Alia

 

[alia]

Looks like crumplerbags.com uses an iframe... if you don't have IE, you won't be able to see their site... never fear, here's a direct link to the Crippy Duck and McBain's Love Child... they don't seem to have the Wee Bee on that site.

Crippy Duck: http://www.crumplerbags.com/cgi-bin/crumpler/crumpler.cgi?bag=18

McBain's Love Child: http://www.crumplerbags.com/cgi-bin/crumpler/crumpler.cgi?bag=1

Hope that helps,

Alia

 

[lmalave]

Where did you buy the bag? Did you end up buying retail somewhere in NYC? I ended up buying a bag from Paragon Sports. It's great - doesn't look like a laptop bag at all (I hear ya on the paranoia - especially in NYC).

I just sold my iBook to a friend so she'll be in the market for a bag soon. She's a total fashionista, though, so I'm actually considering she buy a sleeve and carry it in her sturdy Louis Vuitton bag. The great thing is, there's so many fake LV bags out there that not only will no one suspect she's carry a laptop, they won't even suspect that she' actually carrying a *real* LV bag (especially since she normally dresses in jeans and sneakers anyway). Genius, no?

 

[SpaceyGirl]

Here's the US distributor site

Wee Bee:
http://www.crumplerusa.com/products/laptop/wee_bee.html

Crippy Duck:
http://www.crumplerusa.com/products/laptop/crippy_duck.html

Yeah, I think the Crippy Duck will fit your 15". Judging by the measurements they provide. My 12" inch fits pretty snuggly in the Wee Bee so I imagine that it will be snug in the Crippy Duck. At least that way it's not jostled around.

From there you can find some resellers,
I special order from http://www.bagsforme.com. They were nice and I got my bag in 4 business days. You can also check out http://www.bagselect.com, I had contact them looking for the Wee Bee and they were really friendly so customer service-wise I liked them too. Bagselect is in CA and Bagsforme is in MD so that might help you out in your search for actually seeing it. If you

I totally winged it and bought since I couldn't wait any longer.

Paragon only had some Crumplers. For laptops, they only had the bigger bags, like the Very Busy Man. You can check out the Crumpler Store in NOHO on Spring. It's a cute shop, oh here's their website:
http://www.crumplernyc.com

For your friend, the McBain's might just be what she's looking for to fit in her LV bag, I know eBags carries those...not bad for free shipping and returns...and I think no tax.

I was initially hoping they would get my bag in but they didn't get it fast enough for me. But maybe by now they will have gotten in a few shipments.

Good luck on your searches.

 

[alia]

I don't even see the Wee Bee or the Crippy Duck on bagsforme.com.

Bagselect.com has it. Now I can't decide whether to get it or stick with the Timbuk2. How can I convince the boyfriend I need both?!


Ah whatever. It's my money.

Alia

 

[SpaceyGirl]

alia,

If you want to order it from bagsforme.com you can do a special order...that's how I did it.

Did you figure out what color to get it in? That's was the hardest part for me. I ended up going dark orange/orange just to be different. It's actually a darker richer orangey brown than orange but I like it...it's too bad they didn't make the bag in a nice shade of red or purple.

 

[alia]

Originally posted by SpaceyGirl
alia,

If you want to order it from bagsforme.com you can do a special order...that's how I did it.

Did you figure out what color to get it in? That's was the hardest part for me. I ended up going dark orange/orange just to be different. It's actually a darker richer orangey brown than orange but I like it...it's too bad they didn't make the bag in a nice shade of red or purple.

I was looking at the orange too!

I love bright colors, but it sounds like it's more of a brown. Oh well, anything is better than blue or gray or black. Blech!!

How much was the Wee Bee from bagsforme.com? Was shipping expensive?

Alia

 

[SpaceyGirl]

It was $79.99 from bagsforme.com and I think $6 shipping or something like that. It comes straight from the Crumpler warehouse in MI.

Yeah, I was looking forward to a screaming bright orange bag too...but then I had a feeling the picture's color was different...funny thing is when I took a picture of the bag (indoors/nighttime) it looks so bright too...must be the lighting and the flash that are distorting the color. Funny thing, to me the Wee Bee is such a "girly" bag and yet they only made three colors, two of which are black and navy...so ordinary.

It's definitely a brown orange...in fact it reminds me of the colors of my cat...I know it sounds deranged...but seriously it does.
Here's a picture of my cat...in case you want an idea of the color:

 

[SpaceyGirl]

Today, was the first day I actually took my laptop out on the town. I needed to test out my Airport card to see if the darn thing actually works.

(Previously, I just stuffed the bag at home to see how much it could hold and see how heavy it was.)

Anyways, here's my impressions so far after a day of use...the velcro on this bag is SUPER strong...and noisy too...if any of you care. I have an old Manhattan Portage...and I don't remember the velcro on that bag being so strong. If for some god forsaken reason my bag flips upside down nothing would fall out. I tucked in my PowerBook in it's own special pocket, stuffed in a magazine, umbrella, wallet, iPod, power cords, junk food for energy, a few CDs and a small box of tea...it all fit. Granted it was a bit snug but I had a few crazy items in there and I didn't have time to organize and pack properly. The morning rush hour was good, I never felt that my PowerBook was in harms way. Whew...good bag! The shoulder pad thing is removable and I left it on since I wanted to see if it does really make a difference, it was nice and comfy. Oh and if any one cares you can completely remove the shoulder strap and carry the bag by the handle...I doubt I'd do that tho just becuz that's not quite the way I like carrying bags.

I was quite impressed...the bag itself was smaller than the average (student-use-wise) messenger bag that normally stuffed with textbooks and papers.

I suppose if I am super paranoid I'd get a MacCase sleeve for extra cushioning plus it would probably be one of the few sleeves that could fit in the laptop slot judging from the looks of it, but I think for the way I use my laptop this bag is just right. Crumpler kicks butt! I hope they make more designs...I really like their style and the logo is cute too....totally worth it!

 

[machan]

CRUMPLER RULES!

I've got McBain's Lovechild keeping my 12" PB nice and safe all the time and it's been amazing. Plus, people always tell me how cool it looks!

 

[alia]

I just ordered my Crippy Duck yesterday! Bagsforme.com was the only place I could find online that would send it two-day shipping. I'm going out of town on Friday and need to take my powerbook.

I wasn't even expecting to have the powerbook, but I got such a great deal on it, that I went ahead and purchased it at the Apple store instead of ordering it online.

The bag should be here tomorrow, so I'll post what I think. I'm a little nervous about it fitting the 15" powerbook. That machine is really long.

I'll probably be ordering something from Timbuk2 for when I need to carry the powerbook around my college campus with books, etc.

Alia

 

[mattroberts]

for any Cdn users (like me) you can get crumplers duty free from here

http://www.storeos.com/crumpler/

cheers

 

[BagsForMe.com]

Hi everybody. Sure is nice to see my modest little company get a cool mention here. Thanks guys! I just wanted to let everyone know that we've been working on our Crumpler selection and we've added lots of new styles. We love those bags too, so we were real excited to get all their new stuff on the site. We should finish adding our images within the next few days, but if anyone wants something you can't find on the site, give us a call and we'll order it for you (888-420-2247). Better yet, if you give us a call and mention you read this on MacRumors.com, we'll ship your bag for free!

Best Regards,

 

[acarboni]

Wow! These are fantastic. It's so hard to find a laptop bag that isn't the giant, generic, briefcase-looking carry-all that everyone wants to sell you. I'm eyeing a Crippy Duck for myself now. Looks like many nifty patches will fit on it (customization is EVERYTHING).

Another great site for the women-folk who are looking for a great bag is http://www.caseclosedbags.com . Really, really fantastic stuff. My girlfriend might be getting a Steve from me for Christmas. They're a bit pricey, though, so prepared before you click.

 

[vollspacken]

hmm, nice bags, but I like the Timbuk2 ones better (finally got myself down to the outdoor store downtown to order one... still hasn't arrived though.

vSpacken

 

[FunkyGuitarGirl]

I have a Crumpler Wack-o-Phone which is a GREAT bag...I loved the crumpler so much that I had intended to invest in a Sheep Scarer backpack...Alas, I tried to order online from crumplernyc.com and there was a fluke with their system..besides with they were all out and had some on order...long and short, I decided that I really need to hold my ducats to get an incase tour bag...which...will come with a nifty little laptop backpack for my 12 inch PB.

They SEEM like great bags...for your git or your 'puter...check 'em out at http://www.goincase.com

 

[cmx08]

spaceygirl, some pix plz

do u think that we could have some really life picture of ur stuff in the wee bee? it will be nice

 

[wwidgirl]

ebay

check out ebay for some deals on these awesome bags.
I ordered mine from Crumpler CANADA - thanks to the person who posted the link previously. Wee-bee navy coloured. Came to $138 including tax and shipping.

 

[hob]

1. Anywhere to buy it in the UK?
2. I'm so non-fashion conscious, do any of these bags suit men? I'd really like one, but i'd be super embarassed if i ended up with a girlie one!! I can smell the c00ties already

Hob

 

[Applespider]

They're pretty much unisex tho fairly casual.

I saw them in Selfridges last week tho their prices are extortionate. They also only had a limited range. iBook owners are fine. If you want somethig neat for a 15"PB then you might struggle!

I mailed the Crumpler website in the US who said they'd be happy to ship over to the UK. Then I decided that my sleeve in a backpack would be fine for being casual. And am getting one from acmemade.com for when i want a smarter one.

 

[Jennifer]

We've covered bags . . . what's the verdict on sleeves?

There's a world of computer sleeves out there.

Can anyone recommend a cool sleeve? How about one that is NOT top loading (one that opens up all around to mimic the way the laptop opens)? I'm thinking this might provide better access and more protection for quick use away from home.

Still haven't taken my 12" PB out yet. Need good (but cool) protection.

Would appreciate your feedback,
Jennifer