Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

kw61820

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 28, 2004
2
0
Hi all,

Guess it’s time I contribute something to this forum, since I have obtained SO MUCH useful information from the helpful members here! Thank you guys (and girls)! Sorry I don’t have a digicam at present so can’t show you the pics (but you can see images from radtech.us or standardtm.com.au/index.cfm).

Ok, courtesy aside :), here is my review of the STM Small Drift Bag. (Disclaimer: I am NOT related to Radtech or STM or anyone there in anyway other than buying stuff from them. The only goal of this post – my first one nonetheless – is to share the experience).

Score: 10/10 (10 being the highest)

Verdict: light, well-padded and roomy, extremely well-designed, stylish

Purchased from: Radtech.us

How I knew about this product: from the recommendation from this forum, and a few others

Why I write it: I am too happy with it, and I found little information regarding this product (seems Crumpler and Timbuk2 are the most popular…)

Things I love about this bag:

• Amazingly comfortable! I had a Timberland Henniker before and can safely carry my 12’’ iBook too. However, when I lugged the iBook and a few other items around with it I felt like my shoulder was about to snap anytime because the bag became so darn heavy!! However, after Small Drift arrived and I transferred the entire content to this new baby, I could not believe how light the bag felt on my shoulder!

• Well designed. There is plenty of room with well-placed pouches. The attention to details is impressive, from zippers to buckles. Every part of it is looks sturdy (since it’s new I can’t vouch for its long-term quality although I have confidence :)

• Well padded. There is padding everywhere (even on the bottom) and the included sleeve provides extra protection (BTW, the sleeve might look thick but it is light as feather). I am again amazed at how light the bag feels with so much padding, but it is true!

• There is a zipper for the main compartment. I have never liked the “open” messenger bag which is oh-so popular these days since I am always worried that stuff will slip out (let alone letting the rain in!)

• The design is cool. The pictures on the Web sites don’t do it justice. Actually I hesitated a long time (on and off two days) before placing the order since from the picture the bag looks bulky and dorky :) Well, I was wrong. The bag is definitely not “petite”, but it doesn’t look bulky at all. Heck, it is even a bit smaller (15x11x5’’) than the Timberland (15x11x6’’)! I love charcoal, but the grayish-white color in the pics is wrong. The actual color is more metallic/silver gray, which I love (cool and not easy to get dirty). I was worried that the bag won’t look professional enough (since I am no longer a student :-<) to go with my “professional” attire, but when I sling it over my shoulder, it looks both stylish and professional. Actually it goes with almost any style (ok, probably not with night-club attire or floral dress, but that’s just me :)

Things I don’t care too much about (but am not bothered at all):

• Some people say the bag does not “scream mug me, laptop inside!!!” Well it does “whisper” a little :) On the shoulder pad there is the logo, which is a laptop sliding into a bag. Anyone who pays attention will realize it’s a laptop bag. But hey, it’s their logo so there is nothing I can do!

• The price: $74.95 (not including shipping) in US is kinda expensive (although Timbuk2 Commute is even more expensive!). But again with such a user-friendly and laptop friendly bag I think it’s only fair. I was prepared to return the item but now I wish I had bought it earlier :) This is probably the best purchase (ok, second to my purchase of the new iBook on the day of its release) I have made in recent years :)

Thanks for reading, and hopefully you can find an ideal bag like I did (not necessarily Small Drift although I can’t recommend it highly enough :)
 

zarxic

macrumors newbie
Nov 23, 2004
1
0
I've been really contimplating this bag, but I have a couple of questions I hope you can answer for me. On some descriptions I've seen, it says this:

"Padded pockets for protection of music player, camera, pda and mobile"

How many pockets are there? How big are they? If you have any pics now, that would be great. I'm looking to carry my Dell 12" 300m and adapter, my iRiver mp3 player, a smaller sized PDA, and some loose junk (pen drive, a cable or two, etc). I have a strap holster for my phone, so I'm good there.

I'm just trying to get a feel for the size of bag I need. I have a medium sized Timbuk2 bag, but it's a little too big. When I put that stuff in there, the weight tends to shift to odd places, so I'm looking for a bag that has a place for everything. I was thinking about the smaller sized Timbuk2, or even the Commute, but I'm not sure. I've seen some Crumpler bags I like, but they just seem to be one big pocket, I like the idea of this STM having an actual pocket for everything.

Thank you so much (in advance) for your response.
 

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,837
850
Location Location Location
I've actually been thinking about getting a bag for my 12" PB, and may now consider getting an STM Alley now that you gave STM a good review. Hard to get an impression of quality based on pictures. Too bad you can't see the internal compartment of the bag to get an estimate of how many papers/folders it can hold.

Thanks for the review. Reviews from members are always welcome. :)
 

brap

macrumors 68000
May 10, 2004
1,705
2
Nottingham
The STM stand at MacExpo was cool. So many lovely lovely things! I'd never even seen any STM bags before. Couldn't justify the price at the time, though.

I just know I'll end up buying one, prolly the Small Drift you have, but I already have 3 laptop bags... sigh.
 

kw61820

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 28, 2004
2
0
ok, better late than never...

I haven't logged in since posting my last post and apparently I don't have email alert set up for the thread ... Sorry guys, didn't know you asked questions... Anyway, JUST IN CASE anyone is still interested... :( Here are a few pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10751238@N00/
 

Bern

macrumors 68000
Nov 10, 2004
1,854
1
Australia
Thanks to this review I went and bought one this morning.

It really is an awesome bag and fits my criteria perfectly. Here in Australia it retails for $85.

Thanks.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.