Buzz Marketing with Blogs: Laptop Bag Search

Laptop Bag Search

Mobile Edge's Chocolate Tote So I bought a new Dell laptop recently—must blog while traveling—and now am searching for a suitable laptop bag. Imagine my happy surprise in finding that laptop bag manufacturers have picked up on the fact that women might like to carry something more attractive than the usual black vinyl velcro monsters. Side note: I don’t see why women are the only ones who might appreciate an attractive laptop bag. Surely there are men who’d like something besides black?

At any rate, there are now bags in all kinds of colors and shapes, some unbearably feminine and some unbearably expensive. My favorite is Mobile Edge’s Chocolate Suede Tote, pricy at $169, but oh so luscious.

Here are a few ladies’ bag manufacturers to check out:

My big complaint, however, is that apparently we women are supposed to carry the itty-bitty laptops. Almost none of the bags I found will actually fit a 17” laptop. My feminist side wants to jump to the conclusion that the laptop bag manufacturers don’t think ladies do serious computing, but to be fair I suppose there are a fair number of standard laptop bags that also don’t fit 17” laptops. The search continues.

UPDATE: I found the Mobile Edge Chocolate Suede Tote at the Fry’s Electronics store in Burbank, and brought my laptop into the store to try it. They have several sizes, but the largest will actually hold my 17”, as long as I don’t try to put it into the pouch they put into the bag for holding laptops. The bag is quite padded, however, so I’ve been able to use it with no problem, and have actually removed the padded pouch completely. The bag looks terrific and gets lots of compliments, and best of all—looks nothing like a laptop bag. One warning: fully loaded, it’s darn heavy!

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/01 at 01:10 PM • A Little Design

Comments

There are only a handful of 17” sized laptop bags anyways. So don’t feel bad.

I’ve got a 17” Mobile Edge that I love (it’s incredibly well desinged and versatile).

They do have some ladies products, though they don’t say size: http://www.mobileedge.com/products.asp?cid=6&scid=6.

Posted by Jeremy C. Wright on 04/01/05 at 03:53 PM
Oooh that’s the Dell I covet! Sorry, though I don’t have any advice…those look at Levenger.com…they’re always a good place to look.

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/01/05 at 06:58 PM
I too just bought a Dell blogging machine.
I’ll be shopping for the bag next—very timely post.

Posted by Rick Blythe on 04/01/05 at 07:05 PM
Did you check these out?

http://www.lalalaptop.com/

Posted by Robert Scoble on 04/02/05 at 11:47 PM
robert, i have checked out lalalaptop, but they are way out of my price-range! it’s nice to see they’re an option, though.

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/04/05 at 06:42 PM
Hey - check out Kolobags (http://www.kolobags.com/index.php) and Acme Made (http://www.acmemade.com/)

Posted by Kelly on 04/05/05 at 05:38 AM
Susannah, I’ve been really happy with this Swiss Army case… my 17” gateway fits it perfectly.

http://tinyurl.com/abq72

It’s cheap, too.. $40.

True, it’s mostly black, but the color gives it a little flair.

Griff

Note from Susannah: I edited this comment to change the URL to a shorter one.

Posted by Griff Wigley on 04/06/05 at 04:11 PM
Check out Pinder: http://www.pinderbags.com

They have lots of colors and carry a sleek simple design.

I LOVE PINDER

Posted by Jenny Williams on 05/13/05 at 06:48 AM
Oh, I forgot to mention that Pinder has colorful laptop cases for 17” laptops:

http://www.pinderbags.com

Posted by Jenny Williams on 05/13/05 at 06:50 AM
Check out http://www.she-tech.com/. They design laptop cases for women. I got a beautiful, stylish case from them last year.

Posted by Denise Wakeman on 05/16/05 at 11:35 AM
I shopped around a lot but found that Kolobags has the most choices. I bought my Adrienne Vittadini there… and I adore it!!! http://kolobags.com/product.php?productid=104&cat=0&page=1

Posted by Lisa Densi on 05/18/05 at 05:59 PM
So, I too like the bag you selected. And I recently purchased a new 17” laptop myself (http://tinyurl.com/68mvj). My question is, does the Adrienne Vittadini hold your laptop well? The description of the bag states that it fits most 15” laptops.

How comfortable are the straps? I carry my laptop with me everywhere I go.

Note from Susannah: I edited this comment to change the URL to a shorter one.

Posted by Kiesha Stephens on 05/31/05 at 08:30 PM
I am going nuts surfing the net for a feminine, but professional laptop bag for 17”...need help

Posted by Susana Borrero on 07/08/05 at 11:27 PM
Susana Borrero,

I also puchased the adrienne vittadini monte carlo travel tote referenced in comment 11. And I love it. It’s stylish, sturdy, and roomy. Check it out.

Posted by Kiesha Stephens on 07/09/05 at 01:14 PM
I designed a website for http://ginabinternational.com.
Gina designs beautiful laptop handbags. You can contact her through the site for more info on how to purchase these delicious bags!

Posted by Ellen Honich on 08/30/05 at 01:33 AM
I’ve found the best source. Unfortunatly for me i just bought a whopper widescreen format lap top and they don’t make the bags big enough. Check out http://www.acmemade.com They also have great I-pod covers as well.

Posted by Kathy Rohsenberger on 09/14/05 at 08:33 AM
Hi- I have a 17” laptop that I keep in it’s padded sleeve, but I put it in a great tote I found online: http://www.nealdecker.com lots of great fabrics and colrs, etc.

Posted by Karen Holmes on 09/27/05 at 01:21 PM
I found this site that has colorful sleeves. They’re only for the laptop, no room for accessories, but I got a cool lime green colored sleeve from them. http://www.rainebrooke.com

Posted by Tina on 12/14/05 at 07:44 PM
I just bought a great laptop bag that has a removable laptop case (two in one). The bag is by Alex Grant Bags and I got the Skye in gunmetal metallic leather. Handbag styling and great for traveling. http://www.agbstore.com

Posted by Kate C. on 01/12/06 at 11:45 AM
Shameless plug: you can find several bags for 17” laptops at http://www.viragobags.com - try the indestructable Z-Attache or KaraB messenger.

Posted by Sara on 02/11/06 at 03:04 PM
I recently bought a really great bag from Frances & Grace laptop bags. It’s the Ives Bag in Moss. It’s conservative enough for me but still has a splash of color. I can fit everything in there and don’t have to carry another bag now when I travel.

Posted by Kim on 03/06/06 at 12:58 PM
I like these:

http://www.zegari.com

Posted by Alicia Estrada on 05/23/06 at 02:24 PM
Urbanebags.com carries fashionable laptop bags for women from several well known designers. Most bags are in stock and can ship within 24 hours.
Brands carried:
Gina B
Talene Reilly
Frances & Grace
Liz Soto
Mixx, Inc.
Abbi New York
Andalossi
Ju-Ju-Be (Fashionable Diaper Bags)

Posted by Jennifer Ochsenbein on 09/12/06 at 07:47 AM
Another shameless plug—I offer custom, padded laptop bags in cotton fabrics.

http://www.etsy.com/view_item.php?listing_id=456968

Posted by blissful on 09/26/06 at 11:30 AM
Rushfaster in Australia has a great Laptop Bag Search which actually lets you search for laptop bags that fit your laptop model. All you have to do is choose you laptop model from the drop down and then select women’s laptop bags and it will find all the girly laptop bags that are guaranteed to fit your laptop. They also ship internationally. P.S. they have THE BEST pics on the net.

Posted by Van Katwijk on 10/25/06 at 06:24 PM
I also like Kolobags for their personal attention. They have a really wide selection of brands, styles of laptop cases (laptop briefcases, laptop laptop backpacks, laptop laptop totes, laptop sleeves, etc) as well as designer ipod cases, camera cases and other accessories.

Their selection of 17” cases can be found at:
http://www.kolobags.com/home.php?cat=14

Posted by Phillip Dale on 11/06/06 at 08:20 PM
A shameless plug but hopefully it’s helpful to you. Mobile Edge offers free padded inserts for 17” notebooks for customers who’ve bought our Ultra Totes (like Susannah’s Chocolate Suede Tote).

Posted by Lewis Lustman on 11/29/06 at 10:42 AM
lewis, that’s great! thanks for letting us all know.

susannah.

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 11/29/06 at 11:02 AM
You should definitely check out http://www.markaonline.com. They just came out
with several new styles for 17” computers. The company has been around for
3 years and I own several of their bags. They’re expensive, but the quality
is better than Coach and worth every penny, i.e. will last forever. They
also aren’t just laptop bags- I use mine for traveling or as an everyday
tote when I’m not carrying my powerbook.

Posted by Michele Rodriguez on 11/30/06 at 02:18 PM
Check out http://www.itopad.com they have laptop pads that can fit into any laptop bag. I bring mine along wherever I go. It is efficient and very ight in weight. I didn’t know what I was mising all along until I got the itopad.Check it out.
p

Posted by Preeti on 12/17/06 at 07:33 PM
I bought a couple of bags at Beachtown Bags that fit my 17” computer. I save the pricier Frances & Grace one for business meetings and when I want to be noticed. The cheaper one for everyday at the office. Check out http://www.beachtownbags.com

K

Posted by Kathy on 01/31/07 at 12:29 PM
Thanks so much for the information! I will be getting my Inspiron 1720 soon, and I desperately need something more feminine to hold it!

Posted by Sarah on 08/28/07 at 07:00 AM
Hi,

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Just a bit about the line:
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____________________________
D E S I G N C O R P O R A T I O N
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213.804.6736

Posted by nikki chu on 09/30/07 at 10:59 PM
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Posted by Lore on 10/23/07 at 03:18 AM
Another attempt to shamelessly self promote, Tucker & Bloom bags are the culmination of 25 years of bag design in the handbag and luggage industry for many of the top tier brands. Our mission is to provide organization with style, for people who need their tech products but want to make a different impression with their
bags. Give us a look at http://www.tucker-bloom.com: features / function and made in America.

Posted by David Bloom on 04/06/08 at 12:31 PM
Hello, I liked your review and the Mobile Edge bag.
Some other options to consider are the McKleinUSA ladies laptop totes. They come in 7 colors, and the Deerfield tote fits a 17 inch laptop.

Also, Jack Georges, Korchmar, and Royce Leather are quality makers of ladies laptop totes.

http://www.leathergiftitems.com/Laptop-tote-bag-19-1.html

All these can be found in our leather accessory store at: http://www.leathergiftitems.com

Posted by G. Kaplan on 06/03/08 at 09:46 AM
The bag seemed pretty sturdy to me!

Posted by josh on 07/30/08 at 09:04 AM