Australian INfront

Posted by Damien Aistrope on 26th May 2010

I have to travel quite a bit for work. I currently choose to live in the tropics in Far North Queensland (please go visit, it is an incredible place and the region seriously needs your domestic tourist dollars).

With 95% of my client base in Sydney and Melbourne, every month or so I have to jump on a plane and do a couple of days of back to back meetings to get the kind of work that I want. Not an ideal situation, but one I deal with as I love the area and my children haven't started school yet - my wife and I can have some fun with where we live. Next year is a different story...

Anyway, when I travel I normally need to lug around a ton of gear including laptops, headphones, clothes, stationary, toiletries and more. As you could imagine it weighs a ton and after a full day of running around town I end up regretting I ever took a laptop with me. I've experimented with backpacks, but let's face it, I'm turning 34 next month and when trying to land big accounts using the same backpack I take to the skate park with my boys, it doesn't really cut the mustard.

So here's the deal. As part of my first review I asked 3 different companies to lend me a laptop bag and over the course of 3 days. On a recent trip I took them on a road test and below are my findings.

To keep this all in perspective, this was my brief to the lovely people at Haul, Incase & Crumpler:

• A laptop bag one can carry around all day and your shoulder/back won't hurt like buggery.
• Fits at least a 15" laptop and all the other junk one needs when freelancing and going to meetings.
• Is stylish enough that you won't be laughed at on the bus or in the office.
• Is under $250 AUD.



Day 01. Meetings from 9am - 4pm.
Using: Haul - The Foreman Messenger Bag
Price: $179 AUD

Haul has an interesting background and philosophy. What started off as a garage project using number plates has boomed into a eco friendly corporation making products for enterprises from their billboards, using both found and recycled materials for installation art pieces, making furniture for bars and cafes and they design urban lifestyle accessories. In 2008 they won Melbourne's business of the year awards and they continue to excel.

Pro's:
• Is Australian made using recycled materials. The Foreman is actually made from the tire tubes from massive trucks.
• Very hard wearing and easy to clean.
• The aesthetic of the bag is pretty cool. I loved the tire tube typography that can be found on certain parts of the bag. Can't go wrong with black either.
• Price point is fantastic.

Con's:
• Because it is made from a tire tube I can only imagine that it isn't the easiest material to sew with. Inside the bag there are exposed seams with big stitches - my only concern with this is that I was constantly pulling and putting stuff in all day that these might get damaged a bit easier than most other bags.
• There is only one main compartment. This is a good and a bad thing really. I liked that I could just reach in and rummage to find what I needed, but I had pens and clothes in there and the potential for my gear to get wrecked was far greater.
• The strap on the bag is made from what looks to be a seat belt with no padding. By the end of the day it was cutting into me and I ended up carrying it by the handle.
• It's quite a heavy bag without anything in it.



Day 02. Meetings from 10am - 6pm
Using: Crumpler - Part and Parcel
Price: $225 AUD

Crumpler was founded in Melbourne in 1995 by David Roper and Will Miller (who had previously owned a bike messenger business), and was named after a part time employee Stuart Crumpler who designed their logo. Initially, the bags were made for bike messengers - in particular those working for Roper and Miller's bike courier company, Minuteman Messengers. The bags soon had commercial demand and the range grew to include more colours and sizes, and the company has expanded into laptop bags and camera bags. They continue to grow at a rapid rate.

Pro's:
• Really nice looking bag, good shape and a great mix of colours available.
• Minimal branding - liked that it doesn't scream 'I have Crumpler bag'.
• Heaps of storage areas (perhaps even too many - I will discuss below).
• Laptop area is fantastic. You could easily get away with having no sleeve at all. I liked that it is secured with velcro also, as it helps it stop bumping around.
• The nylon it is made from is really thick and has a lovely matte finish. Easy to clean and wouldn't show dirt that easily.
• Padding on the strap was comfortable, the shape took a little getting used to but by the end of the day I was grateful for it.

Con's:
• As I mentioned above there are heaps of compartments. I found myself checking various sections just to find my wallet. Sure, I can be forgetful at the best of times, but I would of found a more streamline approach better to my daily travels. I'm positive others would love the number of compartments available.
• The bag has a pocket on the inside of the flap. Now this is my fault, but I chucked my keys and wallet in there and forgot to zip it... jumped in a cab, ripped open the bag and it all fell out. Again, I must stress this was my fault, it did kind of suck though.
• On the padding of the main strap there is another strap to attach it to the side of the bag. What this does is lift the bag off your backside for when you are riding a bike (I assume - please correct me if I'm wrong). Whilst this is cool, it looked out of place for my usage so I took it off. My only gripe is that I had to remove it, as you can see from the last two comments I can be pretty forgetful and I really didn't want to lose it.



Day 03. Meetings from 8am - 4pm
Using: Incase - Nylon Medium Messenger Bag
Price: $150 AUD

Incase have a long history of high quality product design catering to the needs to technology users - specifically Apple users. Utilizing advanced construction techniques and innovative materials, Incase products offer a combination of intuitive functionality, elevated design, superior protection and ease of use.

Pro's:
• Colour range is fantastic, really pops and a few colours are a statement piece.
• Stylish branding and amazing attention to detail - loved the topographic line work on the lining.
• Dug the reflectors on the flap of the bag, not too garish to be taking around during the day and great if you were riding a bike at night.
• Pouch for your wallet, keys, phone on the outside of the flap was great for easy access.
• The arm strap and padding on this one was good. Long and a simple shape. Perhaps a little thin but I had no issues with it.
• Laptop area was well designed. Great padding and the lining was a soft valour. I'd have no issue sticking my laptop in here without a case.
• Easy access to the compartments inside of the bag, just one side area and then a main area. Really easy to find everything quickly.
• Cheapest of the 3.

Con's:
• It's shinny. Whilst I said the colour range was great (I had a red one) I did feel a little old for it. This is purely personal preference, I'm a black and grey kind of guy and those options are available.
• The nylon feels a little on the thin side. Not as tough as say the Crumpler bag I used. Had no issues with it though.
• Being red, I think this one has the potential to get dirty pretty quick. Colour choice would easily fix this though.


That was my 3 days, I'm now completely exhausted... all 3 bags were great and I'd gladly use any of them for different purposes. Did I win the work? Only time will tell.

Many thanks to the people at Haul, Incase and Crumpler for our first road test experiment.

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