Hi brains trust.
I'm in the market for a new bag to take into the office.
Needs to carry:
13" laptop
Full sized keyboard
Mouse
Food containers for lunch
Also needs to be:
Affordable
Not look like a body builders meal prep bag
I currently have a classic Herschel that I have been using since highschool. It's looking pretty worn out and is slightly too short and shallow for my needs, which has resulted in my lunch container tipping over and leaking one-too-many times.
Carrying around a full-sized keyboard is too much …. & also unnecessary.
Yep. I leave a MX Keys Mini at work but have the full-sized one for home
Herschel Little America has a padded separate laptop zone and plenty of room to double as both a daily backpack and can do an overnight stay worth of clothes and kit.
Porter 30?
I love everything about it but too big to be edc.. looking to slim it down to a PD everyday zip TBH
Everki are great, but certainly are not cheap.
Aljamain Sterling
LOL
I really did not know that backpacks were gender specific !
Is there a problem with you using a Women's Backpack ?
High Sierra aint fancy or particularly stylish but pretty affordable and I had one that lasted almost 20 years with daily use (including bike commutes to work in all sorts of conditions), used it for overnight travel. Lots of sections and pockets for stuff. Maybe this one https://www.luggagedirect.com.au/brands/high-sierra/high-sie…
These are the same style as a Herschel but bigger - Nike SB Icon Backpack
I've had one for years and it has served me well.
Leather messenger bag, like cowboys used to wear.
I have a Thule Aion 28L. Might be a bit big and pricey for your needs, but feels really well made. They sometimes go on sale on Catch (paid ~280ish vs RRP of 380).
Others in the Thule range look pretty decent too
I recently bought this for the price it's a good quality bag. Fits in 13" MacBook Pro and lunch box, not sure about the keyboard. I would prefer a bit bigger.
I dropped a new one of these into a donations bin just half an hour ago. Not worth the $10 or so that I bought it for, hopefully someone gets some use out of it.
Have a look at Osprey bags. Highly rated.
Peak Design are good but exxy and have some photographer orientated features.
Somewhat ironically, in addition to the $10 Dell OZB bag, I also have a $500 Peak Designs backpack which I never use anymore because it's not comfortable for heavy/long carries. Chest strap design is poorly thought out and makes the shoulder straps uncomfortable.
Great bag for plane carry-on though.
F* me, I had to look up how much those bags cost in Oz, and it's bloody eye-watering and a complete piss-take. I can't bring myself to toss this one into a donation bin, even though I haven't used it for 3 years.
I know someone who used to take this as their carry on. Will get the job done.
I've had an eastpak laptop backpack for 12+ years still in excellent condition
Set a price then if you want it to be affordable as everyone has a different version of what affordable is.
Can you leave the keyboard at work?