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Backpack for 15 inch laptops


ZaraByte

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Was curious if any of you have any recommended backpacks for housing a 15 inch laptop and other gadgets I'm not sure if the backpack hak5 sells will work or not 20cm is only like a little over 7 inches isn't it?

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Any bookbag will work. But if you want something that will last get a tactical backpack. A sporting goods store, gun shop, or tactical outfitter is probably going to have what you are looking for. One of the oversized hydration packs will probably have enough space. You can take the water bladder if it concerns you. I usually carry a three day pack which is overkill because you can fill it up with so much stuff that it's too heavy to carry. But it has room for a lot of gear.

Edited by vailixi
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All depends how much you want to spend. Myself and Patrick both use Gorucks. These are expensive, but they last, and can carry a hell of a lot. I use a GR2 myself, as it fits all the work stuff I need for an average day in schools providing IT support etc, and it's comfortable.

For a 15inch laptop, GR0 should suffice.

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What do you guys think about this back pack http://www.ebay.com/itm/361107655031 Tactical backpack I knew had to be the way to kinda go due to the build and amount of storage I like the bag hak5 offers but 20cm wouldn't house a 15.6 inch laptop.

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Any of you have that backpack hak5 sells any of you able to fit a 15.6 inch laptop in it?

Has a lot of pockets just that 20cm must be a tight fit for a 11 inch mac book.

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What do you guys think about this back pack http://www.ebay.com/itm/361107655031 Tactical backpack I knew had to be the way to kinda go due to the build and amount of storage I like the bag hak5 offers but 20cm wouldn't house a 15.6 inch laptop.

To be honest the only thing that's actually tactical about that bag is the guy pictured on the leaflet. Look at the shoulder straps and how they're connected to the bag. That's going to tear the second you put something sufficiently heavy in it. Put another way, the bag seems designed to contain a volume the weight of which can't be supported by the carrying straps.

If you want to go cheap (and yes, anything under $100 for a decent bag of this size is dirt-cheap) go to an army surplus store. You'll find that the best gear is the actual army stuff. These shops of course will happily sell you high-end kit made new by various real tactical companies which will have a price tag that can bring tears to your eyes. The only actual cheap items are the real army surplus bits so expect to get something with a camo print.

Check out Patrolling With Sean Kennedy S01E08 and S01E09. Remember, being nuts doesn't equal being wrong. Also, check out the 6:30 mark on that second episode - try doing that with your $30 dinky toy bag.

As much as I like that bag, I hate the MOAB configuration. The single strap just isn't for me. I do like that it's large-ish but not very deep so you don't end up carrying around a ton of loose bag and air.

In my experience, when there's room in your bag you're going to find something to fill it with, even though it's not really something you needed to bring/have on you each time you take the bag out. So my advice would be to lay out on a table or something the things you think you'd like to bring with you. Weigh all that stuff, then find a way to train carrying that weight around for a while. You'll quickly find if that weight is going to work for you, or if you should maybe cut or replace with a lighter item something from the bag. Since you've weighed everything you'll also be able to make intelligent decisions on weight vs usability. I've now got a Chromebook that's 1.1kg which can do certain things and an Acer Aspire One that's 1.5kg which can do many similar and a few other things. Is the half a kilo worth the difference? Depends on the situation of course, but at least I know why I took which.

Look at that stuff you now have laid out on the table. Try stacking it in a few ways to see what the minimum dimension of your bag needs to be. Your laptop will likely be a defining part for the back dimension. How deep it needs to be depends on the other kit. Having a bag that's too deep and that doesn't compress (the straps on the side of that MOAB bag Barry uses) will result in you throwing your kit about in your bag as you move. It means uncomfortable, noisy movement, additional stress on your kit and even potential breakage. If the bag has compartments for stuff, great, but have a few small bags or containers for stuff. Your lock picks are a good example here. If you bag only has webbed pouches inside those picks would get stuck and then bend or even fall out.

Having a MOLLE system on your bag is nice, but if you don't have any actual MOLLE pouches to attach to it it's just for looks or potential future upgrades. Which is fine of course, as long as it's a conscious decision.

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As much as I like that bag, I hate the MOAB configuration. The single strap just isn't for me. I do like that it's large-ish but not very deep so you don't end up carrying around a ton of loose bag and air.

In my experience, when there's room in your bag you're going to find something to fill it with, even though it's not really something you needed to bring/have on you each time you take the bag out. So my advice would be to lay out on a table or something the things you think you'd like to bring with you. Weigh all that stuff, then find a way to train carrying that weight around for a while. You'll quickly find if that weight is going to work for you, or if you should maybe cut or replace with a lighter item something from the bag. Since you've weighed everything you'll also be able to make intelligent decisions on weight vs usability. I've now got a Chromebook that's 1.1kg which can do certain things and an Acer Aspire One that's 1.5kg which can do many similar and a few other things. Is the half a kilo worth the difference? Depends on the situation of course, but at least I know why I took which.

Look at that stuff you now have laid out on the table. Try stacking it in a few ways to see what the minimum dimension of your bag needs to be. Your laptop will likely be a defining part for the back dimension. How deep it needs to be depends on the other kit. Having a bag that's too deep and that doesn't compress (the straps on the side of that MOAB bag Barry uses) will result in you throwing your kit about in your bag as you move. It means uncomfortable, noisy movement, additional stress on your kit and even potential breakage. If the bag has compartments for stuff, great, but have a few small bags or containers for stuff. Your lock picks are a good example here. If you bag only has webbed pouches inside those picks would get stuck and then bend or even fall out.

Having a MOLLE system on your bag is nice, but if you don't have any actual MOLLE pouches to attach to it it's just for looks or potential future upgrades. Which is fine of course, as long as it's a conscious decision.

Yea, I'm looking at getting a pack with two straps. The bag that's one size larger has two, it's probably my next one. For my day to day carry, the current one is fine, but for days like conventions where I'm actually wearing it all day, it starts to get uncomfortable. Being prior service means I have plenty of molly/alice pouches, so that's not a problem.

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That will work. It's Not going to last as long a 5.11 bag or some of the other bags mentioned. And it won't give you the peace of mind that quality gear will.

I typically carry about $800-1200 worth of gear. A laptop and some other gadgets. That's not really a lot of money. But it's a lot of money to me because I'm broke I would be hard pressed to repair or replace anything that might get damaged from a hard drop. I'm confident in my pack. The straps or other components won't fail under everyday conditions. In other words if the gear is mission essential then do everything possible to prevent it from being damaged. Just something to keep in mind. I'm sure the book bag will work just fine. Until it doesn't.

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