The Ristretto Messenger: Q&A

[sapridyne]

Hi, Darcy -- I ordered The Ristretto Messenger last week and am excited to get it! I know you've said in previous posts that it will ship late March... do you by any chance have a more specific date?

Thanks!

[Darcy]

No specific date: but the factory is working on the Ristretto as I type. And we've just added new pictures of the Ristretto to the Ristretto page. You'll see a few very cool design changes in these new pictures: new logo label/logo placement, a padded flap for the padded laptop compartment, extra curved pocket under the front flap, new style of removable waist strap, etc.

[Darcy]

The Ristretto Messenger: Q&A

Ristretto questions should be posted here!

[rabergnc]

Hi Darcy - The redesign looks wonderful. I cannot tell from the pictures, can you switch out different straps or is the strap chosen permanently attached. . I have an absolute I use for other sacks. Would I be able to swap it for the one that comes with the bag?

[rdowd]

The bag and color combos look great! FYI - the photos are marked a little funny:
"a b c d e <b>d e</b> f g h i"

[Darcy]

Thanks. Fixed.

[Darcy]

Hi Darcy - The redesign looks wonderful. I cannot tell from the pictures, can you switch out different straps or is the strap chosen permanently attached. . I have an absolute I use for other sacks. Would I be able to swap it for the one that comes with the bag?

You can use and switch between the Standard, Absolute, and Q-AM straps with the Ristretto. (The Standard Shoulder Strap, which comes with the Ristretto unless you select a the Absolute or Q-AM straps instead, is removable.)

And the Ristretto does look great: the proportions are great, the new label looks amazing, and the new pocket is way cool too. It makes me want to get a 13" MacBook instead of the 15" MBP I'm planning on getting soon!

[Darcy]

Update:

Those of you who already have pre-orders for the Ristretto will have your bags shipped by the end of March.

Those of you who place orders between now and when the bags are officially in-stock (mid-April) will have your orders shipped by mid-April.

[lefty]

Will it hold Macbook power adapter?

The description of this bag says that it has 5 pockets, of which some are iPod size and the others are pen size. Does this mean that I can't carry the power adapter of the Macbook in its own pocket?

Perhaps I can squeeze the adapter in the main pocket with the computer, but that would mean two loose pieces of hard plastic (the computer and the adapter) will be scratching and moving against each other during transport.

Thanks

[moriond]

Ristretto and MacBook

The description of this bag says that it has 5 pockets, of which some are iPod size and the others are pen size. Does this mean that I can't carry the power adapter of the Macbook in its own pocket?

Perhaps I can squeeze the adapter in the main pocket with the computer, but that would mean two loose pieces of hard plastic (the computer and the adapter) will be scratching and moving against each other during transport.

Thanks

I don't understand how there would be two loose pieces of hard plastic (the computer and the adapter) moving against each other. First of all, according to the description of the Ristretto, and shown in light gray in views b, c, d, and j there is an interior padded compartment for the MacBook computer:

... interior compartment padded at the front, back, and bottom and sized specifically for your MacBook Air or 13" MacBook.

The interior padded compartment, located in the main compartment of the Ristretto Messenger, protects your MacBook inside the bag -- it's made from .25" (8mm) open-cell foam laminated with durable 500 denier Cordura® on the outside and an interior of super-soft brushed nylon (just like our Soft Cell). The back side of the Ristretto is padded with 1/4" closed cell foam.

If you wanted to carry the power adapter in a separate padded pouch, couldn't you clip on a padded pouch to the internal O-ring? A small organizer pouch should work for you, although you could get the one designed for the MacBook Air's external superdrive if you wanted slightly more pouch space. Amended: or check out this image of a Medium size pouch with (older style) power adapter brick and cord from the Gadgeteers's Review of the Aeronaut, Packing Cubes, and Organizer Pouches for another alternative. The picture appears about two-thirds of the way down in a long article, so I've separately linked it, but you should read the description and caption in the main Review article.

Also clippable to the "o-rings" inside of the Ristretto Messenger are Padded Organizer Pouches. We've designed a size of Padded Organizer Pouch created specifically to fit the SuperDrive. The Superdrive Padded Organizer Pouches can be purchased with the Ristretto Messenger or separately. Other sizes of Padded Organizer Pouches are available, as well as Cordura, Cork, and Clear Organizer Pouches.

Addendum: The Ristretto seems nicely sized to fit into the back compartment of the Western Flyer in place of a Horizontal or Vertical Brain Cell. Has Tom given thought to this combination and how best to pack the Ristretto into the Western Flyer? As I mentioned in another post, there aren't any pictures of the back compartment on the product page of the Western Flyer or in the current review at One Bag, One World. Look instead at the rightmost image in the Rainy Day Magazine Review blog post and follow the links to the article for larger versions of this picture. I'm wondering whether the Ristretto could easily be secured under the corner flap that holds the recessed end of the plastic snap for the sling strap, or whether the thickness of the Ristretto would put undue pressure on this. (For people carrying a Horizontal Freudian Slip in the Western Flyer this is a perfect place to secure it.)

I'm thinking, in particular, of this review of the Western Flyer, where travis states the strengths are paticularly how well it is sized and shaped for airplane travel, but where on the ground he wants to revert to a smaller carrying bag:

I carry an empty Cafe Bag to use when I arrive at my destination. To me the Western Flyer’s strengths on the plane are weaknesses on the ground and it’s just too big for me to want to carry around daily when I don’t need to carry my laptop.

Just my thoughts. YMMV

[lefty]

Padded compartment

I don't understand how there would be two loose pieces of hard plastic (the computer and the adapter) moving against each other. First of all, according to the description of the Ristretto, and shown in light gray in views b, c, d, and j there is an interior padded compartment for the MacBook computer:
YMMV

I see it now. I didn't read the description carefully. It says "The interior padded compartment, located in the main compartment of the Ristretto Messenger, protects your MacBook inside the bag".

Thanks.

[Darcy]

Thanks for clarifying that, moriond!

We will take more pictures of the Ristretto (especially with a laptop and power supply inside of it) just as soon as Tom gets his new MacBook (replacing his 12" Powerbook).

[brantroz]

Darcy (et all),

I was wondering if there is any update on the alternate sized versions of this bag? Specifically, I'm referencing it along with my original product selection post of the "vertical messenger".

As reminder, I carry an HP nc6400 laptop, which is a 15" widescreen.

Thanks!

[Darcy]

No updates yet: there's a lot in the works right now!

[sapridyne]

Got my new Ristretto!

I just got this new bag yesterday. Tom Bihn is my favorite bag company… the attention to detail is amazing. I was concerned that it wouldn’t hold everything I needed, but I was wrong. It holds my MacBook Air, the power adapter, an Airport Express, my Verizon Aircard, a little bag of misc. cables and adapters, my Shure SE530 earbuds (another essential), a power extension for my power adapter, an ethernet cable, and a magazine for the subway — all with room to spare. One of the things I love about it is the number of plastic O-rings with whcih you can clip your keys and the little bags for quick access. GREAT JOB, TOM!