my 2 cents on a suggestion for the Ristretto

[bchaplin]

I've received the Imago and like it a lot! Thanks again for the suggestion.
It is quite nice-looking; better than what I thought from the web site. And, as has been mentioned in a previous thread, probably one of the superior bags for surviving the Zombie Apocalypse, which is always a concern of mine.

[bchaplin]

Same. The plum or cocoa that might have been my first choices were back-ordered, so I got that one on your recommendation.

[Shiva]

Hey Beth: cool! I have the steel with cork. what did you get? I think you are not going to be disappointed! It is my favorite every day bag.

[bchaplin]

Thanks so much for the advice, Shiva,
I have bought the Imago and a few other accessories and am eagerly waiting for them to arrive now.
Beth

[Shiva]

Hey there:

Yes: I have carried a laptop in it and even in a downpour while a lot got wet, it kept the insides dry. I am quite careful--make sure that the top is buckled up tight. But water does not get in from the sides at all. I do not carry it on my back, just on my shoulder.
2. Oh yes: it will hold your Laptop + moleskin + kindle very easily. The main compartment has two sewn in pockets--and one of them will hold your kindle. Iphone fits easily in the outside suede lined pocket.

The Imago is far more capacious than it appears. I think Maverick made a video; can't be sure! I wish I could make videos like him, but in its absence, here is a description:

1. Main compartment: I have carried at various times, MacBook Pro 13 + a file folder 1inch thick + a small cube with workout clothes. And there is space left in the pockets for me to clip small and mini organizer pouches.
2. Outside pockets are very spacious --there is one deep zippered pouch outside which can easily hold 2 or 3 small organizer pouches. There is also an open pocket where I clip my keys etc.,
3. There are two side pockets which can hold the Iphone, and/or similar phones; and IPOD etc.,
4. The back slash pocket is handy for last minute stuff.
In general, the bag has a lot of give. So I have been able to stuff all kinds of things into it!

hope this helps.
I just have the Cache for the MacBook Pro and that fits fine into the Imago.

shiva

[bchaplin]

I use a lightly padded sleeve from Muji:

I'm good about putting things down carefully, so this level of protection has worked so far. It's an upgrade from a plastic grocery bag.

That's a nice sleeve. Probably a little safer for your Macbook than a plastic bag

[bchaplin]

Thanks, Shiva!
Since the Imago does not appear to have a zipper on the top, do you happen to know if it is reasonably rainproof, while carrying a laptop in a sleeve inside?
And if you don't mind answering a second question: with a laptop, could I comfortably fit a Moleskine, iPhone and Kindle as well in the Imago?
Gotta have my toys.
Beth

[Shiva]

The Imago will work for this. I have a MacBook Pro 13inch (the newer one), and it fits there with the sleeve. The old white macbooks fit in the Imago too. It will also carry other things efficiently; and I think it is a very neat, sleek looking bag--and particularly sharp in Steel/Cork. see pictures from the TB fest!

[gmanedit]

Hi, moriond, bchaplin.

I use a lightly padded sleeve from Muji:



I'm good about putting things down carefully, so this level of protection has worked so far. It's an upgrade from a plastic grocery bag.

[bchaplin]

gmanedit - Seconding the question - Can your MacBook fit in the large cafe bag with a sleeve? The dimensions of the 13inch MBP are 12.8in x 8.9in x 1in. The sort of sleeve I use adds about 1/2 inch in every direction (maybe slightly less, it's hard to measure). The cafe bag dimensions are 13 x 12 x 3, so I assume it's the height dimension that can be tricky?

moriond - Thank you for the suggestion. I'm sure the synapse is amazing, but I'm not really into backpacks. I am too clumsy to wear them without bumping into people on the train, and prefer the security and accessibility of a shoulder bag or purse.

[moriond]

Is a MacBook Pro bigger than a MacBook? My thirteen-inch MacBook fits fine in the Large Cafe Bag. That's why I bought the large in the first place.

Are you using a sleeve or a cache with your MacBook? It's possible to fit the MacBook into a Large Cafe Bag, but Katy's right that the fit is much tighter, assuming you're using some kind of protection around the MacBook. The Ristretto has a longer and slimmer shape that's better suited to carrying these laptops. It is possible to slip your laptop (in a sleeve) into the Ristretto in front of the padded pocket, but that kind of takes away the purpose of having the padding there.

I know this is a different bag style (backpack, not messenger), but bchaplin, have you considered the Synapse? I have both the Ristretto and the Synapse, and the Synapse gets more use as an everyday bag. It's amazingly well designed, and I love the organization of the pockets and separate compartments. It works extremely well for both light carries (e.g. just the laptop, and a few items), or more substantial loads. Almost everyone's reaction is that it's really small, but then they're amazed at how much you can fit in it if you need to.

Incidentally, the site's Laptop Bag Fit Guide link on pages such as the main one for Laptop Bags should probably get updated, since bags like the Synapse don't appear at all in the listing, there's no mention of any bags released later than the Checkpoint Flyer and Western Flyer -- no Tri-Star, for example -- and if people start looking for extended definitions of laptops (such as netbooks or the iPad), they won't find any of the new options like the Co-Pilot, the Ristretto for iPad or, another combination that I'm using: the (iPad-sized) Cache inside the Little Swift.

moriond

[gmanedit]

Is a MacBook Pro bigger than a MacBook? My thirteen-inch MacBook fits fine in the Large Cafe Bag. That's why I bought the large in the first place.

[rabergnc]

Sadly, no. The Cafe bag isn't tall enough to fit the 13in MB. (Even the large.) It's shorter than the Ristretto.

Live and learn!! Thanks for the information. In that case - a Ristretto with a removable sleeve is an intriguing idea!

[Katy]

Sadly, no. The Cafe bag isn't tall enough to fit the 13in MB. (Even the large.) It's shorter than the Ristretto.

I second this. I tried the Large Cafe Bag with my 13" White MacBook and found it to be too tight for my taste. I wouldn't recommend it.

The Padded portion in the Ristretto does have a little give, perhaps one of those snap on Speck hard shell cases would provide some protection when going through security?

[bchaplin]

Seems to me like a Ristretto with a removable sleeve would be a cafe bag.....??

Sadly, no. The Cafe bag isn't tall enough to fit the 13in MB. (Even the large.) It's shorter than the Ristretto.