Ristretto - Very first impressions

[Darcy]

Can anybody state to how the 12" PowerBook G4 fits in the Ristretto?

The 12" Powerbook fits great inside of the Ristretto. Tom has a MacBook now but sometimes carries his old 12" Powerbook in the Ristretto.

[HMI]

My impressions of TB and the Ristretto

Hi everyone

Just thought that I would add my 2 cents (and name) to the already long list of happy customer reports here.

Earlier this year I made my very first TB order. Among other things I included a size 4x Vertical Soft Cell for my MBP and then of course the Ristretto for my MBA.

When I first received my order I was wonderfully surprised to see, that the guys at TB had added a little treat for me as part of my order. This to me clearly shows what motivates the people at TB and I can at this point not offer anything but the highest praises for TB .. You go Girl! .. *ehm* .. people.

My impressions of the items so far are as follows:

Soft Cell
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As stated in another post I find the Soft Cell to be a bit on the wee size length wise but I assume that it will give slightly over time to offer an even better fit for my MBP. In either case the Soft Cell is wonderfully made and it offers ample protection for my MBP.

Ristretto
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An absolutely wonderful bag. At first I was a bit surprised that the padded part was not thicker at the bottom but unless you really drop the bag then I find the padding to be adequate. For daily commuting and as a carry-on bag for traveling the bag is wonderful. It fits everything that you really need and then some. I would have liked to have the small inside compartments placed a bit higher in the bag though. Currently I find it a bit reachy when I want to get my iPod out for instance. Especially when the MBA is in place and adding to this some magz and papers.

Btw. my DELL420d fits nicely in the bag also as long as I don't have the extended battery plugged in. In that case the fit is "overly snug".

Keyboard covers
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Wonderful covers that are handy for dusting the screen .. and wonderfully color coordinated with my Olive/Cayenne Ristretto :-)

Pouches
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I also ordered a few pouches. The padded one especially for the MBA superdrive and in addition a few clear ones also. They are all wonderfully made and they are very handy for storing different nitpicking.

Overall
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I am very, very happy with the items I ordered and the way everything has been handled by the TB people .. TB people I hail you !!!!!

/Jan "A Dane"

[Russell]

Can anybody state to how the 12" PowerBook G4 fits in the Ristretto?
I'm tempted by the MacBook Air, but I'm still holding onto my 12" for the time being...

I'm wanting to hold my 12" PB and my Levenger Jr. Circa Planner and some smaller items as well...

[moriond]

Ristretto/Western Flyer Combo?

Hi Darcy,

I posted this in another thread, as an Addendum to answers to more general questions about the Ristretto, but I think it's worth posting as a separate suggestion. (I don't have a Ristretto, or I would have already checked out the size fit with the Western Flyer.)

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

In place of a Cafe Bag in travis' suggestion, consider using the Ristretto. And for those carrying a laptop, there might be an easy way to secure the Ristretto in the Western Flyer so as to remove the laptop for airport security checks.

[Darcy]

I just received my Ristretto. It's my fourth TB bag, and quite possibly the best yet.

I have a Lenovo X61 with the 8 cell extended battery attached. It still fits into the Ristretto. GottaBeMobile called it a "bit too snug", but for me it seems fine.

Thanks for letting us know about your X61 fitting in the Ristretto! That's very useful -- we'll update our fit list.

[Krow]

I just received my Ristretto. It's my fourth TB bag, and quite possibly the best yet.

I have a Lenovo X61 with the 8 cell extended battery attached. It still fits into the Ristretto. GottaBeMobile called it a "bit too snug", but for me it seems fine.

Thank you for your help.

I'm not sure if anyone has posted this video before, which I found very useful in giving an overview of the bag's interior. For example, I didn't know that there was an additional laptop compartment within the main compartment. I'd thought that the entire main compartment was meant to fit the laptop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48eA1SPx3Ac

[Just]

The Ristretto actually works perfectly with my 1L SIGG bottle. I keep it in the non-padded part of the bag (obviously), but the padded compartment (the whole bag, really) pushes against it just enough so it doesn't move or tilt at all, which to me is annoying when I use a Medium Cafe bag. The umbrella I'm assuming will be one of those small folding umbrellas - it should fit with no problems.

Add the thin jacket.. you might be able to fold this and fit it in the padded compartment. It does depend on how thin your thin jacket/sweater is!

This is all without a laptop, of course.

[rabergnc]

It would depend on the size of the bottle and umbrella. I suspect it would be tight, especially with the bottle. Someone else may have a better sense of how this would work?

thanks! what about a sweater and a sigg bottle and/or umbrella (but with no laptop)? would that be a squeeze?

[rabergnc]

A thin jacket or sweater would fit in the bag. With a laptop on board it would be a tight fit. Without a laptop, it should be no problem. There would be some, but not too much room for a lot of other things, however. (This is based on my using the bag with a MacBook. With a MacBook Air - there would likely be more space - I just saw a MacBook Air in person last week and it is amazingly thin but feels incredibly sturdy.

hi rabergnc, would a thin sweater/jacket fit in the ristretto, if it's not carrying a laptop? i'm also deciding between this and the large cafe bag as an everyday or carry-on bag.

[rabergnc]

Final comments

A couple of weeks with the Ristretto now and it still is my favorite bag for day-to-day use. It holds everything I need easily with room for more. I tried using the Absolute strap with it and actually like the strap it comes with better - it seems to distribute the weight more evenly for me. (Also it allows me to use the Absolute strap on another bag.) I did get caught in a very heavy rain with the bag, and while I was soaked, things in the bag were fine. Stuff has fallen on it in the nursing care facilities I go to and the bag has readily wiped/blotted clean every time - it also has held up well to some disinfectant liquids I wiped on the flap (don't ask).

I took the bag on a short trip to Florida for a meeting as my main gear bag. Sadly, this is not the ideal bag for that task - a bit too small to carry everything I generally need. Another inch and it would have worked, however. The bag fell a couple of feet a time or two, my computer and the other electronics in the bag came through unscathed.

This bag has taken everything I have been able to throw at it in a few short weeks and it has survived easily. As I noted in the first comment, it is well constructed and seems like it will last a good long time, even with me using it. I have gotten nothing but positive feedback form others as where they can get the bag - hope that translates to sales for TB and co. If you're looking for a small to medium sized bag for daily use, that will protect your things, this could be the one for a lot of people - it has become the one for me. I even removed the paper tags!

[rhyx]

Does anyone have a picture of themselves with this bag on? I was wanting to see how big the bag is when someone is carrying it.

I'm also much more a fan of the clip on spots (o-rings?) for the strap. That way I could move my Absolute strap between my Zephyr and this bag as needed. Having to "unlace" it when moving a strap between bags takes too much time.

[pretzelb]

Is anyone using the Ristretto for other than a computer bag? It seems close in appearance to the cafe bags but I like the design better.

I'm debating giving this a try. I was considering a Cafe bag just to carry non-laptop items but the vertical design of the Ristretto appears to be more comfortable. But I already have an Imago that I use to carry supplies for the dog so I'm not sure I need another bag that is nearly the same. Plus, my top priority now is a new laptop bag for work so I have my eye on the Smart Alec.