2 laptops. Airports weekly. Which bag?

[hotsauce]

So I travel quite extensively. In and out of airports every week. I carry two laptops, a Lenovo (IBM) T61 and a Lenovo (IBM) X200 tablet. Both have extended batteries.

I have a Zephyr now and place the T61 in a brain cell. The X200 goes in the front pocket sans cell and makes the bag quite tight. There is not really much room left for the charger and stuff in the front pocket.

I am considering selling the Zephyr and going with one of these breifcases (don't want a backpack):

Checkpoint flyer
Super Ego
Empire Builder

I am honestly not sure which to pick. The Checkpoint is the smallest, followed by the Empire Builder and the Super Ego is cavernous.

I would ideally like to have two brain cells, but as I understand none of the three choices (except for the Brain Bag, which isn't a choice) has clips for two brain cells.

I am leaning towards the Empire Builder (most professional looking) but fear it will be basically the same as my Zephyr with a tiny bit more room. The Empire Builder is gigantic, but I graduated college 10 yrs ago and prefer to look professional at work.

Lastly, the checkpoint flyer is intriguing, but seems tiny. Would a second laptop, documents, charger, etc., fit well in this bag?

Thanks in advance as I'm ready to buy now.

[Dean_TO]

I am pretty much in the same boat as you. I need to take two laptops with me when I travel for business. I currently have the empire builder, and I love this bag for my daily commute to the office, but I needed something a little bigger for when I travel. I just ordered the Tri-Star. It will allow me to keep my 13" MacBook Pro in the middle compartment with a brain cell, and then my Dell notebook in a second brain cell in either the front or back compartments. The second brain cell won't clip in like the one in the middle compartment but it is better then nothing, and I will still have one compartment for some clothes and toiletries that I like to carry in case my check luggage goes missing.

The three front zipper pockets is where I will keep my power supplies and other gadgets, and the big curved front zipper is where my travel docs will go. Once I get the bag and get to travel with it, I will post a review.

I am hoping on trips where I will only need to carry the one laptop, this bag will be able to hold enough clothes that I won't need to check any luggage at all.

Dean

[maverick]

So I travel quite extensively. In and out of airports every week. I carry two laptops, a Lenovo (IBM) T61 and a Lenovo (IBM) X200 tablet. Both have extended batteries.

I have a Zephyr now and place the T61 in a brain cell. The X200 goes in the front pocket sans cell and makes the bag quite tight. There is not really much room left for the charger and stuff in the front pocket.

I am considering selling the Zephyr and going with one of these breifcases (don't want a backpack):

Checkpoint flyer
Super Ego
Empire Builder

I am honestly not sure which to pick. The Checkpoint is the smallest, followed by the Empire Builder and the Super Ego is cavernous.

I would ideally like to have two brain cells, but as I understand none of the three choices (except for the Brain Bag, which isn't a choice) has clips for two brain cells.

I am leaning towards the Empire Builder (most professional looking) but fear it will be basically the same as my Zephyr with a tiny bit more room. The Empire Builder is gigantic, but I graduated college 10 yrs ago and prefer to look professional at work.

Lastly, the checkpoint flyer is intriguing, but seems tiny. Would a second laptop, documents, charger, etc., fit well in this bag?

Thanks in advance as I'm ready to buy now.

hi hotsauce,

welcome to the forum!

the empire builder is 0.7" thicker than the zephyr. while i haven't handled the zephyr myself, i think that the empire builder will hold what you're describing quite comfortably with the help of the added thickness.

have a look at this video demonstrating how you can carry two laptops in horizontal brain cells inside of the empire builder.

let us know if you have additional questions.

[hotsauce]

hi hotsauce,

welcome to the forum!

the empire builder is 0.7" thicker than the zephyr. while i haven't handled the zephyr myself, i think that the empire builder will hold what you're describing quite comfortably with the help of the added thickness.

have a look at this video demonstrating how you can carry two laptops in horizontal brain cells inside of the empire builder.

let us know if you have additional questions.

WOW, thanks for making that video. I feel so special!

It will probably be the Empire Builder, although the Tri-Star is an interesting option.

Thanks again. Awesome contribution. Wish every company went to such lengths to answer customer questions.

[backpack]

Another winning video from Maverick!

Thanks for giving us a unique "in sight" on the Empire Builder.

[maverick]

WOW, thanks for making that video. I feel so special!

It will probably be the Empire Builder, although the Tri-Star is an interesting option.

Thanks again. Awesome contribution. Wish every company went to such lengths to answer customer questions.

hi hotsauce,

i'm glad to help!

the fact that tom, darcy, katy and others at tom bihn do regularly respond to customer questions on the forums is truly amazing! what is even more amazing to see is that their dedication to uniquely functional and beautiful designs, uncompromising craftsmanship and unparalleled customer service inspires so many of their customers to post responses to questions, pictures and videos on this forum!

you know you're doing something right when people love what products and service you provide so much, when they are so enthusiastic about what you provide that they take time out of their day to take pictures, make videos and share their ideas on this forum!

the tri-star is indeed an amazing bag. it's larger than the empire builder. you could carry what you described in the tri-star and still have room for a change of clothes. the tri-star can also be worn as a backpack if you prefer.

the tri-star is design to be a travel bag, while the empire builder is designed to be a briefcase. but you can use it to suit your needs as you see fit.

let us know if you have other questions.

[AVService]

I have both an Empire Builder and Super Ego and I am out of town right now with 2 computers in each.

I have a Toughbook CF-30 and a CF-18 in the Super Ego,neither one inside anything else as they are both armored.
I can still get a Snake Charmer in the end next to the smaller CF-18 too.
One thing not obvious from just measuring is that I place the computers in the Super Ego on their sides not the rears,that is just how tall the S.E. is! This leaves considerable room next to even a huge machine like the CF-30.
Even with that there is still room on top for a light jacket .

In the Empire Builder I have a 13" Macbook Pro in a Waterfield Sleeve,Samsung N140 netbook in a flimsy neoprene case provided with it and a Canon IP90V printer in a Waterfield Sleeve.

I left all Brain Cells at home as they just take up too much room for this trip..

The S.E is much bigger and holds a lot more in the remaining pockets but does look a little more playful I guess.

Both are great bags and I would say you can not go wrong either way.
I am constantly amazed with how much they hold.

Ed

[hotsauce]

I ended up getting an Empire Builder and Tri-Star (for clothes and the 2nd lappy if necessary).

Thanks again for the help.

Eric

[BJ Nemeth]

If I were in your shoes, I think I would have gone for the Tri-Star. I also like the Empire Builder, so I think you have a win-win.

Let us know how these have worked out for you after your first trip or two. The experience is always helpful for others who may find themselves in a similar circumstance.