Will This Fit in Ristretto 13" MacBook Air

[Trekkie]

I like to travel light when it comes to my bag. I've been looking at the Ristretto for some time and finally wanted to get one.

My Laptop will ether be my MacBook Air 13" or my Thinkpad X201. No problem there.

However I would like to carry some other things. The Snake Charmer looks perfect for the menagerie of cables I carry, however, will that fit? I would have AC Adapter, Video Dongle for MB Air, iPhone/iPad charger & cable, and a few other USB cables.

Then I would like to fit an iPad in a Cache, a Nook 2nd Gen in a Padded Pouch in the second zippered pocket. Along with a few more smaller padded pouches for ear buds, random usb sticks, etc.

Think that would fit? Wish I lived in Seattle to see one, couple videos on you tube have been helpful to get an idea.

Thanks

[mattfusf]

I carry a similar load; the Snake Charmer might be a tight fit, though:

Back pocket - Moleskin notebook
Main pocket, inside laptop section X220
Main pocket - iPad in folio
Front pocket, zipper - Targus compact charger + cables, TB screen cleaning cloth
Front pocket - pens, wireless mouse, MiFi. Two small TB pouches with USB chargers and various retractable/mini cables (big fan of Griffin's new USB mini cable kit)

I could probably fit my Kindle either next to the iPad or instead of the moleskin notebook.

This has worked very well as my everyday gear back for a while now!

--Matt

[misterN]

I like to travel light when it comes to my bag. I've been looking at the Ristretto for some time and finally wanted to get one.

My Laptop will ether be my MacBook Air 13" or my Thinkpad X201. No problem there.

However I would like to carry some other things. The Snake Charmer looks perfect for the menagerie of cables I carry, however, will that fit? I would have AC Adapter, Video Dongle for MB Air, iPhone/iPad charger & cable, and a few other USB cables.

Then I would like to fit an iPad in a Cache, a Nook 2nd Gen in a Padded Pouch in the second zippered pocket. Along with a few more smaller padded pouches for ear buds, random usb sticks, etc.

Think that would fit? Wish I lived in Seattle to see one, couple videos on you tube have been helpful to get an idea.

Thanks

Trekkie -

I think that the Air will be a wonderful bag for you. However, I think that you might want to look at a medium organizer pouch over a snake charmer. The snake charmer seems like it might just be a bit extra bulky for your needs.

Here is the link to my review of the 13" Ristretto

I am not saying you wouldn't be able to put a Snake Charmer in the bag--just that it's not ideal. Below is a picture of me stuffing a dSLR into the iPad version of this bag



My packing list for the 13-Inch Ristretto goes as follows:
Main Compartment
-13" Macbook Air inside of the padded section, inside of a cache
-iPad,
-Kindle inside of a Kindle Padded Pouch
-A ledger (little smaller than an average A4 notebook)
-Large Moleskin Notebook
-An external HD inside of a FoT (Small) organizer pouch.
Front Compartment
Zippered Compartment
-Padded Mini Organizer Pouch w/earbuds inside
-Clear Mini Organizer Pouch w/ Iberian Ultra-suede cloth
-My Macbook 3-prong extension cable
-Phone Charger
...back to the front compartment
-1 small organizer pouch with my Air Charger inside of it
-Pens, small softcover moleskin notebook inside of the sewed in organizers
-1 small organizer pouch (occasionally) w/iPad charger, camera kit, cables.

The reason why I'm suggesting you go away from the Snake Charmer is that it might add too much bulk, making it harder to access the other things in there. If you overfill the main compartment, the stuff in the zippered and front compartment will be harder to get out.


Hopefully this helps--I don't have a Tripod to setup my digital camera to make a video--but hopefully soon.

[wennefer]

I'll second the medium organizer pouch for MBA stuff. I use one to carry an ultra-suede cleaning cloth, VGA adapter, USB Ethernet adapter, retractable Ethernet cable, and power adapter/cable. There's definitely room for more stuff in the pouch.

I keep my iPhone charger/cable and other things (camera kit, 3GJuice battery and adapter, ear phones) in a small organizer pouch. I keep both in the main compartment of my Ristretto for iPad, hooked to the two O-rings on either side. I think it make the pouches a little flatter, but spreading the stuff through the entire width of the Ristretto. Additionally, I can pull out the iPhone pouch and put it in other bags.

[Trekkie]

thanks for the feedback. I went with the pouches, we'll see what happens when they get here

[melvynadam]

I'm currently trying to decided between this Ristretto and the Buzz. I'm looking to carry an iPad 1 and a Thinkpad X200. My problem is that I'll typically fill any bag (no matter how large) with stuff I don't need to be carrying every day. So my goal is to get something as compact as possible that can still hold my basics (X200, iPad, water bottle, portable 3G router, power pack for iPad/iPhone, and a few cables). I'm assuming both the Buzz and this Ristretto can handle the task. Which is less likely to get stuffed full of "additions"? If only I could actually go somewhere to look at these before buying!

[Trekkie]

mine arrives on Monday. My plan is to carry the MacBook Air 13", iPad 2, External DVD, Nook Reader, Airport Express (little power adapter sized wifi router), and assorted headphones/cables. I'll try to take some pictures before I pack everything into it.