Will my work laptop fit in the Pilot bag?

[MattPanda]

Hi all,

My work laptop is 38x25x2.5cm which is 15x9.85x1.0 in inches for those living in the USA.

Will this fit in the Pilot bag without the cache? Otherwise, I will go for the Cadet bag but it is a tiny bit too big for some EU airlines carry on size plus it doesn't have a drink bottle pocket, a feature I really love the idea of in the Pilot.

Thanks

[moriond]

Hi all,

My work laptop is 38x25x2.5cm which is 15x9.85x1.0 in inches for those living in the USA.

Will this fit in the Pilot bag without the cache? Otherwise, I will go for the Cadet bag but it is a tiny bit too big for some EU airlines carry on size plus it doesn't have a drink bottle pocket, a feature I really love the idea of in the Pilot.

Thanks

Hi @MattPanda,

Welcome to the forums. My guess is that your laptop is a really tight fit for the Pilot. The external dimensions of the Pilot are given as 15.4" (w) x 11.4" (h) x 5.1" (d) / 390 (w) x 290 (h) x 130 (d) mm. I don't carry a laptop of that size, but I recall checking a Lenovo W520 laptop 14.68in x 9.65in x 1.26in -> 1.41in / 372.8mm x 245.1mm x 31.8 -> 35.6mm for someone else, and deciding that laptop was really too long to fit into the Pilot. Of course, I wasn't willing to advise that particular laptop be carried without additional external protection, and you are talking about putting the laptop directly into the Pilot without a cache. It does fit into the Cadet.

Perhaps you could also give the model of your laptop, and then other forum members can weigh in with their experience?

moriond

[MattPanda]

Hi Moriond,

Thanks for the welcome and info. The laptop is a Dell latitude 5580 which has official dimensions of Height: 0.9” (23.25 mm) x 14.8” (376 mm) x 9.87” (250.65 mm). Would it fit?

If I went with the Cadet bag and cache would my laptop squeeze into the 15B cache which has internal dimensions of: 14.92" / 379mm 9.76" / 248mm 0.39-1.00" / 10-25mm
It is 2.65mm too tall by those dimensions, does the cache have any wiggle room? Or are those numbers firm max dimensions?

Thanks!

[tpnl]

I have a T510 Thinkpad (14.8" x 9.8" x1.4" if I recall) and if I try to fit it into my Pilot, it really stretches things - too much IMHO. Plus - your laptop will have no padding or protection. It is the length that is the issue and ease of getting your laptop out.

Here is a video of another forum member (thanks @wierdguy ) fitting his Dell M4600 which is a very similar dimension:



Depending on our drink bottle size (say 16oz or smaller), it may fit on top of your laptop in the main compartment. I have also put my Zojirushi in the front compartment in a pinch and it work. Asside from being one of the best thermoes for keeping things hot or cold, it is very low profile.

Hope this helps
Cheers!

Edit: Here is a picture of my Cadet with 15.6" laptop and my 16oz Contigo Mug, 20oz Contigo Mug and my 22oz Lifefactory Glass Bottle. I can zip close the bag even with the 3 bottles and laptop in it Actually surprised that the larger bottles fit.

[tpnl]

For the Cache, I would suggest the 15a unless someone has tried your size laptop in a 15b.
My T510 which is a bit thicker than your laptop but similar dimensions otherwise just fits in the 15a.
IMHO, the dimensions given are pretty much max given my experience with the 15a. There is always some give but you are stretching the padding thinner and therefore making it less protective and defeating the purpose of the cache.

But calling Customer Service is also a good idea to get answers.

Hope this helps
Cheers!

[MattPanda]

Thanks for that video link tpnl. It is exactly what I was looking for. It does look tight even without the cache in the Pilot, but doable. I usually drive to work so I do not think the laptop would get damaged. That Halycon material from the bag in the video looks a little more flexible then the Ballistic material I would go for.

Thank you for the photo of your drink bottles, do you use a cache on your laptop or find that the bag and a well-built laptop is enough protection?
Now I just need to decide if I want to trade the ability to use the bag as carry on for some padding. I just really like the look of the Pilot

[tpnl]

A happy belated Welcome to the Forum @MattPanda !

You are correct in your observation that the Halycon versions of an TB bag has more flexibility or give and i would suggest getting a Pilot in that fabric if truly determined to use it with your laptop.

Here is a link to a post that shows a T520 in a sleeve and put in a Halycon Pilot - thanks to @itsablur.

15.6" Laptop in a Halycon Pilot

I ended up not being comfortable with this setup as I prefer harder, drop style protection and not just scratch / minor ding protection. However YMMV depending on how clumsy you are. To your comment about the bag being safe in your car, I have had to emergency brake sometimes where my bag with laptop will fly from the seat and to the foot well floor - one time between that and the coffee mug spilling on it, my laptop was toast (it also had a few dings from previous sudden stops). My learning - seatbelt my bag and - just because it seems safe does not mean it is safe

For the Cadet, I do use a cache but the built-in padding in the Cadet (bottom + back and front) is very good and I feel ok travel without a cache occasionally if I have other items that can provide padding (papers, clothes, etc). On the bottle mug discussion, I forgot to mention that most bottles can fit sideways in the front compartment though it may bulge a bit if the bag is filled (and your bottle should be spill-proof / autoseal if putting it sideways).

As for the Cadet being allowed as a Personal Item Carry-on, Tom Bihn does classify the Cadet as personal Items:

Tom Bihn Personal Item Carry-On Bags

Basic Economy Fare Tom Bihn bags

Also, being a briefcase and so slim, I find most airlines will allow it (more the "business case" classification exception)

Hope this helps
Cheers!

[MattPanda]

Ok decision made, Cadet Plus the 15a cache . Thanks for the advice and thoughts.

But now I have to wait 2-12 weeks for them to be in stock for the colour I want

[sujo]

I know you have made a decision, but since you're waiting ...

In the link tpnl provided above by itsablur, that was in response to a question I asked, very similar to yours - would it fit.

I ended up getting an ID briefcase when a final run of them were made before they retired. I did a review of the bag after I got it.

Though no longer available in production, they are still available through eBay. However, I assume you are not in the US, so I don't know if any are available outside the US that you can buy used. It is a great bag with an outside water bottle pocket. It is a bit smaller than the cadet (at 15.75 x 12 x 5.5" / 400.05 mm x 304.8 mm x 139.7 mm) and is more messenger bag than briefcase.

Just a suggestion and something to consider while you wait for the Cadet to be in stock.

[MattPanda]

I know you have made a decision, but since you're waiting ...

In the link tpnl provided above by itsablur, that was in response to a question I asked, very similar to yours - would it fit.

I ended up getting an ID briefcase when a final run of them were made before they retired. I did a review of the bag after I got it.

Though no longer available in production, they are still available through eBay. However, I assume you are not in the US, so I don't know if any are available outside the US that you can buy used. It is a great bag with an outside water bottle pocket. It is a bit smaller than the cadet (at 15.75 x 12 x 5.5" / 400.05 mm x 304.8 mm x 139.7 mm) and is more messenger bag than briefcase.

Just a suggestion and something to consider while you wait for the Cadet to be in stock.

Thanks for the tip, I've had a look at the ID and think its a nice bag. Thats a good review video . But I do like the Cadet better. When searching eBay I actually found a Cadet which might solve all my problems. But that shipping from the USA is such a pain and I would have to still buy the cache direct from Tom Bihn which would mean paying that ridiculous shipping twice