Now that I’m commuting to my new office – and with SXSW coming up – I need a new laptop bag.

I’ve had a BOOQ laptop bag for years (here’s what mine looks like), and have loved it, but beyond holding my powercord, a magazine alongside my laptop & some smaller things like a mouse & headphones in the front pocket – it doesn’t have much space.

I’m looking to have a bag that can basically replace my having to carry a purse and my laptop bag separately. As, if I add any kind of snack and/or water bottle to the equation, I find myself juggling. So this afternoon I set out on an (internet) hunt for a new one. First, tweeting a request for recommendations, and then I started by going back to a great Laptop Bags list I had seen recently on Squidoo.

Within maybe an hour I had narrowed it down to approximately five favs & then narrowed that down further to the following three:

 

This photo (above) shows the following three:

• Zaum Portable Media, Orange: $170
  I think these are all hand made – how beautiful is this!? All of theirs are amazing & quite honestly I’m coveting this baaad. I think I would have gone for it if their return policy wasn’t exchange only. Also I wanted a tad more accessibility to the stuff in the pockets.
• Acme Made Clyde Messenger Bag, Lime w/ Gold: $180
  Also *extremely* into this bag… loving all the pockets. Maybe too many? Also wasn’t sure if I wanted to go messenger style in the end.
• Golla Festival Backpack: $70
  I love the design on the outside & the red accents. I love that it holds the laptop more vertical AND that the top of the bag has a handle (the later two features are elements I love about my current BOOQ Bag). A lot of the photos online make this design look almost asphalt/gray, but apparently it’s more brown… which isn’t ideal, but I can definitely live with it. Note the link I used on the name above shows out of stock for this color, but I found one on eBay. Here’s a great review of the Golla backpack w/ larger photos & details from an enthusiastic owner of both the black Chapter style & the red one, and another post that has photos & details from Golla at CES.

Which one do you think I got? Well, you may have been able to guess from my going on & on, but I’ll save you the suspense: I got the Golla Festival! It’ll be interesting to have a ‘backpack’ style for the first time in a long time, but I like how compact it is, while being stylish & functional… not to mention the most affordable out of the three! :) 

Some others I looked at, that were in the running, initially:

• BOOQ Slimcase: $100
• Laurex, Gold Wave: $70
• Golla Messenger Laptop Bag, Orange Twist: $100 – Ooh, here on Amazon for only $30! Also see this Golla Squidoo article displaying several of their designs. I’m really loving this brand!
• Belkin 15-Inch Messenger Bag (Chocolate/Tourmaline): $30
• Slightly unrelated, but I found this adorable Bucklette clip-on hip wallet ($92) while searching & totally want one! I added it to my wishlist. :)
• Also, if you’re setting out to buy a new laptop bag, be sure to search Etsy, too!

Gah… it’s all I can do to not buy that Orange Twist since it’s priced so affordably. I also found a Golla Chapter (black style) on eBay for around $30 as well & almost nabbed it in addition to the Festival, but obviously I don’t need that many laptop bags… I’m sure I’ll be fine with the one I ordered! :) 

So that’s my laptop bag roundup. Thoughts, feedback or your favorite(s)? I’d love to hear ’em.

UPDATE: I also ended up buying the STM Loft Laptop Shoulder Bag (pictured below), but after having it for months I actually ended up never using it, so I’m selling it! See below photo for more…

~ For Sale: $40 ~
It’s a great bag, but just use my Golla backpack all the time instead. If you’re in SF, we can arrange a pickup, or I can ship it. Leave me a comment or contact me through my contact page if you’re interested. It’s brand new, never been  used!