Laptop Travel Lifestyle

For extended trips I've been using the Swiss Army series of bags for the past two years. They have been very durable and they didn't break the bank. I have two sizes: a carry-on I stow my personal care products and enough clothes to last me for a few days in and a mobile office laptop carry-on.

There are plenty of pockets to keep personal care items, shoes and clothing separate in the one, and laptop and accessories secured and protected in the other.

I've dragged them down miles of sidewalks, through crowded airport terminals and even through gravel and the wheels still spin well. The plastic bumpers have protected the fabric faithfully through many drags up onto the curb. The bags have bounced about in the back of pick-up trucks in Yukon and Canada's arctic, and have been squashed under miscellaneous rubbish, snowmobiles, gerry cans and what not in the lugguage compartments and interiors of Twin Otters.

They still look almost brand new and I'm very pleased. For shorter excursions I take my Lululemon Cruiser pack.

 

Traveling Light

I recently purchased the Lululemon Cruiser Backpack. I've tried several other packs along the way, but this one is my fave. It's waterproof! The pockets are well thought out and clearly labeled with color-coded raised icons and zipper tags. Thirteen pockets hold my Bluetooth headset, cell phone, PDA/GPS, iPod , laptop computer, CD/DVDs, digital camera, wallet, keys, sunglasses, various chargers, and more... Wearing t-shirts and jeans, there's room for two full changes of clothes (plus the ones on my back). It's very well made and has been tested with weights up to 50 pounds.

Rolf Potts in his book "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel" suggests carrying only a single small pack. I've gone on a significant luggage reduction and am traveling much lighter these days. This pack is the perfect carry-on.

It comes in green and charcoal grey.

You might also like to read Ross' post on Matador Travel: Traveling around the world with your laptop: not as tricky as you'd think. I think this waterproof pack, with lots of pockets, may be the perfect solution.

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