As the school year nears, you might be wondering what the best options are for carrying a laptop around campus without worrying about breaking it.
After all, while the portability of MacBooks, Chromebooks and others make laptops great solutions for eking out a bit of productivity away from the office, you don’t want it to sustain any damage when away from the desk.
We’ve already got a great list of the best backpacks for carrying tech around if you want ample back support and storage space, but here we’ll be detailing shoulder bags, satchels and more casual options.
If that’s more along the lines of what you’re looking for, dive into the picks right here.
Eastpak Delegate
1. Best latop bag overall
Classic choice
$55 $60 Save $5
A nice, simple bag with great build quality that will happily carry most laptops.
- Great build quality
- Comfortable strap
- Classic design
- Can be prone to squeaks while walking
Eastpak has been doing bags so long that it’s pretty clear it knows a thing or two.
The Delegate messenger bag is a classic, with a thick and strong strap that only gets more comfortable on the shoulder the more you use it, and plenty of pockets for your bits and bobs.
It’s also nicely padded to make sure that valuables like laptops aren’t bashed around too much while you move.
Eastpak’s usual build quality is also present and correct, with durable zips and solid components meaning you won’t be worrying about replacing it any time soon.
Waterfield Designs
Waterfield Executive Leather Messenger
2. Best quality laptop bag
Leather goodness
A brilliant messenger bag that makes it easy to organise your laptop and other bits of tech.
- Superb materials
- Clever compartments
- So elegant
Waterfield Designs offers the sort of build quality that most other companies dream of, and that does play into a high price tag for its Executive Leather Messenger, but the fact is that bags don’t come much nicer than this.
With high-quality materials, real attention to detail and even a clasp that is almost entirely unique, this is a bag that would look at home in the most powerful of boardrooms, or the most casual of homes. It’s also smartly organised, and that golden lining is a genius way to help you stay on top of where your cables are.
Peak Design Everyday Messenger
3. Best laptop bag for compartments
Plenty of space
A sleek bag that’s great for keeping yourself sorted out.
- Great styling
- Single-handed magnetic buckle closure
- Expandable design with external carry options
Peak Design makes a range of great bags that are excellent if you need to pack in a big range of stuff when you’re on the go.
When it comes to laptops, we like the Everyday Messenger, which has sleeves internally to make storing a 13-inch laptop, tablet or set of documents really easy.
It makes sorting out your bag super easy, which we always appreciate.
Mobile Edge ECO Laptop Messenger
4. Best eco-friendly laptop bag
Best eco choice
$44 $50 Save $6
A subtle bag that does its bit for the environment through the materials it’s made from.
- Huge amount of pockets
- Eco-friendly materials
- Well priced
- Velcro can snag on mesh pockets
If you’re looking for a softer look than Eastpak’s bag, and are also keen to try to reduce your consumption of man-made materials, Mobile Edge’s ECO messenger could be a great option.
Its all-cotton canvas is hardy, with plenty of pockets and smart dividers, including a small window for ID if you want to display it easily.
There’s also a dedicated, specially-padded compartment to hold your computer, to give you the peace of mind you want as you move around.
Amazon Basics 15.6-Inch Laptop and Tablet Bag
5. Best value laptop bag
Budget choice
Different size options make this a great choice if you have an oddly-sized computer.
- Super cheap
- Zippered accessory pockets
- Sturdy design
- Basics branding isn’t very attractive
Amazon’s line of simple, effective products under the Amazon Basics brand is one of its secret weapons. Products almost always match the performance of a much more expensive option, and this bag is no different.
It’s not flashy at all, and there is a fair bit of Amazon branding on it, but, if you’re okay with that, you get a really great bag at a cut-price rate.
By being designed specifically for laptops, as well, this means it’s nicely padded, and you can also pick it up in a wide variety of sizes to make sure that it’s perfect for your particular needs.
Solo Duane Hybrid
6. Best hybrid laptop bag
Flexible option
$58 $65 Save $7
Can’t decide between a messenger-style bag and a backpack? With the Solo Duane Hybrid, you don’t have to, it’ll convert in an instant.
- Convertible design
- Padded laptop compartment
- Affordable price
- Extra straps take up valuable space
The Solo Duane Hybrid bag gives you the best of both worlds, and it does so at a pretty low cost. The hybrid design means that you can quickly and easily convert between over-the-shoulder carry and backpack-style carry depending on your needs.
It’s well-padded for optimum protection and has plenty of space to organise your accessories in the zippered front pockets.
The design is subtle, but fairly attractive, in our opinion. It’s a winner all around.
How to pick a laptop bag
There are a few questions you’re going to want to ask yourself before you commit to a laptop bag, we’d say.
How big is your laptop?
There’s obviously quite a big difference between a 13-inch laptop and a 16-inch one in terms of how much space it’ll take up in a bag, so be sure to double-check what size of laptop each bag you’re interested in can accommodate. Failing to do this could leave you with a bad fit, or even a laptop that can’t fit in your bag at all.
How much do you want to carry?
Once your laptop is in the bag, though, there is still the question of what else you want to carry along with it – after all, you probably have more files, books, chargers and wires that you’d like to also carry. The best laptop bags have compartments for extra gear that lets you organise things well.
Do you need to look professional?
While I think that all the bags I’ve selected look nice and high-quality, some of them look more boardroom-friendly than others, so you’d be well advised to think about where and how you’ll be using your bag. If you need to impress at work or at a job interview, it might be worth choosing a more “boring” but professional option.
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