Hardware Geeks

I travel a lot, and I lug around my laptop almost everywhere I travel (along with my clothing, obviously). What ticks me off the most about traveling is when I make a one or two day trip and still need to check my baggage because my suitcase is too big to carry on, even though it’s mostly empty.

With that in mind, I recently upgraded my laptop bag when I received the Ballistix PTAC Matrix Laptop Shoulder Bag from Slappa.com for review. Not only does my laptop fit in it (up to 17 inches), but so do a couple shirts and a pair or two of jeans.

Before I get on with the features and durability, I have to say it is probably the hottest bag I have ever personally owned. The outside design is really cool—it kind of looks like it’s webbed design (I’m all into spiders and webs). It’s also very comfortable—I carried two laptops in it over the weekend, and the shoulder strap was very comfortable on the arm. Additionally, the bag itself has a rather large cushion on the back for added comfort.

Did I mention it looks really hot? The people who designed this bag took into consideration every little detail, from the mirror plated buckles to the back cushion that looks like a hand. This bag is amazingly beautiful.

Aside from the fact that the bag has a really nice look and feel to it, it’s also very durable. Being that it is made with ballistic nylon, it’s bound to protect your notebook from the casual dings and bangs you are bound to encounter while you walk around town with your notebook, or when you board or disembark an airplane. 

While I didn’t aim a 9mm Glock at the bag and fire on it with my notebook inside (although I should ask my friend to have her cousin shoot it up since she is a cop), I did perform a few tests, none of which were scientific. I placed a notebook in the bag and walked wildly in my office making sure it banged the corner of my desk, the knob on my door, and the edge of the door frame—the notebook survived perfectly fine.  I also took it out and about and used it how I would, and everything was fine.

I also did something a little crazy. Last week it rained a lot here in NYC, and while I didn’t leave my notebook inside the bag (I’m too much of a chicken), I left the bag outside in the rain overnight. In the morning, it was soaked on the outside but on the inside it was 100% dry.

The bag has a sturdy frame so I doubt any of the shocks from the hits it’s received actually reached the notebook.

Inside, the bag is huge. It has 1500 cubic inches of space which, like I mentioned earlier, is enough for a laptop, a few shirts, and a pair or two jeans. Oh, and let’s not forget the underwear and socks. There is so much space that you can probably fit 2 laptops along with the clothes.

This is probably the only bag that has so many pockets that I have no idea what to put in them all. With my previous bags, I never had enough pockets or just enough pockets.  So I went on a mini shopping spree to buy crap to put into the pockets on this bag.

Only when I had every pocket full, was I satisfied. The bag has a pocket for everything—cables, mice, cameras, and documents. You name it, and the bag has a pocket for it. What I also thought was cool was that even when the bag was completely full, it didn’t feel heavy. Maybe it was the comfort of the bag, or because the weight was distributed evenly by the bag. Whatever it was, it made heavy things feel light.

My only complaint is the clasp that keeps the bag closed, were overlapped by the outer flap, this was annoying especially in airports, when you have to take your notebook out and put it back in. You find yourself laying the bag on its back to close it.

Overall the bag is great and we award it our 4 Star Kick Ass Award. Only four stars because of the little clasp annoyanceI had.

The Ballistix PTAC Matrix Shoulder Bag is available from Slappa.com for $149.99. It also comes with a matching sleeve for an additional $39.99. The sleeve is pretty cool and made of the same ballistic nylon and waterproof material. I actually accidently spilled some starbucks hot cocoa on mine and, thankfully, nothing was ruined. In fact, the sleeve didn’t even stain.

Post Tags: notebooks  reviews  slappa 

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