Thinking of hauling a heavier laptop than your typical 13 inch? You might want to check out a bag built to brace the load.
Even though 13 inch notebooks tend to be the average size of laptop for a regular commute, there are folks out there who carry something bigger. Whether you prefer a 15 or maybe even a 16 like the sort Apple released last year, there’s a good chance not every bag will fit your lappy.
That means it might be time to check out something else, and make things a little nicer for that purchase of yours.
Backpacks
One of the more obvious ways of carrying a bigger 15 or 16 inch laptop around is to hoist it all on your back. That’s what a backpack is for, and some of the options in this category will surely let you get that done, protecting that large laptop as you go along for a walkabout.
Mamjo Everyday Traveller Washable Paper
Price: $70
Easily one of the more unusual of the bags on the list, the Mamjo washable paper bag is basically the vegan equivalent of leather, with a strengthened paper bag that isn’t like your ordinary paper.
It’s a little more like aged leather, except it’s paper, and strong enough to carry either a 13 or a 15 inch laptop, which also means the MacBook Pro 16 should be good to go, too.
A little bit more modern than the usual leather bag, this one will be ideal for folks keen to think out of the box and who prefer their luggage to be more environmentally conscious than most.
Targus Cypress Convertible
Price: $90
Perhaps paper isn’t your thing, but being environmentally conscious is. Targus has an interesting approach in the Cypress EcoSmart backpack, made from recycled bottles and with a convertible design.
Built to work as both briefcase and backpack, it’s a different take on the bag that is somewhat environmentally friendly, and includes a padded laptop compartment for that slightly large laptop of yours.
Everki Flight
Price: $119
Looking a little like a rocket ship, Everki’s orange accented Flight laptop bag appears built for the cost effective big laptop owner. After all, if you’ve spent so much on the laptop to begin with, you might want to save a bit on the luggage side of things.
As such, the Everki Flight will still hold that big laptop, but also a little more, too, with a bright orange interior and several compartments to help you find what you’ve left inside and organise it all nicely.
STM Myth
Price: $120
Somewhat slim yet still surprisingly sizeable, Australia’s STM Goods offers a 15 and 16 inch laptop friendly backpack with enough padding to suit the laptop and a tablet in the Myth.
The design is a little more angular than some of STM’s previous looks, but the STM Myth includes some neat weight distribution and a place to throw AirPods in quickly.
XD Design Bobby Original
Price: $150
One of only a handful of anti-theft bags on this list, the XD Bobby Original and XD Bobby Original XL are larger bags built for folks who are aware of the risk of carrying big laptops when they’re out and about.
XD’s approach to anti-theft includes a slash resistant fabric and a compartment openings design that requires you to open the bag from the top in a way that makes it more like a hinge. There are three opening styles, but XD has included an integrated USB charging port in case you’re opening the bag to charge your phone, so you won’t have to, and can just plug in as you walk.
Bellroy Classic Backpack Premium
Price: $289
Bellroy’s take on the backpack could grab folks looking for something a little more premium.
Built with cotton and leather, and featuring the space for a large laptop and maybe a little more, the Bellroy Classic Premium takes the style of its $199 Classic Backpack and adds the leather look for a premium feel.
Messenger Bags
Not everything is a big and bulky bag meant for your shoulders and arm straps.
In fact, if you’d prefer your laptop bag to go across your waist or hoisted over the shoulder with one strap, a larger messenger bag might be just your ticket to large laptop liberation, like these options.
Crumpler Strength of Character
Price: $169
Need a place to store that big laptop in a messenger bag design, but not necessarily a bunch of stuff with it? We hear you, because it’s already heavy enough.
Australian bag brand Crumpler might have the answer in a slimmer approach of the fold-over bag, the Strength of Character.
This bag is a little squared off, but includes a zipped up section that can keep the laptop away from the outside world, while still having the room for other bits and pieces, too.
Pacsafe Intasafe Brief 15
Price: $230
Pacsafe’s approach to a mobile big laptop carrier is to incorporate some of the more interesting anti-theft options the company has become known for over the years.
Depending on where you’re going and how secure you like to feel, you might be inclined to opt for the Pacsafe if you want a slash-resistant material and a way of locking the main zipper section by holding it in place with a locking system.
The strap doesn’t appear to be padded in the way some bags are, but it should be solid for security, which may win over comfort.
Knomo Bungo 15.6
Price: $555
Prefer a messenger that exudes the class that leather provides? You might want to check out Knomo’s Bungo, a messenger bag with a flip over cover made from full-grain leather.
While other bags bring with the spots to load all your gear, Knomo’s is more about the material and style, complete with a magnetic spot on the front flap to keep the bag closed shut. 6
Camera Bags
If you happen to be carrying more than just the big laptop and you need to bring the studio environment with you, there’s a good chance you’re looking for something unique and built to handle a bigger load.
Larger laptops tend to weigh something, but so do the cameras you might be bundling along the side, and if you need to bring with a body and a couple of lenses, you’re going to want a modicum of padding too, at the very least.
Fortunately, there are a few options out there you might want to consider.
Lowepro Fastpack BP250 AWII
Price: $240
Once the backpack of choice for this journalist, the Fastpack BP250 is a laptop bag with space for a camera and a couple of lenses one the front.
It’ll handle a larger laptop closer to the 15 inch mark, and will take a DSLR body and a few lenses, plus includes an all-weather cover if you need that, too.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack
Price: $400
Bigger again, the Peak Design back is built you let you get those big cameras and big lenses out from the side, while keeping the rest of the bag structured nicely.
Somewhere between the design of a sling bag and a backpack, it’s not only built to hold a bunch, but will close shut with a quiet and secure locking system, too.
