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> For me, the ultimate laptop bag is one that looks nothing like a laptop bag; it should look like nothing special at all. That sounds like almost any regular
by IanCal 1y ago
> For me, the ultimate laptop bag is one that looks nothing like a laptop bag; it should look like nothing special at all.
That sounds like almost any regular backpack then. They can also be pretty weather proof, don't need to be carried in one hand, aren't open topped showing what's inside easily, and padded. Any simple and cheap backpack would solve this exact problem but better surely, unless your desire is to be different rather than just to move your laptop from one place to another with little ceremony.
- CBLT 1y ago> regular backpacks look nothing like a laptop bag You're missing some context here — this is in San Fransisco.
- ghaff 1y agoI don't even live in SF but I'm a bit skeptical that a lot of people even carry around an obvious dedicated laptop bag at this point. I don't see them.
- CBLT 1y agoI've had my car burgled twice for them to only steal a backpack with nothing in it. I'm pretty sure the assumption is that backpacks have laptops.
- red369 1y agoI really hate this! Long ago, I had a quarterlight window smashed because someone broke into my 20 year old Toyota Corolla to steal a 4L, but half empty bottle of engine oil and a street directory. Obviously the engine oil wasn't expensive, and no-one used street directories anymore, even back then. This was in nice suburb in New Zealand, so it was a bit of a surprise. The replacement window cost many times the value of what they took, and I was finding small pieces of glass for a while afterwards despite careful vacuuming. Since then I'm more careful that there is nothing removable visible at all through windows. Ideally, anyone looking through the window should think I am the kind of compulsive person that carries every single thing inside each night. Unfortunately, the trick to making that work almost requires it to be true.
- teruakohatu 1y ago> This was in nice suburb in New Zealand, so it was a bit of a surprise. A friend had her ancient Toyota’s back window smashed in and they stole an old dirty blanket lying on the back seat that they could have gotten for free from any number of places (clean and in better condition) In a warm climate New Zealand suburb. My takeaway at the time was that a subset of thieves will steal anything, with zero rational basis and no regard for consequences. A paper bag would be just as enticing.
- whstl 1y agoMy guess, from experience: they assumed the blanket was hiding something of value underneath it. One thing I learned living in a dangerous area was that you should keep zero visible things inside your car when it's parked, otherwise someone will smash the window. :(
- shmeeed 1y ago>no-one used street directories anymore I disagree! Out in the woods, a few pages ripped out of an old street directory found in the trunk once saved my ass... quite literally. Couldn't have used a smartphone or GPS for that! >Ideally, anyone looking through the window should think I am the kind of compulsive person that carries every single thing inside each night. When I have to park my car in a shady-looking spot, I usually open my glove box to reveal nothing but garbage inside, and a note saying "nothing to steal here". I obviously can't prove this works, but I would like to believe it does, because thieves might consider it a courtesy that saves them unnecessary hassle.
- kmoser 1y agoIt's simpler than that: the assumption is that a bag will hold something of value, whether laptop, purse, wallet, cash, or otherwise
- deadbabe 1y agoI always wonder why no one invented hoodies or jacket with some kind of built in laptop pocket in the back.
- _whiteCaps_ 1y agoSurveyors vests have those. Probably draw a lot of attention to yourself wearing hi viz though.
- wyclif 1y agoHa! I used to be a land surveyor before I was an engineer. I had one of those vests and yes, I did put a laptop in there a few times during lunch breaks when I didn't want to leave the laptop in the truck.
- jonah 1y agoField vests for biologists or other folks who work outdoors but not near a highway or construction site have lots of pockets and aren't hi-viz.
- EvanAnderson 1y agoI dunno about drawing attention. I've heard enough stories of physical pentesters getting into secure areas using the "wear a hi-viz vest and a hard hat" strategy. The outfit seems a little like Douglas Adams' "Somebody Else's Problem Field". People seem to be blind to the stereotypical "workman" getup.
- teagoat 1y agoSome of scottevest's can apparently fit a laptop in the pocket: https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/6w2p0o/scottevest_otg_jacket/ https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/6w2p0o/scottevest_o...
- happyopossum 1y agoBecause a) it would be awkward to remove and replace the laptop from a slot on your back, and 2) sitting down in any chair with a back would be uncomfortable at best, and potentially damage your laptop.
- 0cf8612b2e1e 1y agoAny city, an office drone carrying a container has good odds of holding a laptop.
- stronglikedan 1y ago> Any simple and cheap backpack Where I'm from, a simple and cheap backpack is just as much a target as a laptop bag. The only solution is to just keep an eye on your stuff, and be aware of your surroundings, at all times.
- jonny_eh 1y agoSounds like generally good advice, with or without a laptop on hand.
- bombcar 1y agoI have to admit I prefer living in places where you can leave your laptop on the front seat of your running car and come back twenty minutes later and it’s all still there. But that’s a luxury and I know it.
- WarOnPrivacy 1y ago> I prefer living in places where you can leave your laptop on the front seat of your running car and come back twenty minutes later and it’s all still there. We have that and it's one of the few perks of our suburban hell. My neighbor was gone for two weeks and had 10-20 packages on his doorstep. Our only concern was that rain might get to them.
- bombcar 1y agoWe had just moved into a small town and then left for a week or so in the winter; the sheriff tracked down my phone (presumably from there real estate agent) and called to make sure we were OK when the driveway didn’t get plowed after a snowstorm.
- tomcam 1y agoUsername makes me a little apprehensive nonetheless
- 1y ago
- kragen 1y agoWhen I lived in San Francisco, backpacks were marginalized as being associated with being too poor to own a car. High-school students might carry a backpack, college students might carry a backpack, people on the bus might carry a backpack, but mostly not professionals who drove to work. Maybe that's changed, though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zwWpqsI_3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zwWpqsI_3s purports to be from 02022, and in its first minute, I count 17 pedestrians of whom 4 are wearing backpacks. So maybe backpacks are mainstream in SF now.
- recursive 1y agoEven if it's marginalized, you can still just use it. I think I used to think that way in high school, but it's hard for me to understand functioning adults avoiding a type of bag, otherwise useful, because it's associated with being poor.
- kragen 1y agoMaybe you're used to being around functioning adults who don't need other people's approval, for example because they're rich.
- bigstrat2003 1y agoYou don't need to be rich to have enough backbone to do your own thing, and not worry what someone else might think.
- hwc 1y ago> and padded I prefer to use a laptop sleeve, and then it doesn't matter if it is padded or not.
- bartvk 1y agoYeah I don't get why I don't see these more often. I have a case around my MacBook and it's a pretty good protector. My tip: get something cheap from Amazon. I tried the Incase Hardshell and it broke within a year.
- wiether 1y agoLaptop sleeve are nice, I used to use them... but they need to be the _perfect_ size for your laptop. Otherwise they are hard to open/close if they are just a bit too small, or they are floppy if they are too big. I currently have three laptops, they all have their own dimensions. So I would need three sleeves to carry anyone of them at any given time. For work, I switched between three sizes in the last two years. Meanwhile, my 5yo hiking backpack with a water pouch dedicated space is able to carry any of those laptops safely.
- f4c39012 1y agoYup simple laptop sleeve with a good zip and a reliable handle works well for me. In case of inclement weather there's a ziplock bag inside big enough for the laptop. That goes inside another thin bag for safe carry. If I'm visiting somewhere new and carrying other things, bag-in-bag works well; leave the day bag in the conference room, the thin bag with the laptop comes with me.