Hello all! I took a look at the Kensington 17" Pro bag today. A lot of people were asking about it. So here is a quick peek:
Here is the website if you want stats and such.
http://www.kensington.com/html/4141.html
First off, this bag is generally a messenger bag version of the Contour Backpack. It's well made and has lots of pockets and compartments. 17" and smaller laptops will fit in it. It's also much heavier than the Contour Backpack. It does sport more pockets and a little more room for notebooks, books, files, folders, etc. The sleeve comes out of the messenger bag for use as a smaller carrying case. You get two bags in one, essentially.
The overall bag just pulled off the shelf.
The i9300 compared with the Kensington 17" Pro.
Here is the sleeve pulled out from the actual messenger bag. They are 2 SEPERATE pieces. Both have handles. The sleeve provides the padding for your laptop. There is no real additional padding in the messenger bag. (ie all padding for your laptop is in the sleeve).
The i9300 beside the sleeve.
Here's the top of the sleeve. There is an insert in the sleeve. This insert is for 15.4" and smaller laptops. You need to pull this insert out (it's velcroed in there) to use a 17" laptop with this bag.
This is inside the sleeve without the 15.4" insert.
The insert close up. It uses the same padding found on the Kensington Countour. About 1/2" thick. Without this 15.4" insert the original sleeve's padding is around 3/8" thick.
This is the insert in the sleeve to show the padding velcroed in the bag. The insert is velcroed in the sleeve in 6 places. 2 on either side and 2 on the bottom of the insert.
The i9300 inside the sleeve. Fits very well. Not a tight fit at all. Goes in and comes out easily.
A spot people are concerned with, the zipper. Does it hit the laptop's edge when zipping up? Yes it does. Both edges will be hit as you zip it up because there's only one zipper. If you are very careful, it's possible not to hit the edge. Although, with day to day use, I would suspect that it would be hard to keep a concious effort to not hit the edges.
Going back to the messenger bag itself, here is one of the side compartments. I'll call it the front compartment. There are 4 different zippered compartments on this bag. Lots of mesh pockets. Some with zippers.
If the previous compartment was the "front", this is the next one back. This compartment is NOT where the laptop goes (although it could fit there). This is for your books, files, folders, etc.
This is the third compartment back. It's the compartment that the sleeve fits into and where the laptop goes. The sleeve went in and came out very easily and with no problems.
This is the "back" of the bag. The fourth and final zippered compartment. More zippered mesh pockets.
This messenger bag has 2 bottle holders. One on each side of the messenger bag. Each holds a 16oz Nalgene bottle.
A concern with the messenger bags is will the strap break off? I did not get to test this bag to give you a definitive answer, but it looks well constructed. Metal loops used.
The standard messenger bag strap. Has a rubberized side for grip on the shoulder. Solid metal connectors (clips) to attach to the bag.
Overall, after looking this bag over, it's functionality is as good as the Contour, maybe a little bit better (it had more pockets for stuff and a little more room for files, notebooks, books, etc), but it's MUCH heavier than the Contour. Basically, it's the Contour in a messenger bag version. I can't speak for its comfort. I didn't want to tear open the retainer for the strap.
It's a nice messenger bag, but I think a few things like the thinner 3/8" padding and the zipper catching on the edge of the laptop are reason for concern. Also, the bag is weighty. With a 17" laptop, I'd think you'd want the lightest bag possible to relieve strain. Aside from these concerns, the Kensington 17" Pro is a great messenger bag.
Here is the website if you want stats and such.
http://www.kensington.com/html/4141.html
First off, this bag is generally a messenger bag version of the Contour Backpack. It's well made and has lots of pockets and compartments. 17" and smaller laptops will fit in it. It's also much heavier than the Contour Backpack. It does sport more pockets and a little more room for notebooks, books, files, folders, etc. The sleeve comes out of the messenger bag for use as a smaller carrying case. You get two bags in one, essentially.
The overall bag just pulled off the shelf.
The i9300 compared with the Kensington 17" Pro.
Here is the sleeve pulled out from the actual messenger bag. They are 2 SEPERATE pieces. Both have handles. The sleeve provides the padding for your laptop. There is no real additional padding in the messenger bag. (ie all padding for your laptop is in the sleeve).
The i9300 beside the sleeve.
Here's the top of the sleeve. There is an insert in the sleeve. This insert is for 15.4" and smaller laptops. You need to pull this insert out (it's velcroed in there) to use a 17" laptop with this bag.
This is inside the sleeve without the 15.4" insert.
The insert close up. It uses the same padding found on the Kensington Countour. About 1/2" thick. Without this 15.4" insert the original sleeve's padding is around 3/8" thick.
This is the insert in the sleeve to show the padding velcroed in the bag. The insert is velcroed in the sleeve in 6 places. 2 on either side and 2 on the bottom of the insert.
The i9300 inside the sleeve. Fits very well. Not a tight fit at all. Goes in and comes out easily.
A spot people are concerned with, the zipper. Does it hit the laptop's edge when zipping up? Yes it does. Both edges will be hit as you zip it up because there's only one zipper. If you are very careful, it's possible not to hit the edge. Although, with day to day use, I would suspect that it would be hard to keep a concious effort to not hit the edges.
Going back to the messenger bag itself, here is one of the side compartments. I'll call it the front compartment. There are 4 different zippered compartments on this bag. Lots of mesh pockets. Some with zippers.
If the previous compartment was the "front", this is the next one back. This compartment is NOT where the laptop goes (although it could fit there). This is for your books, files, folders, etc.
This is the third compartment back. It's the compartment that the sleeve fits into and where the laptop goes. The sleeve went in and came out very easily and with no problems.
This is the "back" of the bag. The fourth and final zippered compartment. More zippered mesh pockets.
This messenger bag has 2 bottle holders. One on each side of the messenger bag. Each holds a 16oz Nalgene bottle.
A concern with the messenger bags is will the strap break off? I did not get to test this bag to give you a definitive answer, but it looks well constructed. Metal loops used.
The standard messenger bag strap. Has a rubberized side for grip on the shoulder. Solid metal connectors (clips) to attach to the bag.
Overall, after looking this bag over, it's functionality is as good as the Contour, maybe a little bit better (it had more pockets for stuff and a little more room for files, notebooks, books, etc), but it's MUCH heavier than the Contour. Basically, it's the Contour in a messenger bag version. I can't speak for its comfort. I didn't want to tear open the retainer for the strap.
It's a nice messenger bag, but I think a few things like the thinner 3/8" padding and the zipper catching on the edge of the laptop are reason for concern. Also, the bag is weighty. With a 17" laptop, I'd think you'd want the lightest bag possible to relieve strain. Aside from these concerns, the Kensington 17" Pro is a great messenger bag.
