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Law School Notebook Backpack

post #1 of 23
7/13/05 at 3:26pm
Thread Starter 
Hello

I'm getting ready to start my first year of law school and I find myself in need of a notebook bag. Everyone tells me I will be carrying around a lot of weight in books so I don't want a messenger type bag, and I will need a large bag to fit it all in.

My notebook is a 15" IBM Thinkpad R50e.

The bag needs to also be able to hold my ac/dc adapter. Preferably in a seperate pocket.

The pack itself should be very sturdy. I'm not a big fan of the flat smooth nylon bags, I prefer the nitted kind they feel like they have more strength to them.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I did a search for this already but it seems everyone has different needs.
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post #2 of 23
7/13/05 at 4:14pm
check out the bags from mobiledge... they make the backpacks for alienware and are very good. they may have what you are seeking
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post #3 of 23
7/13/05 at 5:00pm
Thread Starter 
hmm for whatever reason I can't find their website.. Though the 2 packs at the alienware site look a little beefy for my tastes.
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post #4 of 23
7/13/05 at 5:41pm
they may appear beefy butt they are very solid and offer great protection for your system. i would rather suffer with a bit if a "beefy" case and keep ym system safe than risk it with a less good one.
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post #5 of 23
7/13/05 at 5:45pm
if your going to law school, you'll have a lot of books to carry around, so i would simply suggest getting 2 bags. One for normal items like books, pens, etc. and a dedicated bag for your laptop...That way you can distribute the weight in 2 bags, and not just 1 and you lower the risk of smashing, scratching, damaging your laptop with all the books in there....
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post #6 of 23
7/13/05 at 5:47pm
or you could get a sleeve/case just for your laptop and put that into a bag you already have for books
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post #7 of 23
7/13/05 at 6:33pm
I have been carrying my lappys in my bookbag for a while now. Just get a good laptop sleeve and slip the thing into your back pack. It works for me.
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post #8 of 23
7/13/05 at 7:14pm
I JUST got my Spire Volt XL today, and i'm pretty pleased with it.
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post #9 of 23
7/13/05 at 9:04pm
Thread Starter 
I have a sleeve now but its a hard sleeve. It pushes the sides of my normal backpack out too much and lowers the amount of stuff I can put in there. I was hoping to get a backpack with a spot built in.. There are certainly enough of them out there these days.

I thought about getting a seperate bag.. the problem is I tend to forget things like that a lot... When I walk into class I can't even leave my umbrella out to dry. If it doesn't go right back into my bag then I forget it when I get up to leave.
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post #10 of 23
7/13/05 at 9:17pm
I'm starting Law School myself next month and just picked up a Targus Matrix backpack for $19.99 at TJ Maxx. Seems to offer good protection for the laptop and has a separate zippered pocket for books along with lots of other spots to store additional things. It fits my 15.4" I6000D perfectly so your 15" should be fine in it.
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post #11 of 23
7/13/05 at 9:25pm
I finished law school in May, and I'm starting an LLM in Taxation at U of Florida in August.

The law books are larger and heavier than undergrad - I know that may sound weird, but it is a fact.

I would recommend TWO SEPARATE BAGS, as stlee said.

That way, your laptop doesn't run the risk of getting crushed by the books, and if you just want to take the laptop somewhere, you aren't having to carry books around with you (and vice versa).

Another thing is that if someone were to steal the bag that had your computer in it, and you also used the same bag for books, you just lost the expensive computer and probably at least another couple hundred dollars worth of books (maybe more).

Just my two cents.

The last thing I would recommend is if they have lockers for rent, GET ONE. It would be money well worth it. My law school had lockers by the classrooms and what not for about $25 for the year. That way, you can keep all of your books in there and only take the ones you need to class and home that night, etc.



P.S. what law school are you going to?
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post #12 of 23
7/13/05 at 9:25pm
I go to Nursing school and I carry a lot of books around, and I carry two bags, one for my books and one for my laptop. I also have a small carry-on like suitcase that I use to carry my laptop and books around when it gets too heavy to put on my back. It has wheels and I drag it around behind me like a stewardess.

Because I knew I wanted separate bags, I looked for something slim, and ended up with a Targus notebook bag. It's just big enough for my IBM T41, the AC adapter (since playing games in class can drain your battery FAST), and the extra cables for my palm pilot and digicam when I need to carry them around. Also, on light days when some classes are cancelled, I can fit one notebook in there as well. I think the T series is a little thinner than the R series, so you may not be able to do that.

Also, you may want to look for a backpack that suits your needs, and just find a small protective sleeve like the one made by CaseLogic to protect your laptop. I've been known to just slide my laptop into my messenger bag between notebooks when I needed to.

Hope this wasn't too confusing for you.
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post #13 of 23
7/13/05 at 9:35pm
I'm heading to you're rival FLTaxlaw...I'm starting at Florida State next semester, I almost went to UF but was only admitted for the summer semester so I decided against it. I have been very impressed with what I've seen from FSU so far, and it didn't hurt that several of my best friends and my brother currently go there.
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post #14 of 23
7/13/05 at 10:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gofishn
I'm heading to you're rival FLTaxlaw...I'm starting at Florida State next semester, I almost went to UF but was only admitted for the summer semester so I decided against it. I have been very impressed with what I've seen from FSU so far, and it didn't hurt that several of my best friends and my brother currently go there.
Nice. First year is tough, but not as bad as many make it out to be. Just do the work and work hard and you will be fine.

Don't worry about the bar yet - which is what I'm studying for now. No fun at all.
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post #15 of 23
7/14/05 at 3:36am
good luck studying for the BAR!
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post #16 of 23
7/14/05 at 3:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stlee
good luck studying for the BAR!
I second that!
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post #17 of 23
7/14/05 at 4:34am
best of luck for you guys... im still a bit off having to do that myself but am already planning for it.
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post #18 of 23
7/14/05 at 2:04pm
Noticed this thread started to veer a little off topic...

Anyway, if you're still interested, I hear that Booq makes really nice backpacks and sleeves. Their BP3 model appears to have plenty of room for books also.

http://www.booqbags.com/index.html

I currently use a Samsonite Rafter laptop backpack. It's served me well, hasn't had an issues with ripping/etc despite being overloaded with Eng. books, and is about 1/3 the price of the Booq bag.

http://us.samsonite.com/webapp/us/se...ngId=-1&pc=C25

Hope that helps.
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post #19 of 23
7/14/05 at 2:26pm
I give my highest recommendation to the Targus Evolution! That is a great bag maybe not for carrying tons of books but it is perfect for the cool college student ie the one with maybe a book and a folder and a laptop in his back. You don't want to look like a nerd lol. If you want good protection of your laptop and a backpack that doesn't look like a mountain climbers backpack get the Evolution. It might not be the best for you since you have all those heavy law books. I think the 2 bag thing is an ok idea, whether you carry your laptop or books in the bag it will get annoying after a while, I would prefer to put it all in the backpack. But your going to school for an education not to look cool lol. I'm starting at UF in the fall actually in the college of engineering.
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post #20 of 23
7/14/05 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
Ya I liked the look of the booq packs but their price is crazy high and no one else seems to sell them cheaper (if at all).

I like the look of that samsonite though. Is the laptop area padded from the rest of the bag? Is there lots of room to put really thick books in there after theres a laptop in there?

Thanks for any info.
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