It is, I think, a tiny bit ironic that Brooklyn Industries only contacted me about reviewing their laptop sleeve and laptop-friendly messenger bags after I left the Borough of Kings - my home of almost ten years - for Oakland, California. I mean, what's a guy gotta do to get on the PR list for a local company? Move all the way across the country? Apparently, yes ... at least in this case.

To be fair, Brooklyn Industries wasn't even a company ten years ago, let alone one that had expanded from one store full of homegrown T-shirts to five outposts of hipster-friendly clothing, bags, and accessories. So I shouldn't really complain. Rather, I should be pretty happy that I got the chance to give their new Laptop Sleeve and Large Messenger Bag a run for their money -- even if doing so on the sunny streets of California is making me a bit nostalgic for the Urban Jungle of New York City. And I am happy about it, for Brooklyn has turned out some pretty cool products for the fashion-conscious among us iBook and PowerBook owners.

Large Messenger Bag

BI offers a plethora of bags, including a Laptop Bag, and several variations on the shoulder and tote bag. I chose their Large Messenger Bag for review because it incorporates an internal pocket designed to hold laptops up to 17" (screen size) and also offers a bike messenger-style shoulder strap, which is a bit different than your run-of-the-mill soft briefcase style laptop bag. They sent me the Olive Green version of the bag (pictured left), one of eight colors available.

This has become my "go to" bag now that school is back in session and I'm on my bike heading off to teach every weekday morning. The Messenger Bag is plenty big enough to hold my iBook (or any laptop), grade book and papers, lunch, gym clothes & sneakers, iPod, and basically whatever else I might need for the day. A myriad of pockets designed to hold everything from pens to papers to larger items (yes, like sneakers and lunchboxes) are found literally all over the bag and secure via velcro or zipper, depending on their location. Two adjustable straps with plastic buckles combine with dual velcro closures to lock the bag's main exterior flap down, and another interior strap/buckle can be used to cinch the bag's main interior pockets tight, which is helpful on those days you overstuff the bag. For me, sadly, that's pretty much every day.

The waterproofed (coated) Korda Nylon exterior of the bag is tough and still looks like new after three weeks of daily use, save for a tiny bit of fraying here and there along the bag's trim (which doesn't at all affect the structural integrity of the bag). I really like the two-tone green exterior with orange interior styling of the bag; about half of the people I've shown the bag to also dig it. Of course, BI offers seven other color combinations to suit the needs of "the other half." All color combinations feature a silver reflective stripe for increased visibility while cycling at night with the bag over your shoulder.

The bag features a seat-belt style wide nylon shoulder strap that's more than long enough to fit folks taller than 6 feet, and the strap adjusts and secures via a large plastic buckle. At first I thought the lack of a second cinch strap commonly found on other messenger bags might be a problem, but once this bag is secured over my shoulders it stays put until I loosen the strap. I do find the placement of the buckle a bit strange, as when I throw the bag over my left shoulder (as most right-handed cyclists would), the adjustment buckle winds up back behind my right arm instead of up in front where I can get to it. As such, I usually wind up wearing the bag "backwards" so the buckle is on the other side. This isn't a big deal at all, but just kind of an odd design choice on BI's part.

As tough as the exterior of the bag is, the interior is soft and promises to be gentle to your belongings. BI describes this bag as "laptop friendly," which means that it doesn't offer the same level of laptop-specific protection as it's Laptop Bag. The laptop compartment is basically an interior pocket bordered by the bag of the bag to the back and a thin nylon divider separating it from the bag's main interior pocket to the front. Inserted in the slot, my 12" iBook G4 has plenty of extra space (remember, the slot can accomodate up to 17" widescreen PowerBooks) and is pretty well padded to the back. There's not much happening in the way of laptop-specfic padding to the front, however - just a thin nylon divider panel. Additionally, the panel secures at the top via a velcro tab and so doesn't offer the level of protection against crumbs, dust, and stray pens that a zipper closure would offer.

Given the durable construction of my iBook and the overall protection afforded by the bag, I feel fine using the BI Messenger Bag to carry my laptop under normal daily commute conditions. However, if I was going away for more than a day or two, carrying a more delicate laptop like a Ti or Al PowerBook, or knew I'd be stowing the bag away in a car trunk or overhead luggage bin with lots of other luggage crowded against it, I'd probably opt to put my computer inside of a laptop sleeve before storing it in the Messenger Bag. Again, if you need a little more laptop-specific protection, BI does offer a Laptop Bag more similar in design to briefcase-style laptop bags offered by other companies.

Overall, I really like this bag, and have used it basically every day since I started commuting to work again. Between its styling, attention to details like providing a pocket of virtually every size and shape a person could want in a bag like this, and sturdy construction, there's a lot to like about this bag. A word to the wise - a bag like this can hold a lot of gear, and while it's tempting to fill it to the brim and throw it over your shoulder, doing so on a daily basis can quickly take a toll on your neck and back muscles if you wear it on twice daily bike rides (or walks) of even just ten or fifteen minutes. Consider an alternate means of carrying the bag, like strappinng it to a rear wheel bike rack, to keep your muscles happy and healthy.

Laptop Sleeve

BI also sent me a sample of their new Laptop Sleeve, featuring a retro design, a durable exterior with all around padding and velcro-secured top flap, and a soft lined interior. BI sent me the 12" size in an Orange/Black/Beige color scheme that's no longer available for order from their website. They do, however, currently offer 12", 14", and 17" sizes in a choice of five patterned styles including Camo (pictured at the top of this article) and Geo (pictured left).

This is a well-constructed, basic latpop sleeve most notable for its style and very plush interior. The sleeve offers no pockets or features beyond one interior pocket designed to hold your computer, but then again that's exactly what the name "sleeve" implies. Unlike other sleeves like Waterfield Designs offerings, this sleeve can't accomodate a shoulder strap or other clip-on additions. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just don't order this sleeve from BI hoping that you'll be able to carry it using a shoulder strap or any other sort of handle.

The Large Messenger Bag ($58) and Laptop Sleeve ($24) are available direct from Brooklyn Industries Online and their retail stores.

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Noah Kravitz runs the Technology and Culture blog Threebase.com. He is an educator, musician, and writer who lives in Oakland, CA and is the author of Teaching and Learning with Technology.