I carry my PowerBook G4 around quite a bit. Between using it on consulting jobs, taking it to coffee shops to do my work and hauling it along to record my band rehearsals, more days than not my TiBook leaves the house with me for one reason or another. Generally, I'm also carrying other things with me -- a book to read on the subway, my work notebook or even my drumsticks and earplugs for rehearsal -- so I slip the laptop into a padded sleeve from Wakefield Designs and drop it into my backpack or shoulder bag. The sleeve keeps my computer safe and is slim enough to leave room in my bag for other things.

The problem is that lugging all of this stuff around is hard on my shoulders and neck muscles. And sometimes I actually don't need much besides my PowerBook, and this system is overkill. A sleek, slim, laptop-specific bag sure would come in handy at times like these. Enter the SportFolio neoprene laptop case from Marware. The $39.99 SportFolio is a hip, well-designed carrying bag built to fit snugly around your PowerBook G4 (and almost as snugly around your iBook 14"). Marware also makes a SportFolio II case for the iBook 12" series and a series of neoprene and leather cases for PDAs and the iPod.

The SportFolio comes in black neoprene with your choice of black, graphite or blue trim. Marware sent me the graphite model and I can't say enough good things about it. Made from water-resistant 3mm thick neoprene that encases a plastic shell and plushly lined interior, the SportFolio offers as good a protective casing as one could expect from a soft-sided laptop bag. The zippered case opens to reveal a padded divider that separates the internal compartment into two pockets: one that snugly secures the laptop and another for peripherals. I've managed to fit my Yo-Yo power adapter (separated into its two halves), a pair of headphones and a small accessory bag into the peripheral pocket thanks to the durable, stretchy neoprene fabric. The SportFolio also features a zippered external pocket on the back and an open one that provides easy access to magazines or other thin items from the front of the bag.

Thoughtful design touches like the vulcanized rubber sides and bottom of the bag and dual zippers make the SportFolio a winner, but my favorite part of this bag is the shoulder strap. Made from heavy webbed nylon, at first glance the strap is nothing special, save for the oversized metal swivel clasps that let you remove it from the case. Upon picking the bag up, though, I took note of the rubberized "shock absorbing" pad that rests on your shoulder. The pad is, indeed, shock-absorbant, stretching to relieve the strain on your bones as the weight of the bag pulls towards the ground. Not until walking for ten minutes to a local cafe with my TiBook in tow did I fully appreciate the SportFolio's design -- the shock absorbing strap doesn't make your laptop weightless, but it really does make it feel lighter. The strap is, of course, length-adjustable.

The SportFolio is available along with Marware's other offerings direct from the Marware homepage.