Wednesday's Work Appropriate Bag: Laptop Bags

My personal-use laptop is really small -- the old version Sony Vaio's TT series (here) -- 11" screen, 3 lbs, easy to slip in and out of my bag at the airport checkpoint. I carry it in a Built NY small laptop sleeve (here) and put it in whatever tote I am using at the moment. But I realize that others do not have (and maybe do not want) such small laptops, and that it is troublesome to remove the laptop from the sleeve at the checkpoint. So now that airports allow you to leave your laptop in the case as long as the case is TSA compliant, here are some ideas for security checkpoint friendly laptop bags:

CODi Phantom CT3 Checkpoint Tested Laptop Bag (pictured left): made from ballistic nylon, the bag hinges so that you can leave your laptop in the bag through the scanning tunnel at the airport. However, the bag is 14" x 11" x 3", so it doesn't fit all laptops. Originally $225, it is on sale at ebags for $149.99. Find it here.

Aerovation's Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Bag: this bag also is TSA compliant (it hinges too), although I don't think it looks as nice as the CODi bag. Big enough for a 15.4" or 17" screen and weighs a little over 3 lbs. The 15.4" screen version is $129.95 and the 17" screen version is $149.95.

And, finally, for Apple users, check out Incipio's QuickCheck “Check Point Friendly” Notebook Carrying Case (pictured right). Though not a case with a sturdy handle, I enjoy the sleek design on this carrying case that comes in 4 different sizes: MacBook Air ($44.99), MacBook 13" ($44.99), MacBook Pro 15" ($44.99), and MacBook Pro 17" ($49.99). All cases are TSA compliant; they are made from nylon and come with a removable/adjustable shoulder strap.