Most people use a computer for just about everything; to do their jobs, for entertainment, and even to run their lives. Laptop comptuers are more popular because they fit hand-in-hand with people on the go. One of the travesties I’ve seen is how many people buy a really nice notebook, but either don’t have a laptop bag or just shove in in a cheap one that doesn’t protect it.
A good quality laptop case should last through several laptop upgrades, and should be large enough to accomodate the size of your computer plus all of its accessories. One of the newest bag manufacturers on the scene is Slappa gear, who have been making quality gear to protect today’s electronics. Today we are reviewing the Slappa Ballistix P-Tac Pro Shoulder bag, which is not only ideal for notebooks, but for gamers, DJs, or just about anyone who has electrics carry.
Features
- Water and tear-resistant 1680-D ballistic nylon
- Quilted inner lining with super-cush padding on all panels
- 2 Hard underbelly outer bumpers for additional protection
- Mirro plated alloy clasps and adjustable shoulder strap
- Manufacturer-direct 360 Day Extended Warranty
- Ideal for airport carry-on, 15.4″ and 17″ notebooks + power bricks, books, documents, travel accessories and gadgets
- DJ Use: Ideal for Seato, Laptop, LP, Headphones and cords
- Gamer use: Ideal for Wii, Xbox and Playstation gaming consoles + power bricks, headphones and joysticks.
Description
When you see this bag you probably ask, “How can one bag look so good, stand out from the crowd and pack all this quality into a low price?” Well my friend most can’t pull it off, but we don’t do things like most others. First off, we didn’t hold back when it came to the design and build quality of these bags. We challenge you to find any other brand of bag that is in the $125.00 range and uses such high quality 1680 denier ballistic nylon, twill nylon inner lining with quilted stitch padding, industrial strength alloy clasps, custom molded zipper pullers and outer bottom plastic runners to add further protection for your precious gear. If you want to spend less than $100 you’re most likely getting a lower grade nylon OR polyester, no inner lining and plastic clips and zipper pullers. To find in another brand the features that we offer, you’ll likely have to spend AT LEAST $200, and most of the bags that compare to this bag are in the $300 range. How are we able to do this? Very simple, we don’t overcharge you as do most of the other brands.
Now let’s talk about the features of this bag. First off, it’s a big roomy bag. 1500 cubic inches is a ton of space. You can fit one OR two 17” laptops in this bad boy (so or course it also fits 15.4” laptops), and we’ve had many customers who told us they can fit their 18” laptops in here. There are 9 storage areas, and with all these pockets you’ll get MANY small gadgets, peripherals and essentials into this bag. This is a great LAN bag for gamers, we have received MANY mails from DJ’s who are using it for their Serato rig OR as a LP bag, countless numbers of college students who tell us they use the bag for their laptop + books and MANY, MANY travelers who tell us this is a perfect carry-on bag. You probably think we’re saying all this to try and sell you, but we’re extremely confident that if you do your research you’re soon figure out that you will not find a better quality bag on the market at this price.
On the next page we take a look at what you can stuff inside…
The laptop case has some some interesting decorative stitching along the front flap, which attaches to the front with two heavy-duty nylon clips. The back of the front flap attaches to the main body with a strip of velcro, which is also zipped into place and can be completely removed. The sides of the case each have a heavy-duty nylon clip, with which the shoulder strap can attach to. Also on each side are long deep pockets, which can easily accomodate a mouse, PSP, Nintendo DS or other oblong object.
The bag itself is 18″(w) x 15.35″(h) x 6.3″ (d), which is a pretty good size for a laptop bag. The laptop compartment itself is 16.5″(w) x 12″(h) x 2″(d), which should accomodate most of the largest notebooks, but some of the largest 17″ (like some of the Alienware computers) may have a really tight fit. The bag weighs just over 4 pounds when it is completely empty, so you’re looking at lugging around a good 15 or so pounds with it moderately filled.
Lots of pockets on the front and sides
The shoulder straps are very robust, and have been mirror plated. The shoulder strap is adjustable and has a comfortable padded sleeve to help relieve weight on your shoulder.
Mirror-plated harness and padded shoulder strap
With the bag open, you can see all of the pockets and goodies inside. Underneath the main flap is a long pocket to take long cords, and even power bricks. There is a nice large space to fit your laptop and any bulky or loose accessories. The laptop area also has a velcroed flap to keep your computer nice and snug, although 17″ notebooks fit rather snugly.
Lots of room for 15″ laptop. 17″ notebooks fit just snugly
The front of the bag has several pockets to help you organize your gear. In the top center is a small zippered pocket to hold smaller items, which I find useful for USB drives. Below this are three long pockets, each with a velcro hood. The front of the center pocket has spaces for business cards, SD cards, or other thin things you might want with you. Behind the row of pockets is a long zipper which reveals a large pocket to hold larger items.
Above: The Slappa logos. Bottom: PVC impact supports and decorative stitching
The back of the bag has a velcro strip along the back edge of the main flap, which is the only thing that holds it in place. Underneath the velcro strip is a zipper which hides a large (but thin) pocket that is useful for holding documents or manuals. There is a huge foam area in the shape of the Slappa logo, which is helpful cushioning when toting the bag through airports and other long distances. At the bottom of the bag is another zippered area which gives access to the same document area.
We’ve toted this thing around for a while. What do we think? Read on the next page…
When Slappa says that this bag is useful for more than just laptops, they mean it. I have used this bag not only to carry all of my electronics through airports, but it is my go-to case for lugging things to LAN parties. There are so many useful pockets that it is my home base for all of my portable gaming systems, charging cords, media players, batteries, and just about everything else.
The laptop area is rather large, but some larger laptops have a rather tight fit. The bag also tends to lose its boxy shape when a lot of loose gear is put into the main area. It starts to get a “beer belly” if you will, which gets even worse when the flap is strapped down.
The top flat is zipped and velcroed in place
The case is very good, and rather comfortable, even when toting around 20 pounds or more of gear. The major issue I have with this case is the velcro strap on the main flap. If you have to pull the bag by its top handle, then the velcro starts to give,and feels like the weight of the bag will pull the velcro apart. When the bag gets heavy, you pretty much have to use the shoulder strap.
Other than this issue, the Slappa Ballistix P-TAC bag is very durable and looks very attractive. Like many quality bags, it isn’t exactly cheap, but if you own a laptop then you really should have a quality attaché of some sort. Slappa makes their gear not only functional, but trendy-looking, so why not spend your money on one that makes you look cool?
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||