When it comes to laptop carrying bags the options are almost literally endless. You can get all Junior College styled and backpack-it with something like the Jansport Misdemeanor ($50) or you can douche-out your inner yuppie with something like the Louis Vuitton Port-Documents Voyage ($900).
However… if you are looking for something that will most closely resemble a carefully crafted piece of awesome, then you never need to go any further than Rickshaw Messenger Bags!!! Okay… yes I know, that is a very bold statement towards the quality of this very cool messenger bag series… but I’ve done so with good reason.
Somewhere around 2 months ago I was fortunate enough to have a custom-made Commuter Laptop Bag ($150) delivered to me for review. Right out of the box I could tell I was in for a treat. Not only do they clearly pay a great deal of attention to the small details, but they do it with a pretty sick amount of flare! The colors on this badass little bag just “Pop”… and keep popping! If you want to blend in with the corporate or collegiate masses… then yeah, the $20 Office Depot special will get you by. But, if you want to stand out, and refuse to go on unless you can express your personal style to the world… then this Review is as far as you need to go. For my bag the designers spent some time on our site and chose a cool gray interior… black base… and bright red flap with white piping. In other words… absolute badassery! What does your personality scream out? That’s up to you… but the peeps at Rickshaw will help you figure it out, and more importantly, put it into reality with their Bag Customizer.
Okay… enough with looks (even though that is almost enough in itself to pick one up). Let’s talk a little bit about function.
I have literally thrown this bag around for the last 2 months like it was some over-used whore the football team had their way with, tossed over to the BBallers, and gang-banged behind the bleachers. I might even go as far as to say I over-used and abused this bag to see just how much of a beating it could take to wear it down. The results… it looks almost as good as it did the day I took it out of the box. (You think I’m joking? All of the pictures you’re seeing were taken today.) Under careful inspection you really can see how much care they put into making this bag one that will hold up for a very long time. Fantastically woven canvass exterior…. waterproof liner… metal hardware… hi-tek and incredibly comfortable shoulder strap… hi-impact and durable clips… exclusive magnetic silencers and PVC free materials are just part of the package. Craftsmanship really has become a thing of years past and it’s quite refreshing to see a company put so much effort and value into a well made bag. They’ve even created a symbol of their craftsmanship. A heart with 5 stars and a needle/thread. Here’s what it represents in their words:
Tucked away in your Rickshaw bag you’ll find a tag with our special heart symbol, the Rickshaw ‘PCQ Tattoo’. This little graphic gem represents three things that are near and dear to all of us here at Rickshaw – Passion, Craft and Quality.
The heart represents our PASSION for bags, bikes and our home city of San Francisco.
The silver needle and gold thread represent love for the age–old CRAFT of making bags by hand. The five stars represent our dedication to the highest standards of QUALITY.
The five stars also honor the constellation of our stakeholders – Customers, Employees, Business Partners, Investors and Community – and our commitment to treat each with respect and compassion.
The Rickshaw PCQ Tattoo is just a little reminder of some of the important intangible qualities that accompany our physical products.
In my words… it represents total awesomeness! We see quite a few products cross our review desk every month and have always made a point of only brining you the good stuff. In this case… it’s the GREAT stuff!
So what exactly can this thing do? Aside from look badass, and hold up to all of your tomfoolery? It can hold a lot of your stuff! Here’s a quick shot of everything I tote along in my bag (which is nowhere near as much as you can take along with you).
Style… quality craftsmanship… built to last, what else could you ever possibly want or need in a computer bag? It protects one of your biggest investments, and it does it with blazing style! So who exactly is Rickshaw Bags? In their words:
Rickshaw is a new San Francisco-based bag company. Inspired by the creative energy of our city, urban cycling and an intense desire to make great products, we started Rickshaw to satisfy our own personal passion for bags. We know how people love their bags. We think it’s cool–if not kind of weird–the way people grow attached to their favorite bag as though it were a pet or loved–one.
We also love city living–the excitement, diversity, creativity and culture we experience in a fast-paced metropolitan environment. With access to art, theater, music and restaurants, there’s an energy that pulses through the community. We design our bags for people who thrive on the urban experience and celebrate the creative spirit.
What else do they do? I strongly suggest checking out there site HERE… but if that’s just too much for you right now (lazy ass), they have SEVERAL different kinds of messenger bags for different needs… cool little folios for those of us that still write with paper and, what are those thingies called? Oh yeah, pencils. They have sleeves for smaller more simplified laptop (and iPad) protection (yes, even including the brand new iPad 2), wallets, apparel and even something fun for you cyclists they call the Pipsqueak.
All-in-all… a great American company, making fantastic products that hold up the Made in America name-sake, changing the world one sweet-ass messenger bag at a time. Click below for more images of the bag close-up.
