Bilgin's Blog | Crumpler Notebook Bag Review

Crumpler - Wee Bee
Quest for ideal notebook bag / Review
13^rd August 2007

I'm not sure whether it's a common problem for notebook owners, but "finding the right notebook bag" was a great challenge for me. I've been using using different notebooks since '98. I've tried lots of bags since then and I'm not even half satisfied with them. Notebook-bag manufacturers often come up with some good ideas, but each time you experience a big flaw. Some bags make you uncomfortable when you carry longer than 1 hour, some slip from their hooks. And some simply can't protect the computer inside. And with some of them, you have difficulty to take out your notebook easily when needed. Some of them is really tough and functional but they're bulky. On and on ... I think, after all those years, I've found the right notebook bag for me, so I wanted to share my experience.	Crumpler Wee Bee, with my tablet pc - TC1100 [click image for larger view]
Crumpler Wee Bee - Outside, closed view [click image for larger view]	What do I expect from a notebook bag? Each of us has unique expectations, but I prefer it to be : Tough, I want to be sure that the computer is safe Easy to carry, long hours Easy to carry while riding a bicycle Easy to extract the notebook As small as possible Just enough pockets for keys, accessories, etc I prefer my notebook bags as "use it everyday" way. So I don't like executive style cases that you can only use in office environment and in meetings. If you seldom go to official meetings like me, you can have that style of notebook case for these special occasions. After all, you can use the "non-formal" sports bag in many occasions. If the bag is well designed and cute, even the most "formal eye" sees the object in a different way.
My First Encounter with Crumpler I've bought all my notebook bags with great enthusiasm, but they all came short with my expectations. After a week or so, I was so disappointed that, I was looking for another one. When I bought Crumpler, I had the feeling that I found the right notebook bag, and it proved right. After using it for nearly three months, I can easily say that it's the right thing for me. I saw this bag while I was wandering on the streets of Geneva. Crumpler bags were sold in an computer shop.	Wee Bee has few pockets, but it's quite enough [click image for larger view]
I found the designs interesting and I made a quick research on the web. If you just visit Crumpler's web site [www.crumplerbags.com], you'll quickly notice that these bags are somewhat different. First of all, the names of the bags are weird, such as "Cheesy Disco", "Marry Ugly". After all, the product info for these bags not comprehensible and don't make any sense. Such as : "Dress ya compoooter and sooopa important documents up real proooty in a Wee Bee...." About My Wee Bee But I decided to buy. The web site was designed in an absurd way, but between the lines you can see that these bags do fulfill your needs. Among the nonsense product info, they give the exact space of each bag, the weight of the bags and the things you can carry. Each bag is designed for different ranges of notebook sizes. Mine, Wee Bee is designed for 12' notebooks and I bought it for 170 CHF (approximately 140 USD). Yes, it's not cheap, but it's worth that.	Crumpler's rather weird web site - [www.crumplerbags.com]
My other notebook bags. I bought them with great enthusiasm but they have serious flaws. [click image for larger view]	Pro et Contra Of course, my Wee Bee bag is not 100% perfect, it has pros and cons. Pros It has a superb protection for the computer Form factor is great for carrying long hours Shoulder pad is very comfortable The bag is really tough It has mediocre yet acceptable weight Unique and brilliant design Inside pockets are quite enough It has enough room for adapter, cables and even an A4 notebook Cons It's not cheap A pocket, easily accessible from outside would be great You cannot adjust the strap short, because the large shoulder pad prevents it. So if you like the strap short, you should remove the shoulder pad. You can't find it everywhere
Final Word After three months of extensive usage, I'm quite satisfied with my Wee Bee. It's still in good shape. I carry it everywhere and had no problems with it. If you wish to buy it, you should be lucky enough to be in one of the few places that it's being sold. For example, it's not sold here in Turkey. As a final word : My next notebook bag will also be a Crumpler.	Crumpler on my desk [click image for larger view]

Bilgin Esme, August 2007