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 Very nice bag May 13, 2010
I have only had this bag for a few weeks so far, but I have had no complaints about it. I think it is very well made and well thought out in terms of the bag's layout. I was carrying a laptop bag, a small bag with miscellaneous things that I needed and another bookbag with books in it that I thought I needed for day to day things. Now I only use this bag for all of it. I have dropped a few items as they were really just overkill, but I can get more in this bag than I do at this point. It sits comfortably on my shoulder and it is nicely conservative in appearance. I don't really like flashy personal possessions, cars not-with-standing :). I will likely purchase another Booq bag when my needs change. For now, in a casual work environment and running the kids around it works just fine.
Everything I was Hoping for Apr 05, 2010
This bag delivered on everything I was hoping for. A few notes
* the shoulder strap is really comfortable
* back and front pockets are great for small items. I always place my phone wallet and keys in there when I'm on the move, or driving around.
* Wish there was a hand strap on top somehow, instead when trying to put it somewhere i have to fold the shoulder strap and use that as a handle.
* Really roomy on the inside.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A Bag Like No Other: Rugged, Stylish, and Useful... but a bit hard to use. Dec 10, 2009
I'm a bit of a bagaholic, and I've owned bags by CourierWear, Tom Bihn, Waterfield, Crumpler, and a whole bunch of other boutique makers. Over the years, Booq and CourierWear have become my favorites, each representing one end of a wide spectrum from highly structured to totally unstructured, respectively. This category of bag is really a whole step above most offerings from makers like Timbuk2, Keenes, etc.
I own three Booq bags, and this Mamba Saddle is my least favorite of them. Overall, it's a decent bag and SUPER well constructed. (Booq somehow builds stylish objects which are also built like tanks.) This particular bag is configured unlike nearly any other, so it definitely stands out from the pack, so if that's your goal, give it a good look.
POSITIVES:
-- Booq's build quality and laptop protection really are among the very very best out there.
-- Pockets inside are numerous, highly structured, and come in a WIDE variety of shapes and sizes. If you like to compartmentalize your bag, this bag does so pretty nicely and gives you lots of options. Mine came with a little matching gearbag as well for cords and such.
-- The laptop compartment offers ample protection and fits both a 13" and 15" laptop with room to spare for a folio or slim notebook
-- The strap is nice and comfy seatbelt material.
NEGATIVES:
-- The bag has flat pockets on front and back (the larger back one has a magnetic dot to keep it closed). These are the ONLY outside pockets, which ends up being a pretty major limitation of the bag. Neither of these pockets is terribly useful (because the front one is too small, and the back one tends to get lost when it's against your back...)
-- the bag unzips in a giant U shape... which basically means that you are letting the front "fall out forward" so that you can access stuff inside the main compartment. (Essentially, the bag is configured as a big wedge shape, so when it's closed, the zipper is more or less pinching the top of the main compartment together to shut it.
-- I'm able to comfortably carry a laptop, some files, a DSLR and an extra lens, and all the requisite "go bag stuff" as well (earbuds, mouse, powercords etc.) however this comfortably fills the bag and leaves little extra room.
-- The overall form factor of this bag makes it difficult to use. The main zipper configuration means it's hard to open when it's on your shoulder (and the lack of external pockets means you have to!). The main compartment is basically a big wedge shape (widest part at the bottom) so that you really need to FULLY open the bag to get to items in the bottom of it... which requires that you set the bag down.
-- The pockets inside are either have openings that are either too tight for my (medium sized) hands, or so loose that things fall out of them.
-- Annoyingly, booq's unique "terralinq" tag (a great idea) is located in a spot where it's bound to scratch the contents of things you store in the bag (so I put tape over mine).
-- The bag basically will not quite stand upright when it's loaded normally. Annoying for sure.
Booq is my favorite maker of structured bags, so I was very disappointed with this one. My other booq bags are a Booq Taipan Slimcase M, Black for 15 Inch Notebooks and an older Folee XL--which is as near perfect a laptop bag is it gets.
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