10 Functional Gear Bags For Carrying Your Cool Tech Toys

Gadget, gadgets everywhere! Now unless you have six arms (or more), you’re going to need a bag to carry all those cool contraptions you need every time you leave the house.  Here are ten awesome bags we found that could play the part.

Airbak Air Tech

While not the most efficient backpack in the list, the Air Tech does one thing better than everyone else: it protects your sensitive tech gear like no other.  Forget about paddings and shock-absorbent layers, the Air Tech does them all one better by throwing in airbags.  Yep, just like the ones that pop out of your dashboard when you hit another fire hydrant.   The air bladders surround mostly the laptop compartment, with the rest of the bag decked in hard lining.  The downside?  The airbags are bulky, so it’s impossible to flatten the bag during storage, apart from taking a considerable amount of container space. [Amazon]

 

Cocoon Grid-It Bags

The brilliance of Cocoon’s products isn’t the bag themselves — which come in different styles and sizes for different purposes.  Instead, the magic lies in the impressive Grid-It organization system, which integrates removable inserts with rubberized elastic bands into each bag.  The laptop or tablet goes in the bag’s main compartment, while everything else get slotted into the bands, which allow for seemingly endless custom configurations to hold everything from external hard drives to smartphones to cables.  [Cocoon Bags]

 

Timmy’s Tactical Attache

If you need a bag that can handle both a stash of gadgets and tools for urban combat, this police-issue satchel should get the job done.  Granted, you’d look a little silly attending a tech convention with what looks like a bag for SWAT operatives… okay, maybe you won’t.  Have you seen the kinds of bags people who attend those things carry?  With a zippered main container holding customizable dividers for all your big equipment and tons of little pockets for smaller stash (like smartphones, hard drives and tear gas canisters), you can use it haul practically every piece of electronics you need, other than a man-sized robot.  [Thinkgeek]

 

SOHO Leather Mobile Office

Designed for travelers, this rolling luggage combines both the functions of a briefcase and a laptop bag.  That way, you can throw in all your computing hardware, a change of clothes and a few travel indispensables into a single carry-on unit.  The easy-access front compartment features a laptop pouch and multiple padded pockets to hold all your essential gadgetry.  Other features include a removable accessory pouch, a three-file divider in the rear and a retractable handle system.  It’s decked in full-grain leather, too, so you look every bit the part of the jetsetting business cat.  [Amazon]

 

Powerbag 6,000 mAh Deluxe Backpack

If you’re not familiar with Powerbag, they make bags with built-in batteries and charging compartments.  That way, you can carry a backup battery anywhere you go, replenishing your gadgets while they sit in the bag unused.  This model, which is clad in ballistic nylon, measures 19.4 x 16.25 x 8.5 inches and holds a generous 6,000 mAh battery inside.  A veritable smorgasbord of charging plugs are available inside, including USB, microUSB, miniUSB and Apple’s 30-pin connector.  On the downside, it can’t transfer any of that juice to your laptop — everything else from tablets to other low-powered handhelds are good, though.  [Amazon]

 

Pelican Rugged Deluxe Notebook Case

If you need the most rugged protection for your laptop and don’t mind carrying a briefcase, few things can serve you better than the Pelican Rugged Deluxe Notebook Case.  Watertight, crush-proof, dust-proof, airtight and corrosion-proof, it’s as heavy-duty a protective case as you’re going to find.  Features include a fitted shock-absorbing laptop tray, double key-locked latches, a padded lid organizer and a rubber-fitted molded handle.  Sure, we’re going to laugh at you every time you walk into the office with this thing in your hand, but you’ll have the last laugh when an asteroid hits a nearby corner and your computer is the only one that survives.  [Amazon]

 

LowePro DryZone 200

If your usual gear consists of photography equipment, there are few backpacks out there that can offer the kind of convenience and protection like the DryZone 200.  Designed for nature-loving lensmen, it’s a completely waterproof bag that will keep your gear dry regardless of what you encounter in the wild.  Not just that, if you drown in the ocean while wearing the bag, you can just let it loose from your shoulders and it will float.  You’ll be dead, but your gear will survive — amazing, isn’t it?   The main compartment is customizable and can be arranged to hold a DSLR, five lenses, a flash, external storage and various other smaller accessories.  Other features include a tuck-away tripod holder, an external mesh pocket, attachment loops for adding extra pockets and an external zippered compartment.  [LowePro]

 

ILE Ultimate Photographers Bag

For urban photogs who find the DryZone a bit too “wild outdoors” for their less-rugged needs, the ILE Ultimate Photographers Bag could be just the rucksack the doctor ordered.  The handmade bag features two waterproof main containers (on top with a rolltop closure and a camera compartment at the bottom), a laptop compartment, side pockets for tripods and light stands, and compression straps for anything else you need to haul around.  Since you’re city-slicking instead of slumming in nature, the bag has been designed long, instead of bulky, making it easier to walk around with even in crowded areas.  It’s handmade to order, though, so the price isn’t exactly endearing. [ILE]

 

EFX 365 DJ Pack

If you’re more the musical-minded gadget freak than the gaming or office square variety, then nothing will suit you better than the EFX 365 DJ Pack.  Built specifically with DJs, digital producers and other music techies in mind, this backpack has compartments for a a 17-inch laptop, a stack of vinyls, controllers, mixers and cables.  It’s got eep side pockets for any smaller items you’re carrying, as well as a dedicated headphone pocket in front.  The only thing it can’t hold are all the groupies hanging out while you’re slapping a hard set.  [Amazon]

 

STM Revolution

There’s really no gimmick with the STM Revolution — it’s just a solid backpack designed to hold modern gear.   The main compartment features both a plush-lined laptop section, an iPad pocket with brushed nylex material and an organizational panel for small stuff (like cords and drives), apart from offering generous space for all your other stash.  Other storage options include a zippered front pocket with multiple pouches, a pair of side pockets and a phone pouch on the shoulder strap.  While the bag isn’t waterproof, it comes with a tuck-away cover that you can pull out when needed to act like a raincoat covering the entire pack.  [Amazon]